Chapter 1: Meetings Have Such Sweet Sorrow
Author's Note: Now, this is slightly AU (alternate universe), but not really, so you don't need to worry about something like me making Akito a girl. Oh, wait…
Anyways, I know that some of the things in this fic aren't real and that they never happened, but for the sake of this story, things have been changed. Not the concept, of course. Yuki's still not very… fond… of Akito, Shigure's still a childish pervert, Kyo still has a nasty temper, and Tohru's the same kind and caring person she was made to be by © Natsuki Takaya (Who, this being my disclaimer, owns the characters from Fruits Basket). Some of the events, as far as I know, didn't happen and might never happen. Hope you enjoy!
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A warm breeze brushed passed Tohru as she hung the clothes out to dry. It was the beginning of summer vacation, which she was looking forward to. The school year was rough but now that she had a break from it, she could start relaxing a bit more, even if she still had work.
Speaking of which, Tohru was already doing some chores around the house. With a sigh of completion at hanging the clothes, she headed downstairs and started to clean the kitchen and living room. She dusted a few things before she realized that she had already cleaned both places the day before. Summer can make time go a bit slow, when there isn't school to worry about.
Tohru put the cleaning supplies away and sat at the table, looking around in a slightly bored manner. She was the only one at the Sohma house, besides Shigure, who uncharacteristically locked himself in his room to finish his novel, and it was quite silent. As peaceful as that should be, it wasn't much comfort for her. She was used to the loud yelling of Yuki and Kyo, though it had started to happen less nowadays. Kyo was at the dojo as he usually was at that time of day, and Yuki had gone to the store for Tohru when she was doing the laundry.
'Come to think of it, he's been gone for awhile,' Tohru thought worriedly. When she turned around to look at clock behind her, Tohru came face to face with Yuki. He was standing there in a light coat, with a smile on his face and holding a bag of groceries in his right hand.
"Are you worrying?" Yuki asked warmly as he put the bag on the kitchen counter and took off his jacket.
"Just a little," Tohru replied, returning the same smile that Yuki had. She watched as he completely put everything away and took a seat next to her.
"I've missed you," Yuki whispered to Tohru as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. Just a few months ago Yuki had taken her to his Secret Base and confessed that he loved her. It took him all the strength he had, because he didn't want to feel rejection by the only one he could ever love. However, all his fears left him when Tohru had returned his love. That was a day Yuki would never forget.
"Is Shigure still working?" Yuki asked as he stretched his arms out.
"Yes, he is," Tohru said, worried at the dog's long absence. "He's been working nonstop since this morning. He hasn't even left his office all day."
"I wouldn't worry about him, Tohru," Yuki said with another smile. "I'm sure he's alright. To tell you the truth, I wouldn't be surprised if he was actually sleeping instead of working on his book." The phone then suddenly started to ring in the once completely silent house, slighty making Yuki and Tohru jump in surprise.
"I'll get it," Yuki said with a sigh; he had just started to get comfortable. "It's probably just Shigure's editor. I hope she won't get too upset if that dog has been slacking again."
As Yuki entered the hallway, heading towards the phone, a sudden shuffling of paper was heard and a door to the side quickly flung opened. Yuki turned his head just in time to see Shigure come stumbling out of his room towards the phone and picking it up quickly, almost knocking Yuki over if he hadn't jumped back against the wall. It was quite obvious, by Shigure's ruffled hair and saggy eyes, that he had indeed been asleep the last few hours.
"Hello?" Shigure answered after clearing his throat. Yuki groaned in frustration and annoyance as he composed himself from his attempt at getting out of the way of the dog. "Oh, hello Aaya!" He turned towards Yuki and gave him an aren't-you-glad-I-answered-instead look, at which Yuki returned with rolling eyes. He then headed through the hallway back towards the kitchen.
However, a sudden yelling was heard from outside the house, causing Yuki to pause in his step. Suddenly, before anyone could say or do anything, a figure went flying through the sliding paper door. The figure crashed into the wall right next to Shigure, where Yuki once was just moments ago.
"KYYYYOOOOO, HOW COULD YOU SAY SUCH A THING TO ME!"
Kagura suddenly appeared in the ruins of the door, her eyes burning like fire. The figure started to get up from the remains of the paper door that lay on top of him, and soon Kyo fully appeared, sitting up and rubbing his head in pain.
"I THOUGHT YOU LOVED ME!" Kagura yelled, running up to him and started to bend his arm behind his back. By then, Shigure had taken the phone away from the commotion, not really surprised by the sudden destruction of his home. Then again, with Kyo living there and Kagura always visiting, it was inevitable to happen and he was already used to it. Tohru had also gotten up from her seat in the kitchen and went up next to Yuki to see what was going on.
"I NEVER SAID I LOVED YOU, YOU CRAZY WOMAN!" Kyo yelled, trying to break free from Kagura's grip. Of course, it proved to be useless, with the strength of the grip on him. Kagura suddenly threw Kyo against the opposite wall, and started to punch him in the face while screaming questioningly at why he would say such things.
