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Truth?

Chapter Three

By Wildfire

Kyou slept soundly in his bed; his dreams of the New Years party when he was with Yuki, he had felt so safe than.

The little boy was suddenly jerked from his sleep his mother hovering over him, "Hello there. It's you birthday!"

Kyou yawned, and sat up rubbing his eyes. He felt so tired. He looked at his clock, and stared at it trying to figure out the time. Was it the short hand that's the minutes... or was it the hours?

His mom seeing his confusion smiled, "It's 5:30." She pulled his night sleeve up and smiled at the bracelet. "We're going to spend the whole day together, just you and me."

"But isn't Akito and Yuki coming?" He yawned and crawled out of his bed to get dressed. 5:30. He wanted to go back to bed!

"Not tell later, and I already have the cake for Akito. Yuki's not coming though dear neither is Haru." She said a bit sternly.

"Why not?" He started pulling his shirt over his head struggling with it a bit.

"They're to busy to come to you little party. They have more important things to do." She brushed her hair back. "Hurry up Kyou we need to get going!" Her tone was soft and soothing.

Kyou looked at her and nodded, "I'm ready, where are we going?"

"To the park, we'll get ice cream once we get there and they open up." She took his hand checking for the bracelet again, and headed downstairs.

Kyou had to jog down the stairs to keep up with his mom. "Why are we leaving so early?"

"Because I wanted to be with you.," she said, and stopped at the coat closet pulling out hers and Kyou's coat.

Kyou stared at it. He hated this coat. It was bright green with a blue strip where the buttons were. To top it off it was huge and puffy. He slipped it on buttoning it up. He looked up at his mom she wore a light blazer that was blue.

"Let's go sweetie," she took his hand again leading him out of the house. "You know I love you right? You're my special little boy."

Kyou smiled up at her, "I know." He looked around the sun was just rising the air was cool and crisp. He never knew morning could be this pretty. He would have to remember to get up this early more often. A small smile liters his lips. Maybe he could even get Yuki up. He laughed out loud at that thought.

"What's so funny?" His mother asked, and smiled down at him.

"Nothing just thinking about Yuki," Kyou said still smiling.

His mother frowned and stopped walking she knelt down in the front of him. "Kyou, I don't want you seeing him so much."

Kyou's face showed confusion, "why?"

"Because it's his fault that no one likes you. It's his fault the whole family is mean to you." She said; her grip tightened on his shoulders.

"How?" Kyou asked, and made sure to stay still as his mother talked.

"Because it was the dirty rat that lied to the cat. The rat is a dirty being! He will bring you misery! I do not want you associating with him, any more! This," she slid up Kyou's shirt showing the bracelet, "this is Yuki's fault." She looked at Kyou's crushed face. "I'm only telling you this because I love you and want you to be happy, OK?"

Kyou nodded; trying not to cry. He liked Yuki... he was nice to him. "Can I see Haru?"

His mom sighed and brushed his hair back. "You can, but don't do it often it was the cow that let the rat ride him. The cow well always like the rat, and will work with each other."

"But Haru doesn't like Yuki!" Kyou cried out a bit, this just didn't seem fair. It was a legend, they couldn't change it.

"He's pretending dear. It's not real. You remember our discussion on pretending right? Kyou my love, you can not really have friends, you can't trust them. You can only trust me because I'm you mommy and I love you. I'll be your best friend." She pet his hair back again. "Always remember I love you, and only I do." She stood up taking Kyou's hand once again. "Come along now."

Kyou walked with her looking down, why.. why couldn't he have friends? He loved his mom but she wasn't much fun, not like Yuki or Haru.. could they really be bad?

It took him a minute to realize they weren't walking any more. He looked up and see the deserted park. It was nothing splendid just a couple swings a jungle gym and two slides, one was a tunnel slide. He smiled and ran toward the slide. He supposed playing by himself wouldn't be too bad. He'd just have to use his imagination. Maybe he could pretend Yuki was here, too? He played on his own for a while before he turned to ask his mom to join him. She was setting on a bench next to a man. The man that said he couldn't eat at the New Years party! What was he doing here?!

He walked slowly over to them. He looked up toward his mother, "mom?"

"Don't tell me you're done already." She smiled down at him she was cuddled into the man. His hand on her thigh.

"C-can you come play with me?" He asked trying to ignore the man.

"Your mother and I were talking Kyou, you can join in if you like." Without waiting for an answer the man picked him up setting him on his lap.

