Tohru's Demons

Chapter Thirteen: The Grand Adventures Of Ayame And Tohru


At first, as Yuki watched Artemis claim so easily what he had so dearly wanted all this time, he wasn't quite sure of how to react. One part of him wanted to scream out in agonized fury, to attack, to tear into the demon and twist his head off like a bloody top. Another part of him was more reasonable, though, and frantically whispered in the back of his mind that there was probably a very good explanation as to why the demon was violating Tohru. Another part of him was still stuck on the fact that Tohru was being kissed by someone else other than him. These opposing sides tore Yuki in every direction and the result was that his brain shut itself down for several seconds as he ingested the scene taking place before him.

Kyo couldn't believe what he was seeing. Of all the things he had expected, this was not one of them. Fury welled up in his throat like bile, and he realized his stomach was trying to reject what little food it had at the moment, which was not much as he had skipped breakfast. But an emotion other than rage was also stirring with in him. In some dark, deep corner of his mind, he felt something he thought he would never, not in a million years, experience in a situation like this, so it was a few moments before he discerned what it was. Relief. Because at least... it wasn't that damned Rat. This unprecedented emotion took Kyo by almost as much of a surprise as seeing the demon kissing Tohru, but he was not at a loss for words...

"YOU SON OF A BITCH—!!!" the Cat screamed.

...Regardless of how intellectually destitute those words were.

All of the Cat's and the Rat's inner turmoil happened in a fraction of a second, and just as Kyo had yelled, a blast of wind roared up out nowhere beneath Artemis and Tohru's feet, billowing their clothes about, and Artemis seemed to blow apart, looking and sounding like thousands and thousands of tiny shells, and pushing Tohru back forcefully. The shells, mostly dark brown in color, but also tan and gray and black, reformed themselves and solidified almost instantaneously, starting from the black nose and running down to the end of the bushy tail. Tohru, who had landed on her backside with a graceless thump, was staring up at Artemis in complete and total flabbergasted shock. Her white eyes were round as saucers, her mouth was open in a silent "Ah...!", her brain was spiraling down on a crash and burn course, unable to comprehend for several moments what had just happened.

The Sohmas were in much the same state, and were staring open mouthed at the being before them. Kyo and Yuki, especially, were in total chaos. Artemis cast an amused eye over them all, shook himself a little, and then looked down in perplexity at Tohru. His confusion soon turned to annoyance when Tohru continued to stare at him like he had just turned into a very large wolf... Which he had. Standing six feet high at the withers, Artemis was now an intimidating and awesome sight to behold, if he wasn't before. And, really, he wasn't.

Shigure couldn't help but cast an admiring look over him, despite being shocked out of his mind, noting the wolf-demon's magnificent build and look. His coat was of a luxurious dark brown, with gray scattered throughout and tan on his throat, legs, underside, jowls, and edging his eyes, all of it well-kempt and shining. He had strong jaws; six-inch white canines fitting together with his other teeth back to front in a perfect scissor-bite, set in a wide, massive head. Long, powerful legs supported a muscular, keel-like chest and sinewy flanks. His feet were large, the forepaws sporting five short black claws, while his hind feet had only four.

Artemis in wolf form was indeed a sight to behold. Particularly when he was annoyed, because he pushed his ears forward, his tail arched upwards, and his eyes fixed on Tohru.

"Why the hell are you staring at me like that? You've seen me transform dozens of times before," he snapped. "Now get up, you look like an idiot." Tohru jumped and clambered hastily to her feet, shaken out of her trance.

"I-I'm sorry..." she answered vaguely, still in super-shocked mode.

"Who are you calling an idiot?" Kyo demanded at once, his infamous temper flaring up, without thinking of who he was addressing. Artemis turned emotionless golden orbs on the Cat and Kyo shut up at once, suddenly wondering what it would feel like to have teeth meet in his throat.

"How come you transformed when you kissed her...?" asked Momiji breathlessly. "Are you cursed, too? Like us?"

"It's rather hard to curse a demon," Artemis answered, snorting derisively.

"So that's a no?"

"Obviously."

"But then... what are you, if you're not cursed?"

"It's complicated. Maybe Tohru can explain it to you later, but now isn't the time." With that, the demon turned to Tohru.

"I'll let you ride, this once, as haste is in need. But don't get used to it. We'll reach Shiolin in about half an hour," Artemis said flatly. Tohru hesitated, her hand on her chin, looking thoughtful.

