A/N – I know that, at the moment, this seems like a Kyo/Tohru story, but I promise you it's not. This is a Hatori/Tohru story!

Fruits Basket

Chapter Three: The Cat, and The Rat

Recap…

"Ahh!" Tohru exclaimed, as she felt an odd sensation erupt in the pit of her stomach.

Kyo looked back at Tohru, as Hatori went to her and caught her, as she began to fall forward. Hatori guided her to the ground, and held her up right, as her breathing became heavy.

I never felt something like this before, Tohru realized, as the feeling in her stomach spread throughout her body.

Tohru wrapped her arms around her gut, and closed her eyes tight thinking, oww it hurts. Hatori-san, Sohma-san…please make it stop. Kyo-kun!

Kyo-kun! Tohru suddenly realized, this is your pain, isn't it? You had to go through this every time those beads came off your wrist.

Tohru opened one eye, slightly, and looked at Kyo, and then breathed out to him, "I'm sorry, Kyo-kun."

Tohru squeezed her eyes shut once more, Kyo-kun, if this is the pain you had to bare. I will bare it, too!

Tohru sat on her knees, and moved her arms that were around her waist, so that she was hugging herself tightly, I will bare this burden, so that you don't have to, Kyo-kun.

Tohru, then, started to feel her body change.

As the pain enveloped Tohru, Kyo started to pound the ground, "No, it's not fair. This has nothing to do with Tohru!"

Hatori averted his gaze from Tohru's pain stricken body, while Shigure watched in mild concern, and Yuki looked on in horror.

Tohru took a deep breath as the pain ripped through her body. She wrapped her arms around herself, as a cold feeling crept over her skin.

Tohru closed her eyes. She began to beg the spirit of the cat in her mind, please, just take me. Take me and leave Kyo-kun alone! I will take your pain!

Suddenly, Torhu's body felt warm, and it overpowered the cold feeling that had previously gripped her in its clutches.

Huh? Tohru thought as the feeling enveloped her, what is this…feeling?

"It feels so…" Tohru breathed out in a small faint whisper; Hatori was the only one who caught what she had actually said, "…warm."

"Warm?" Hatori wondered aloud; suddenly there was a 'poof' of smoke, "Honda-kun!"

As the smoke cleared Hatori tried to see Tohru, but being half blind made it really difficult.

"Honda-kun!" Hatori called out, he rushed forward.

The smoke cleared, and there, where Tohru had been, was an interesting character. It looked human, mainly, and it was wearing ragged remains of Tohru's skirt, and t-shirt. The creature, though, had claws, whiskers, and on the back of its hand, and feet, was orange, and brown fur. The hair of the creature was short, orange, and streaked with brown. On the side of its head, popping out through the hair, were orange cat ears. Out of the creatures butt came a long sleek orange tail that curled gracefully along the floor. Its eyes were closed, but after a moment, they opened to reveal feline eyes of orange.

"Honda-kun?" Hatori asked, looking at the creature with curiosity.

The creature stared at its hands, and the rest of its body, and then looked up at Hatori, and spoke in a frightened, small, voice, "Hatori-san? What happened to meow?"

"Honda-san?" Yuki cried out rushing forward, and then kneeling beside Tohru, "Are you alright?"

"Tohru?" Kyo wondered, looking at Tohru with wide eyes, "What happened?"

"DAMN YOU!" A loud shout rang through the room, and Akito grabbed the creature by one of its ears, "What the hell are you playing at? Why haven't you become that disgusting monster?"

"Meow! Hiss!" Tohru screeched in pain, .

Hatori rushed forward, for the first time not caring in full what happened, and tried to pulled Akito off of Tohru, "Let her go, Akito!"

"How? Why?" Akito yelled at Tohru, twisting her ear, and making her cry out in pain.

"Akito, stop it," Hatori said again.

Akito stopped yelling, and slowly released Tohru's ear; he then turned to Hatori and asked, "Why is she not a monster?"

"I believe," Hatori began, looking over at Tohru who was messaging her ear, "It's because she accepted the curse of the cat; she accepted it with open arms. Just like she does with everyone, and everything."

"What do you mean?" Akito shouted, "What does that matter?"

"It matters because when a person accepts a burden placed upon them," Hatori explained, "Most of the time, that burden, suddenly isn't such a burden anymore."

"Damn her!" Akito screamed, trying to grab Tohru once again.

The hair on the back of Tohru neck stood on end, and she leap away from Akito. She turned in a cat-like stance and let out a sharp hiss.

Akito, Hatori, and the rest of the Sohma family that was present stared at Tohru. She glared at Akito, who after a moment, began to move towards her.

"Akito-san," Hatori began, "I don't think you should approach her, she might-"

"SHUT UP!" Akito snapped, and he continued towards Tohru, "This…thing…needs to be punished. It must learn not to mess with a GOD!"

"Akito…" Hatori began again, but it was too late, Akito took one too many steps, Tohru lunged forward and bite Akito's outstretched hand.

"Argh!" Akito cried out, trying to get Tohru to let go of his hand, Tohru, though, held tight to Akito's, now, bleeding hand.

"Honda-san," Yuki whispered, "Can that really be Honda-san?"

"It is," Hatori answered, "But the curse of the cat has sensed the danger of Akito, and has taken over."

"Can we stop it?" Kyo asked Hatori.

"She has to feel safe," Hatori explained, "As long as the curse of the cat if feeling threatened it will continue to control Honda-kun."

