Chapter Eleven

"So, Tohru." Arisa turned around in her seat so that she could face her friend. "You got any plans for this summer? I thought I heard Writer Guy say he was thinking of taking you all to the beach for a couple days. Is that true?"

Tohru glanced up at Arisa with a start. "Huh? Oh!" She'd been so engrossed in her book that the question had taken her by surprise. "Well, I'm not entirely sure. Yuki and Kyo said that the Sohmas have a summer home on the ocean. Shigure has talked about going there, and I would really like to, but I don't know if it would be right to bring it up. I don't want to trouble anyone."

Several seats in front of them, Kyo worked quietly at his desk, chewing on a pencil. His brow furrowed as he tried to concentrate. But the conversation between Tohru and her friends was simply too interesting for him to resist listening in on.

"I'm sure it wouldn't be any trouble," Hana softly interjected, "to take you on a vacation. Oh, a weekend on the seashore sounds lovely." She sighed dreamily. "How I wish that I could go."

Kyo frowned. Had Shigure said something about taking a summer trip? If he did, I sure as hell don't remember hearing anything about it. There was a part of Kyo that wished they would. A vacation would mean having the opportunity to spend more time with Tohru. On the other hand, it would also mean being forced to hang out with Yuki. Which, of course, wouldn't be pleasant for either parties involved. Even so...

I've only got a couple years left, and I need to take every opportunity I can get to be near her. To hear her laugh. To see her smile. Before I'm gone forever.

"Won't you need a new bathing suit, though?" he heard Arisa ask Tohru casually. "Last I checked, the only one you've got is your school suit."

"Oh." Tohru sounded concerned. "Would that...would that not be appropriate for a beach trip?"

"It's not that it wouldn't be appropriate," Arisa replied. "It's just that that suit is kinda…"

"Unbecoming," Hana finished for her. "And a beautiful girl like you should have nothing but the best when it comes to swimwear. "

Kyo was very glad he was sitting in front of them, so that they wouldn't see his burning face.

"Not to worry though, Tohru," Hana continued. "Arisa and I will take you out shopping for a new one once we've finished our final exams. I know that I, for one, am much in need of a girls' day out."

"Heck yeah!" Arisa yelled, pumping her fists, drawing the attention of several students in the girls' vicinity. But Arisa paid them no mind. "How about a trip to the mall? We can help you pick out a suit, Tohru, then maybe hit up the food court or somethin'. What do you say?"

Before Tohru could answer, the classroom door burst open. Kyo turned to cast a glare at the newcomer, though his face filled with shock when he saw who it was. What the hell? What's that little brat doing here?

"You guys! You guys!" Momiji shouted. His brown eyes darted between Tohru and Kyo, and he ignored the stares of the other students around them as he said, "You've got to come see! It's terrible, terrible!"

At once both Tohru and Kyo stood from their chairs. "The hell do you mean?" Kyo demanded. "What's going on?"

"What's terrible?" Tohru added. She exchanged a glance with Kyo, and the cat motioned for her to follow him before stalking off toward Momiji. She hesitated only a moment, shooting a brief, apologetic look at her friends before rushing after him.

"It's Haru," Momiji whispered as soon as Kyo and Tohru were both within earshot. They stepped outside the classroom door so as to avoid being overheard by the rest of the class. "He...well, he wrecked an entire room," the rabbit told them. "A classroom." He gave a slow, somber shake of his head. "Where's Yuki? I think he should probably be the one to go and talk to him."

"Yuki's in a student council meeting," Tohru said. "But Momiji...I don't understand. Why did Hatsuharu do this? Does it have anything to do with his girlfriend, Isuzu?"

Kyo gaped at her. That's right, he thought. That little asshole Hiro seemed worried about Isuzu this morning. He wouldn't say why, though. Shit. Whatever this is, it can't be good.

"Yeah," Momiji said in reply. "Haru went to see her this morning. At Kagura's house. Haru looked everywhere, but he couldn't find her, so he came back to school. He looked real bad when I saw him. About an hour went by, and that's when all of a sudden he got up and just...stormed out. Our teacher went after him, and by the time she found him, he'd trashed an entire room. He's in the principal's office right now. They've already called his parents, and-"

Kyo swept past Momiji, cursing under his breath as he rushed down the hall. It took him all of two seconds to realize that Tohru was on his heels. "Kyo," she said, struggling to keep pace with him. "Are you...are you going to see Hatsuharu?"