"I think one of the Sohmas should come with us," she said finally.

"Absolutely NOT." Artemis said immediately. "They would only slow me down, and people would get suspicious with the clothes they're wearing. Plus the Angels are searching for them, and I expect them to have agents posted in Shiolin."

"They wouldn't be recognized if they were in their Zodiac form! And what if something were to happen to us? We'd have no way of alerting anyone here and then we'd really be in trouble... If we took one of them, they may be able to get a message back through the local animals." Tohru pointed out reasonably.

"You forget I'm a demon. Nothing can happen while I'm around," Artemis retorted.

"But you can't enter the village, right? What if something happened to me, say I was kidnapped. You might not know until too late. If one of the Sohmas came, they could warn you." Artemis paused, unable to come up with any other plausible arguments.

"What about Raha...?" he snapped desperately. "Wouldn't he know if..."

"Raha would be out of range. We lose contact if we're too far apart, remember?" Tohru said quickly, her eyes gleaming with triumph. Artemis let out a sigh of defeat and finally nodded.

"Alright," he growled, grudgingly. "But they have to be small, enough so that they can hide in a pocket or something." Yuki, who had been listening intently, along with his cousins, stepped up automatically when he heard that.

"I'm the Rat, small enough so that I won't be seen," he said, not missing the scowl that had come to Kyo's face. "I'll gladly accompany Honda-san." And then he stopped when Tohru slowly shook her head. "H-Honda-san...?"

"I'm really sorry, Yuki-kun, but... See, you can fight. If anything were to... to happen... Not that it would, mind you, but if... I would need you here to help protect everyone... Do you understand? I wish you could go, I really do, but I need you here the most." Tohru said softly, looking both regretful and apologetic.

"I... I understand, Honda-san..." replied Yuki quietly after a stunned silence. Tohru gave him a kind and encouraging smile, but Yuki did not want her kindness. All he wanted was to be with her, but apparently that was not possible at the moment. But it wasn't her fault, so he wouldn't complain.

"Well, as Yuki is to stay here, that leaves only two people," said Shigure cheerfully. "Ha'ri, I would think, is out of the question. So it comes down to..."

"Ayame-san." said Tohru, turning to the Snake, who started in surprise.

"What? Me? You want me to come with you, Tohru-kun?" he gasped, his eyes wide.

"If you will," she answered hesitantly, as if unsure as to whether or not he would agree. "You don't have to, but... You're the only one that can, it seems."

"So... You need me? You really need me?!" he cried, looking excited and flattered.

"She doesn't need you!" Kyo snarled in outrage. "You just happen to be convenient, that's all!"

"Oh, Kyon-Kyon-"

"Don't call me Kyon-Kyon! I've told you!" Kyo shouted indignantly.

"--don't be ridiculous!" Ayame babbled without missing a beat, waving a hand. "Of course Tohru-kun needs me! And yes, I would love to come! It'll be such a wonderful adventure! People, Shii-chan I imagine, will write books about us! The Grand Adventures of Ayame and Tohru they'll call it, and it will sell by the millions!"

"Why, yes, now that does sound interesting!" Shigure cried, joining in for attention. "I'll start on it right away, after this mess is cleared up, of course! You'll have to give me all the juicy details, Aaya, that happen between you and our little Tohru-kun—"

"What details?" Yuki intoned dangerously, his voice suddenly deeper and very frightening.

"You better shut that filthy mouth of yours before I tear your jaw off and make you eat it." Kyo threatened, advancing on the Dog, who shrunk away and scurried behind Hatori, who looked both restrained and resigned.

"Help me Ha'ri! They're scaring me...!" squeaked Shigure. Hatori ignored him as usual. Tohru shook her head with a sigh, and turned seriously to Ayame.

"I was wondering, Ayame-san, does your ability to commune with snakes have a range limit?"

"Why, yes, I believe so... Why do you ask, Tohru-kun?"

"How far is the range distance? Do you know?"

"Hm, you know, I never really thought about that. I don't know how far it is, I'm afraid, and I still don't know what you're trying to find out, Tohru-kun."

"I'll explain it in a minute," Tohru said with a smile. "But first, can you test it real quick, and see how far you can reach out? It's very important."