By then, though, Shigure came back into the hallway, now finished with his phone call with Ayame. He looked at the almost pathetic sight of Kyo, who was obviously unconscious from the attack, and Kagura, who seemed to have calmed down and was now holding the cat closely.
"Who could have done such a thing to you, Kyo-kun?" She said, squeezing him tightly. Shigure's attention then turned towards the broken door, and he let out a sigh.
"I think this house could have survived a typhoon better," he said, shaking his head. "Well, at least the door frame is still standing..."
A sudden sound of cracking came to their ears, and before anyone could say or do anything, the remaining parts of the door crumbled to the ground in pieces. Everyone stared at the door silently, as a mix of irony filled the air.
"I stand corrected," Shigure said, both amused and distressed.
"I'm sorry, Shii-chan," Kagura said as she stopped rocking Kyo back and forth. By now, though, the cat was coming to and was looking around, slightly dazed. "Kyo-kun just upset me a little, and I got so sad." Everyone looked at her, the beaten up Kyo, then to the ruins of the door, before turning back to Kagura, all in a state of confusion.
'… Sad?'
"I'll fix it up, don't worry about that!" Kagura said as she quickly got up, momentarily forgetting about the hurt cat she was once dangling in her arms. Kyo fell backwards to the floor, though now he was fully conscious that he was able to sit back up. Kagura looked down at Kyo, a smile on her face. "And I'll cure you back to health, Kyo-kun!" Kyo let out a small groan, but thought it better not to say anything when he was already in bad shape.
Tohru offered to help Kagura with the door, and the two then left to find paper to fix it up with, leaving Shigure, Yuki and Kyo in the hallway as a warm breeze brushed pass them. Kyo tried to get up, but his back was killing him; not just from the beating he got from Kagura, but from the practice he had with Kazuma that day at the dojo. Yuki, after getting tired of Kyo's unsuccessful efforts in getting up, grabbed his sleeve and pulled him to his feet.
"What did Nii-san want, Shigure?" Yuki then asked, turning towards the dog with a raised eyebrow.
"Aw, did little Yuki-kun miss Aaya so much that he wanted to talk to him? If I had known, I would have given you the phone!" Shigure said teasingly. However, he cleared his throat nervously at the dark look that crossed Yuki's face. "Actually, he gave me a message from Haa-san. He has something important to tell us, so he's coming over right now." By then, Tohru and Kagura came back with the supplies to fix the door, and were also listening to what Shigure said.
Yuki narrowed his eyes slightly, 'something important?' Yuki had a sudden feeling of dread pass through him, but he couldn't quite understand what it was about. What was so important that Hatori had to come over instead of just telling Shigure over the phone? His eyes wandered over to Tohru, and something inside his head clicked. However, he shook it off before he could think of it more. Hatori wasn't going to erase Tohru's memories, not after so long…
…Right?
'No, that can't be it.' He was just being paranoid, that's all. Ever since Tohru became his girlfriend, he's been extremely protective of her. More than before, that is. 'It probably has nothing to do with Tohru at all…' As if reading his mind, Shigure let out a little laugh and gave Yuki a pat on the shoulder.
"It's nothing like that, Yuki-kun," he said with a smile. "You worry too much. I'm sure it's not as bad as we think it is." As he left the hallway to head back to his room temporarily, while waiting for Hatori to come, Yuki decided to leave as well. He passed by Kyo, who was resting against the wall trying to catch his breath, and headed towards Tohru and Kagura to help them fix the door, which they already started on.
"Is something bothering you, Yuki-kun?" Tohru asked after a few minutes of patching the door up passed. He had been unusually quiet and his eyes had glazed over slightly, as though he was in deep thought.
"Hm?" Yuki said, snapping out of his thoughts. "Oh. No, nothing's bothering me Tohru." Yuki gave her a smile before returning to fixing the door silently. Of course, something was bothering him, and still had been ever since Shigure said Hatori had something important to talk to them about. He still wondered what it was about, since something inside of him told him it wasn't anything pleasant. 'Hatori' and 'news' never went well together in the first place. And speaking of Hatori…
"Hello Hatori-san!" Tohru suddenly said cheerfully as Yuki looked up from the door. Hatori was walking up to them, his hands in his pocket with the same indifferent look on his face. 'At least he isn't showing anything unordinary.'
"Hello Honda-chan," Hatori replied, and looked at the door that layed in ruins. Deciding not to question what had happen, especially after he saw Kagura working in the corner and Kyo still catching his breath in the hallway, Hatori instead took a deep breath.
"Shigure-san is in his office," Tohru said with a smile as Hatori gave a grateful nod and carefully walked passed the broken door, and into Shigure's office. The dog was at his desk, reading something on his computer, most likely his story. In which case, it didn't surprise Hatori when there was barely even half a page. As soon as Hatori stepped inside the room, Shigure looked up from his work and at the doctor.
"Ahh, Haa-san, you're finally here!" Shigure said as he leaned back in his chair. "Hm, I thought Aaya would be here with you."
