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Chapter 6:

Yuki yawned and sat up on the futon. Tohru's gone...I guess she went to go get some food for dinner. He rose from the bed and put on his hakama (A/N: pants). So, she wants to visit Akito. I really don't think he'll allow her to break the curse. He wants to continue to abuse us all. Anger rose in Yuki and he punched the shoji door of his room. He rubbed his hand as he heard the door downstairs slide open.

"...thank you for carrying the food for me, Kyo," said Tohru gaily. Yuki's anger continued to boil at the sound of the Cat's name. His cheeks flared red at the thought of them being together. He fought to maintain composure as he raged down the stairs to encounter Kyo.

"What are you doing here, Cat?" Yuki asked nastily. He was in no mood to deal with Kyo, especially after Tohru told him that she wanted to visit Akito.

"I was helping Tohru carry your groceries," he said with a smirk. Tohru was bustling in the kitchen and was mostly unaware of the rising commotion in the living room. "I'm gonna beat you, ya damn Rat." Kyo cracked his knuckles and took a fighting stance. Yuki followed suit.

"Oh really? And how will you do that?"

Tohru walked out of the kitchen at the exact moment that Kyo grabbed her in his arms. "Like this..." His voice trailed as he leaned a soft kiss onto a very surprised Tohru. She didn't squirm, but she blushed profusely. He deepened the kiss, probing his tongue around her lips. Yuki stood slack jawed. The longer the kiss went, the more pissed Yuki became; both from Kyo's audacity to kiss her and from Tohru's willingness in the kiss. He stalked away; there was a distant door slam from the second floor.

Kyo released from Tohru, smiling to himself that he had finally beaten Yuki at something. He looked down at Tohru's flushed face and lips. His heart that was before frozen, now pumped madly as he looked at her. "Kyo..." she began. He kissed her before she could say another word. Please don't let this end. I want to remember the day I defeated Yuki. I can now be accepted as a member of the Zodiac, or so Akito has said. He broke away for a breath and surveyed his captive. Her hair gently caressed her cheek and the pink of her cheeks made her glow. "Kyo, why do you hate Yuki so much?"

Kyo was taken aback. He expected to be smacked--not asked this kind of question. "Well, he's the one who tricked the Cat into missing the banquet. Since then, the Cat spirit has always harbored negative feelings for the Rat. I just can't stand anything about him." He deserves to be hated.

"But Yuki is a gentle person. I don't think he'd trick you at all," she replied naively. "He's so wonderful around everyone. Please, just give him a chance." She hugged Kyo, sending warm shivers up his spine. "You're family and you should all get along. We all have differences, but that's what makes life interesting." She paused, drawing a deep breath. "I don't want you to live in confinement, so I'm going to break your curse. Please, just try, okay?"

Kyo pressed her head into his shoulder while drinking in her essence. I can't stand Yuki...but I'll do it for you. Just stay with me, Tohru. He pulled her away from him and looked deep into her eyes. "I will try, Tohru. Thank you for being here. I have practice to go to, but I will visit you soon." With that, he hugged her again briefly and walked out the front door.

Upstairs, Yuki could hear every word that was spoken between the two. Small streaks stained his velvety skin and he sunk softly to the floor. Tohru, you will save us all.

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It smelled of sex and men. The room was rather large, but gloomy. The shoji doors were wide open, ushering in cold drafts. Akito lay stretched out on a low couch, his eyes focused on the display before him. Shigure and Ayame were in the middle of performing shunga. The two handsome men intertwined their legs, arms, and twisted their torsos as they were connected at the hip. Ayame's white tresses were lazily pulled up into a loose bun, and the red kimono he wore was hiked up over his rear. His golden orbs looked off in the distance as Shigure continued his monotonous sexual motions. Shigure was the tomboy girl, who was also wearing a kimono. He gently pushed his organ in and out of Ayame's stretched pucker, all the while Akito's eyes flashed over their bodies.

"Wait...this is missing something." Akito snarled. "Yes, please send for Tohru, Hatori." Akito smirked wider to himself. Yes, Yuki needs to pay for not bringing Tohru here yet. Hatori had been kneeling beside Akito's couch, eyes closed, not wanting to watch his close friends and relatives masquerade for this malevolent being. Hatori nodded and left the room quickly.

Ayame orgasmed, followed by Shigure, in a less than spectacular way. Once finished, they were told to clean up and leave Akito's sight. Since they couldn't have intimate relations with non Zodiac members, they resorted to relationships with each other. Shigure and Ayame were the most sexually intimate, but they kept their true emotions far from Akito's prying eyes and hands.

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Tohru was nearly halfway to the Sohma main household when she saw Hatori on the road a few hundred feet away.

"Hatori! It is you! I'm glad you're here!" She said, waving her hands over her head and running to meet him. His face was extremely hard and cold, more than usual. "Hatori?"

"You are to meet with Akito, Miss Tohru. He requests a meeting with you now." Forgive me, Tohru. I take a virgin to the sacrificial altar with that request.

The rest of the journey was conducted in complete silence, the tension building in both of their chests as they neared the Sohma residence. Hatori motioned her to the entrance way of Akito's wing and followed.