The cat nodded. That black Haru is too much sometimes. He really needs to learn to control himself. Hell, I get pissed off every day, but you don't see me goin' around trashing rooms.

Kyo skidded to a halt as another thought suddenly occurred to him. "Momiji's right," he told Tohru. "That bastard would probably be a lot calmer around Yuki. You wouldn't mind going to get him for me, would you? If I interrupt one of his student council meetings, he'll just get mad. He won't care if you do it, though."

Tohru leveled her gaze with his, her expression grave. "Of course. Leave it to me. I'll go as quickly as I can."

Kyo's face softened as he nodded. "Thank you."

Tohru's eyes lingered on his face for a moment, and there was a split second where Kyo thought she might say something. But then she turned on her heel and took off down the hall without another word. Kyo didn't know why, but as he watched her go he felt sad. It tore at him even long after she was out of sight.

I wonder, he thought, how many times I'll have to watch her walk away before she disappears from my life forever.

And with that final, solemn thought, he gritted his teeth and began making his way back to class.

Shortly after Isuzu left, Shigure decided to make a phone call to the Main House.

It was an impulsive decision, one he still wasn't sure he wouldn't regret later, but Rin's spirit and determination had reinvigorated him. This can work. This will work. It had to. Because if it didn't...

No. He refused to let himself finish the thought. I will not be cursed for the rest of my life, nor will I allow myself to die only for this burden to be passed on to someone else.

He picked up the phone and dialed the main line at Sohma House, a number he had had memorized since he was a small child. Shigure waited patiently for someone to answer, all the while twirling the cord around and around his index finger.

Though the phone only rang five or six times, the seconds that passed allowed more than enough of an opportunity for his doubts to start creeping in again. What if Hatori was right? What if Akito's health improvements were a sign that the zodiac god's death was drawing near?

No, he chided himself. Akito is alive, and so long as he lives, there is hope.

It was true that Shigure felt no great love for the zodiac god, aside from his innate compulsion to remain respectful and obedient toward him—the same compulsion that existed within each of the other zodiac animals— though Shigure believed there was another side to Akito, a side that his cousins seemed completely unwilling to even consider. They all hated the zodiac god for the way that he treated them, and Shigure did not deny that they had every right to be angry. Akito's behavior over the years had been nothing short of monstrous. And yet, Shigure found that, despite it all, he couldn't bring himself to hate the man.

He believed Akito when he said that, in some moments, a sort of blind rage overtook him, a rage that prevented him from thinking and seeing clearly. After all, Akito was possessed by the spirit of a lonely and very unhappy god. Did it not make sense that there would be times in which that spirit would overtake him? They all experienced a similar type possession when they found themselves in a situation where they wanted to disobey or disrespect Akito, but could not. He was their god, and no matter what he said, they obeyed. That was their curse.

Does it not follow that Akito would have his own curses to bear as well? The only person other than Shigure who had ever seemed to consider this possibility was Hatori, who, for once, the dog found himself hoping would not be the one to answer the Main House phone. Though the doctor was also anxious to break the zodiac curse, somehow Shigure doubted his friend would be in favor of this particular plan of his.

"This is Sohma House." A gruff woman's voice finally greeted him on the other line, and Shigure found he had to suppress a sigh of relief as she said, "Please state your name and business."

Shigure hunched forward a bit, lowering his voice so as to avoid being recognized. "Yes, this is Yoshi Nishidake. I work with Kureno Sohma. I was told to call this number if I had to reach him."

"Just a moment." There was the sound of papers being shuffled, and nearly a full minute had passed before the woman grumbled, "Mr. Sohma left no notes indicating that his colleagues might attempt to contact him during his stay here. If that is the only information you can give me, then I'm afraid-"

"I promise it will take but a few minutes of his time." Shigure had to try very hard to keep his voice from sounding sharp. "Please. It's important."