"He would have been, but he had to stay back at the Main House. Which is why I came here to talk to you all," Hatori replied seriously, making Shigure lose his smile, which was then relaced with a curious frown.
'This can't be good.'
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Not too long after Hatori arrived at the house, the two Sohma's and Tohru had already finished repairing the door and carefully put it back in its place. Tohru then stood up with a smile, as did Yuki.
"There, good as new," she said cheerfully, and Yuki gave a small smile. However, his attention soon turned to Hatori and Shigure as they left the dog's office towards the rest of them.
"I've got something to tell you all," Hatori said, quite bluntly. He needed to tell them as soon as he could, and beating around the bush wouldn't do.
Tohru quietly started to exit the hallway, since these talks never concerned her and she thought they would want the privacy. However, Hatori put up a hand, causing her to stop.
"Actually, Honda-chan, this concerns you as well," he said, not going into much detail as to why. Tohru stopped in her tracks, slightly confused, but nodded nonetheless. Yuki's eyes suddenly narrowed as he turned his gaze from Tohru to Hatori. 'Maybe that is why he's here…'
"Now, I'm going to be quick about this since we're supposed to be at the Main House by 3:00," Hatori said as he quickly checked his watch.
"The Main House? Why?" Yuki suddenly asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes a bit more as he looked up at the doctor.
"Akito-san wants all of us to be there," Hatori replied, blankly staring back at Yuki. He understood why he was so suspicious, and even a bit nervous, though he barely showed it. That would be the case, since, other than Yuki being slightly frightened by Akito, having Tohru invited made the fear even worse. Especially since they were together, though as far as anyone else knew, Akito didn't know.
"All of us? Even me?" Kyo asked with a raised eyebrow. That was also quite odd, with him being the outcasted cat. Hatori gave a nod, still not going into detail as to why they had to be at the Main House het. However, no one asked anymore questions about it, which was a good thing for Hatori, since he didn't even know why. Besides, they had no other choice but to go; if Akito ordered it, no one could go against it.
The five Sohmas and Tohru headed towards Hatori's car, stiffen and silent. It was almost like going to a funeral, and considering the circumstances, they might as well have been. Yuki reached out for Tohru's hand, gently lacing his fingers with hers. He had the same sudden feeling of dread pass through him as it had done earlier, but now he was more concerned about it.
Tohru looked up at Yuki, curiously, at his sudden moves, but gave him a smile nonetheless. She squeezed his hand gently, knowing about Yuki's not-so-comfortable relationship with Akito, and they all got into the suddenly cramped car.
"Haa-san, how long are we going to be there? I've been making much progress in my story, but I have yet to finish it and I have deadline to make, you know!" Shigure said as he got in the passenger seat, closing the door behind him.
"What progress?" Yuki and Kyo muttered under their breath, unnoticed by the novelist.
"I'm not sure, Shigure," Hatori said, his eye slightly twitching. He wasn't in the mood for Shigure's antics, and one seemed to be just around the corner.
"Aw, but Haa-san, you should know! Can you give a guess or something, because I really need to know--"
"I don't know."
Shigure let out a long sigh, but didn't say anything more, much to the doctor's, and everyone else's, delight. Hatori started the car, and without anymore interruptions, drove them off to the Main House.
Yuki rested his head on his hand, staring out the window. So many questions were floating through his mind that he was getting a slight head ache.
'Why are we even going to the Main House? What does Akito want with us so suddenly? And why does he want Tohru there as well? Isn't anyone else concerned about this! What if Akito pulls a fast one and something terrible, completely terrible, happens!'
"Yuki-kun?" Tohru's voice suddenly came, snapping him once more out of his thoughts. He looked at her smiling face questioningly.
"We're at the Main House now," she said, getting out of the car, along with the others. Yuki slowly followed, closing the door behind him as he looked up at the Main House. He hadn't been there in a few months, and he only barely wondered if Akito had anything to say about that. As they entered the house, Yuki took Tohru's hand into his, holding it protectively.
'There's that sudden feeling of dread again...but now it's stronger.'
Just as soon as Yuki thought that, a chilling voice entered the hallway ahead of them. He could feel the hair on his neck stand up, and could see that the same thing happened with the others, as well.
"Welcome Hatori, Shigure, Kagura, Kyo, Yuki… and Honda-san," Akito said, suddenly appearing in front of them with a smile on his face. He looked at each one of them with the same cold, indimidating look on his face for each person.
"I'm glad you all could come so soon."
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Author's Note: Now, before I start, I'd like to let you know that I've heard about Akito's secret in chapter 97. But here, he is exactly that: a he. Besides, if I wasn't so curious and hadn't looked up chapters 90-123 discussions, I would have never found out about it (or anything else) anyways. So there :D
And, just if you're wondering, there are going to be at least 14 chapters to this. One for each Zodiac (except Kureno and maybe Rin). So there's 11 chapters right there (and 1 for the first) and around 2-3 more for the ending. Well, I hope you liked this chapter; I'll update as soon as I can (but no more than a week!) Please review!