Kyo stared at Hatori for a moment, and then turned back to look at Tohru who continued to fight with Akito.

"Honda-kun," Hatori spoke, stepping forward and taking Tohru by the shoulders, "Let him go, Honda-kun."

Tohru didn't relax her bite on Akito's hand.

"Honda-kun, let him go," Hatori repeated, "If you let him go then you can go home, away from him."

"NO SHE CAN'T!" Akito screamed; Hatori looked at him.

"Akito, she won't let go any other way," Hatori explained.

"Oh, she will," Akito, said, and he raised his hand that Tohru wasn't biting, and brought it down on Tohru's head.

"Akito, stop it!" Hatori yelled for the first time, grabbing Akito by the wrist of the hand that had struck Tohru.

"No," Akito said, and he then brought a foot up to meet Tohru stomach; Tohru let go, and collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath.

"Let me go!" Akito snapped in a dangerous voice at Hatori; Hatori obeyed, and released Akito's wrist.

"Tohru!" Kyo said, running forward.

"Leave her!" Akito ordered; Kyo stopped and looked at him, "Go away, you are not part of the zodiac so leave, now!"

Kyo stared, and Hatori, seeing that Kyo was about to talk back, spoke, "Leave, I'll make sure Honda-kun is alright. Now, go."

Kyo opened his mouth, but finally sighed, and turned away from Hatori, Akito, and Tohru, and walked away, past Shigure, and a stunned Yuki.

Yuki glanced over his shoulder as Kyo walked away, thinking, Kyo?

"Take her away," Akito ordered Hatori, looking down at Tohru.

Hatori looked at Akito for a moment then knelt down and picked Tohru up in his arms, "Where shall I take her?"

"I don't care, anywhere," Akito said, "As long as she stays within these walls."

"Yes, all right," Hatori, said, and he left the room.

"All of you leave, right now!" Akito ordered; Yuki and Shigure blinked, "NOW!"

Yuki and Shigure got to their feet, and left quietly, they saw Hatori down the hall to their left, and followed after him.

"Where are you going to take her, Haa-san?" Shigure asked, falling into step beside Hatori.

"My room," Hatori answered.

"Your room!" Shigure repeated, he then elbowed Hatori slightly in the ribs, "What are plans for our sweet Tohru-kun."

"…"

"Oh! Hatori are you thinking of tainting our innocent Tohru-kun's soul with your naughty doctoring skills?"

Hatori stopped, and looked at Shigure, who gave him a sly smile, "Your sick."

"Not to mention a pervert," Yuki added.

Shigure sighed, and hung his head slightly, "Your all so mean to me."

Hatori walked on, and so did Yuki. Shigure sigh once again, and then went to catch up to the Hatori, and Yuki, while calling in a singsong voice, "Wait for me you two!"

Hatori got to his bedroom door, "Yuki get the door."

"Right," Yuki said, nodding, and he slid the door open.

Hatori walked inside, followed by Yuki, and Shigure, he placed Tohru on his bed, and then sat in one of the chairs that were scattered throughout the room.

"Will she be alright, Hatori?" Yuki asked, walking over and looking down at Tohru, who had fallen asleep on the way to Hatori's room.

"She'll be fine," Hatori confirmed.

"I surprised Kyo-kun left without any fuss," Shigure pointed out.

"I was surprise, too," Yuki admitted, "That cat's…I mean…Kyo usually never left Honda-san's side when she got sick, or something of that nature."

"Perhaps, Kyo-kun is beginning to realize that just because he fights, doesn't mean he wins." Shigure said; Yuki raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Yuki asked.

"He means," Hatori spoke, "That Kyo knew that if he started fighting with Akito-san, it would take longer to get Tohru out of there, and out of danger. Plus, he probably knew that if he started to fight on Tohru behalf, that Akito would make it a hundred times worse for her."

"I'm surprised that Kyo could figure all that out on his own," Yuki said.

"So, Yuki," Shigure asked, and Yuki glanced at him, "Do you hate Tohru-kun, now?"

"Hate her?" Yuki repeated in a stunned voice, "Why would I hate her?"

"Well, you're the rat," Shigure explained, "And, now, Tohru-kun's, the cat. By nature of the zodiac curse, the cat, and the rat hate each other. So, I ask you, do you hate Tohru-kun?"

Yuki was silent, and he stared at Tohru, trying to figure out his feelings towards her, now that she was the accursed cat, "I don't know. I admit that I don't feel the same way about her as I did before, but whether I hate, or not, I'm just not sure."

"Well, I wonder what she will think of you then, Yuki-kun," Shigure wondered aloud, knowing full well that he was just pulling at Yuki's strings.

Yuki looked to the floor; will she hate me? Will she hate me, like Kyo hates me? Wait, will Kyo still hate me now? Will Tohru adopt those feelings of hatred against the rat, and will I, in turn, begin to hate her just as much.

Hatori looked at Yuki, he could tell that Yuki was thinking over what Shigure had just said. Hatori didn't really have the heart to tell Yuki that it was highly likely that Honda-kun would hate him like Kyo did, when she wakes up, and he may just return that hate.

A/N - Hello everybody! I really sorry for not updating, but I had school exams to study for. Now, though, school is out, so I'll be able to work on my stories almost non-stop. I add the "almost" for I do need to eat and sleep. Anyway, please continue to read and review!