"Shamu and I were just talking about how we don't like how you're treated. He's such a nice man." She smiled up at him, her eyes showing a love Kyou had never seen directed at him or even his father.

"But..." Kyou was about to tell his mom about the New years party but the man suddenly grabbed his thigh squeezing it hard.

"It's nice to be held again isn't it? Now that your daddy left." His mother sighed, "Wouldn't it be nice if Shamu came over with us more often? He could hold you, and cuddle you… since I can't." She smiled at him; Kyou wondered why she could hold him. Just because he turned into a cat didn't mean he couldn't be hugged.

Kyou shifted uncomfortably the hand on his small thigh still there. "But I wanna be with you," he looked at his mom with pleading eyes. Truth was he didn't really care who it was as long as this man let him go.

"Kyou! That is very impolite! You were just telling me you wanted more friends and here I am offering it to you and you say you don't want it!? You need to apologize right now." She looked at him waiting for him too,

He looked up at the man "I'm sorry..." He shouldn't of had to say that! He was in the right, wasn't he..?

"Well I'm sorry Kyou but I can't accept this apology. You will need to make it up to me..." The man brushed Kyou's hair back.

Kyou stiffened at the gentle movement he knew his mom had done it hundreds of times, but coming from this man it just felt-- wrong. "I think I'm going to go play now." He moved to get off the mans lap but the man held him there.

"Well I suppose I should go get that ice cream..." His mother stood and stretched. She smiled down at Kyou and Shamu.

"Isn't it still too early? Can I come?" Kyou again tried to get up but is held there.

"They should be opening soon. You stay here and bond with Shamu." She checked Kyou's wrist again, than walked off leaving the two alone.

The man looked down at the boy in disgust, "you think you're better than me, cat?" He spat the last word. He grabbed Kyou's hair and pulled back roughly, "do you know what your mother goes through for you? And you don't even show her respect! I knew the cat was dirty but you are ridiculous!" He sneered down at him. "She wants me to take care of you. I haven't decided if I want to or not..."

"What do you mean? Why?" Kyou whimpered slightly as the man kept his head pulled back.

The man smirked, "Why would I?"

The boy looked away, "Can I go play now? Please?"

"No, sit still!" He hissed than smiled. Which to Kyou was almost scarier. The man brushed Kyou's hair back. "Would you like me to be your daddy?"

"No, I have a dad." Kyou started to struggle to get off the man's lap.

The man held him still. "No." His rough hands gripped Kyou's arms to hold him down. "Your father left. He hated you! Just like your mother!"

"My mom doesn't hate me!" Kyou hit at the man in the chest. "She loves me! She tells me so!"

"She's scared of you, you stupid boy!" He slapped Kyou's cheek still holding him with his other arm. "You're pathetic no one wants you. You're a monster!"

Kyou shook his head as tears began to fall down his cheeks, "no... I'm not a monster! I'm just a boy!"

"You're a monster, a monster that's kept at bay by this!" The man snapped Kyou's bracelet he smirked and looked up, "well it looks like it's going to rain. You don't like the rain, do you Kyou?"

His orange head shook as he looked up at the sky in worry.

"The rain lets the monster come out more doesn't it? It's harder to push it away." Shamu ran his hand gently down Kyou's face. "Is it scary? Or do you like it? I bet you like it... makes you feel more comfortable doesn't it? Feels right; normal?"

Kyou shook his head, "no it just makes me tired..." He looked up at the clouds, "I need to go home."

"No you will wait for your mother." The man sneered at the boy and roughly pushed him off his lap and stood up. "I, however, am leaving I don't want you to leave until your mother gets back, understood?"

Kyou stared up at him. He was starting to grow more tired as the rain grew closer. He nodded, he didn't like this, and he didn't like the rain. The man smirked, and chuckled as he left.

Kyou shivered as he's left in the cold alone. He knew it was going to rain soon he needed shelter if he wanted to stay dry. He spotted the tunnel slide and climbs into it. It was hard to stay up high enough to stay away from the rain, which had just stared. He shivered wedging himself more into the slide. His butt was quickly growing wet from the rain that had gotten in the slide and was sliding down it. After much moving and sliding Kyou was finally able to wedge himself so his butt wouldn't get too wet and he didn't have to put much strength into staying in.

He sighed relaxing a bit as he listened to the rain. He was so tired. He didn't know when he had fallen asleep only he had.

Kyou slept for hours waking briefly every now and than to shift his sore legs.