There was a long pause. Then, just when Shigure was sure she would hang up on him, the woman growled. "Very well. Please hold."

It was several minutes before Kureno came to the phone, though when at last he did, Shigure could tell he was irritated. "Yoshi? How did you get this number?"

The dog's eyes narrowed. Just as haughty as I remember. Some things really do never change. "This isn't Yoshi," he said. "It's your cousin Shigure."

The other end fell dead silent, to a point where Shigure found himself wondering if Kureno had put down the phone and walked away.

"Yes, I suspect that I'm the last person you thought you'd be hearing from," the dog resumed. "But, seeing as I am the one who summoned you to Sohma House in the first place, I figured it would only be right of me to explain why."

"You're the one who sent that message?"

Shigure raised his eyebrows. Another thing that hadn't changed: Kureno loathed surprises. "Yes, I did. Is that really so shocking?"

"It is," Kureno replied, clearly flustered. "I mean, I...well, I thought for certain it was Hatori who summoned me. At least, that was the impression I got when I talked to him. He seemed to have known I was coming."

"He did. The truth is that it was my idea to contact you, though."

"Why?"

Shigure chuckled. "Yes, it's no secret that you're not my favorite person, though before I get into the particulars of why I sent for you, I must confess that I too find myself feeling rather...mystified. After all, you arrived at Sohma House within an hour of receiving my message. Tell me: Why did you rush to us with such haste? After shutting everyone out for almost two full years-"

"It wasn't personal." He sounded sullen, almost whiny, and Shigure couldn't help rolling his eyes. "I'm sorry. Really, I am. But I didn't know what else to do. It was clear that you all hated me for what happened-"

"Oh, no," the dog quickly corrected, "I definitely hated you before then."

Kureno sighed at that. "The way I saw it, I could either leave, start a life of my own and try to forget you all, or I could spend the rest of my days living among you, your presence serving as a constant reminder of your suffering, the suffering I had been freed from. I felt...guilty, and I thought separating myself from this family would help ease that guilt."

"Hmm. I see. And how has that been faring for you? Not so well, I take."

Kureno's hesitation was more than enough of an answer. "I returned hoping to find some way to help you all," he said finally. "To set things right. To...to make amends, if I can."

Shigure almost snorted. This is not at all the direction I was expecting this conversation to go. Although, I suppose I can still spin it to my advantage. "You want to make amends?" he shot back. "Fine, then. Save us."

It was a bold thing to ask. An impossible thing. It caught Kureno off guard, and if Shigure was being honest, that had been his primary reason for saying it. "And how, exactly," the ex-rooster said, "would I go about doing that?"

"Use your head, Kureno," Shigure said in that tone of his that somehow managed to sound simultaneously pleasant and like a slap across the face. "The girl is key in all of this. She's our last shot at redemption. At god's redemption."

Silence again. It was almost enough to make Shigure's ears bleed. "Oh my," he said, unable to stand it another moment longer. "Perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself. You do know about my house guest Tohru Honda, don't you?"

Kureno's voice sharpened. "I won't put that girl in harm's way. She is an outsider, an innocent. Frankly, I'm ashamed of you for even suggesting-"

"I would never do anything to hurt Tohru. At least...never on purpose."

"Then what," Kureno said wearily, "are you asking me to do?"

Shigure told him everything he had planned.

When he finished, he could almost hear Kureno shaking his head through the phone. "But Shigure." His tone was heavy with disapproval. "How can you be certain that this will work? Even if Akito feels the way you believe he does...how can you be sure that he won't opt to hurt her instead?"

"I can't," Shigure admitted. "But it's a chance that I'm willing to take. You see, Kureno, all I want—all I've ever wanted—is to have peace, like you. To be free."

"I am not free," Kureno muttered icily, "and I most certainly don't have peace."

"Then you stand to gain as much from this endeavor as I. As any of us."

Another pause. "Hatori will never agree to this."

"Yes. I know, and that's precisely why I'm asking for your assistance rather than his. Now then...will you help me, or not?"

That time, the silence that stretched between them seemed to last an eternity. Then, just when Shigure was sure that Kureno would hang up on him, the ex-rooster said, "All right. I'll do what I can."