"Come in, my dear Tohru," he called through the door, sensing her presence. Startled, she knelt at the door and slid it open, bowing after the door was opened. Akito rose from the couch and slinked his way to the door. He cupped her down turned face and made her look at him forcefully. Determination was all he could see. Disgusted, he thrust her head away. "Do you know why I brought you here, Tohru?"

She shook her head, but didn't reply.

"Well, I was becoming rather bored watching Shigure and Ayame not having fun. They need a little something to spice things up," he turned his back to her. "Hatori, take her to the guest room and tell her to put on the clothes that are lying on the bed. Then, bring her back to me." A low laugh erupted from his throat as he turned to face them again. "Oh, and don't forget to invite Shigure and Ayame."

Hatori nodded, knowing what would ensue. He led Tohru out of Akito's wing and into the guest bedroom that housed all sorts of unspeakable objects. Spread on the bed was a hatori and hakama in masculine colors. "Tohru..." Hatori began, but paused. "Forgive us for allowing that monster to do this, but we cannot defy the wrath of God..."

Tohru's ears perked up. "G...god?" she stuttered out. Her eyes were blank and her face was expressionless. 'God is the one who is controlling them and maintaining the curse.' How...can...I compete with that? She sunk to her knees and she began weeping silently. Hatori looked upon her, concern creasing his brows, which was one of the first emotions to break through in years. He kneeled by her and put a gentle hand on her head. She looked up with a tear-stained face and threw her arms around his neck in a close embrace. "I will...try my hardest, Hatori," she hiccupped.

Tohru released her grasp on Hatori and stood up, fully determined to complete her task. Hatori nodded in recognition of her plan and exited the room. She quickly changed into the hatori and hakama and rolled her hair into a tight bun. The sun outside was slowly dying on the horizon and a few stars began to shine. This ends now! her mind screamed. She swallowed the remnants of her tears and strode out of the room, exuding confidence.

In Akito's wing, Ayame and Shigure were already being positioned on the floor, preparing for round two of the night's festivities. A knock on Akito's door signaled that the guest of honor had arrived. "Come in, Miss Tohru. I've been waiting for you." Tohru stepped over the threshold, throwing her manners to the wind.

"Why Akito? Why must you do torturous things to your family members?" Her voice came out forcefully, yet caring. "Please, don't do this to them."

Akito stood stunned. I hadn't expected her to talk back to me--and after I allowed her to live with my Yuki. "I really don't know what you're talking about. They do this for me because they love me. You are the one doing torturous things to them, Tohru," he replied nastily. She'll learn not to mess with the divine.

Tohru clenched her hands and stepped towards Akito. "Allow them the chance to love you, without you forcing them to love you." She knelt at his feet but continued to look into his cold eyes. Hatori, Shigure, and Ayame were thoroughly shocked. The room was silent as the trio watched Akito and Tohru stare at each other.

"I'll...I'll show you, Akito." She rose up on her knees and clasped Akito's midsection tightly. Shock radiated from everyone, but mostly from Akito.

"Let go of me, you bitch!" he bellowed, trying to push her off him. Tohru squeezed tighter. He struggled against her grasp, but to no avail. He began to get winded and slumped to his knees. Now face to face, Tohru was able to see the magic she had worked. Akito's normally calculating face had somehow softened and no evil words caressed his tongue.

Tohru's eyes moistened and she hugged Akito around the neck, drawing him in to her heart."We all love you, but give us the chance to show you on our own free will," she whispered onto his neck. She felt Akito's hands wrap around her body and draw her close. Tohru blushed and released her hold so she could better view his expressions. Akito's sickly skin had taken a healthy hue, which was marred only by the few tears he should have shed years ago. Tohru smiled.

Slap! Tohru fell to the ground. She instinctively grabbed her cheek during her descent. "That's enough, Akito!" screamed Hatori and Shigure in unison. Akito simply continued to weep quietly, looking down at the fallen flower. No one can love me. You are doing this so that you can be with everyone. You want me to be alone. Akito glared at the trio as they made a motion to reach out to her. Akito touched her face hesitantly. She's...so warm. Her smiling face flashed across his memory, and he thought about what she had said: "Allow them the chance to love you, without you forcing them to love you." Did she show...me...love?

Kyo and Yuki burst through the door, each panting heavily. They stood in stunned silence at the scene before them.

What is this warmth that I feel?

A/N: Wow, so I apologize for taking sooo long to update. I had so many deadlines looming overhead that I really didn't have an opportunity to write (I also had a bit of writer's block). So, what did you think? I figured that Akito couldn't really be ALL that bad, but he is kinda rotten.

Also, shunga is a type of woodblock print that features people in the middle of sex. It's unusual b/c during the time period, sexually explicit drawings were not allowed. A common phrase was: doing it like shunga (or something like that), meaning that the positions were extremely difficult to get into and thus very unrealistic. If you want a better taste of what shunga is, do a google search.

Alright, lots of stuff happened in this chapter, but more is to come! Can Tohru tame the beast and release the curse? Who will take her heart? Please review if you want another chapter. If I get lots of reviews, I might be tempted to update faster. Thanks to those who reviewed!