"If you say so!" replied Ayame cheerfully, and cocked his head, as if listening for something, an unusually thoughtful expression hovering over his face. After a few moments he shook himself and smiled down at her. "There's a little green snake about five miles north of here that I can just barely sense. That's about the extent of my reach, I'm afraid."

"Can you alert him to your presence?"

"I already did when I called out to him."

"That's perfect! Now, tell me if there are any snakes around here."

"Ah, now I see where you're going with this! Yes, there's a snake in that tree over there. What you want to know is if I can get in contact with him quickly. I'll bet that green snake is somewhere near Shiolin, correct?" Tohru blinked, taken aback for a moment.

"Yes, that's it exactly! You know, you're a lot smarter than you let on, Ayame-san."

"Why thank you, Tohru-kun, I'm flattered to hear you say that! And yes, I'm absolutely brilliant, aren't I?" Ayame struck a pose and flashed Tohru a toothy grin, while Tohru stared at him blankly. Then the Snake paused, his brow furrowing in perplexity.

"But, Tohru-kun, I'm not going to stay in my Zodiac form. We'll be in that town for some time, right? I'll transform back."

"I know. And I have a solution," Tohru said, pulling a small glass vial on a thin chain from under her shirt. "This is only a small dose, but it'll last for five hours. What's inside this vial will keep you from transforming back into a human." Ayame stared at Tohru in utter shock and bewilderment, and a flicker of hope lit his eyes. The other Sohmas had also gone quiet, hearing what she said.

"No, Ayame-san, before you even ask, it won't keep you human. It only works to enforce forms taken on magically. If you took it as a human it would probably turn you into a snake, but then its potency would be gone and you would more than likely transform back pretty quickly. So, the question is, are you willing to be a snake for five hours? You don 't have to do this if you don't want to..."

"No," said Ayame, tearing his eyes away from the vial in her fingers. "I wouldn't dream of letting you down when you are in need of my services. And I don't mind being a snake for a little while longer, if I get to ride in your pockets." He saw the savage glares Yuki and Kyo were throwing him, and hurriedly continued. "Now, I believe we ought to be heading out soon, hm? It's getting late." Tohru looked up at the sky and jumped.

"It is! Artemis, we have to go now!" The wolf-demon, who had wandered away to keep watch on the road, walked over to her, his hind paw landing in his front paw's footprint, so that his prints appeared as if his were walking a tightrope, instead of weaving about like Shigure's did whenever he was in dog form. Ayame wrapped an arm around Tohru's shoulders and pulled her close, saying, "A pity we don't have to kiss you to transform..."

Then came the puff of smoke and the soft explosion. When the smoke cleared, Tohru was left staring dumbly down at the little white snake wriggling in the grass, while Kyo and Yuki seethed behind her back. Tohru bent down and offered her hand to Ayame, who graciously slithered into her palm. Tohru held out the vial for him, carefully standing up so as not to jostle him, and kept it steady as he stuck his tongue in and lapped up a few drops before he choked and gagged.

"This stuff is horrible!" he bemoaned, wishing he had hands to wipe the disgusting tasting fluid from his tongue.

"Sorry about that. You'll have to drink it all now, though, if you don't want to transform in the middle of a crowded street."

"Why didn't you warn me?" the Snake asked piteously.

"I didn't know, I've never tasted it."

"Quit whining about it and just drink the damn stuff!" Kyo snarled. Ayame made a face, as well as he could in snake form, and stuck his tongue back into the vial, trying to quickly drink it all down. At least it didn't smell as bad as it tasted, otherwise he would have fainted. Or pretended to. Which ever seemed more dramatic.

Finally, he was finished and crawled up Tohru's arm and came to a rest at her shoulder. He glanced down the front of her shirt, but refrained from venturing into that most interesting of places when he saw the most murderous looks on his brother's and Kyo's faces.

Tohru picked up Artemis's fallen clothes, gently placed Ayame in one of the pockets, and hopped easily to the wolf-demon's back, burying her hands in the fur just above his shoulder blades. She turned to the other Sohmas and gave them a cheerful smile.

"Don't look so sad, Kisa-chan, I'll only be gone for a few hours, maybe even less. I'll be back before you know it!" she said brightly. She gave another encouraging smile to her friends, particularly to Kyo and Yuki, who were looking increasingly uneasy.

"Ah, Yuki, I know you're quite worried for my sake, but you really shouldn't trouble yourself over little old me!" Ayame called gaily. "I know you shall miss me and much as I will miss you!" Yuki snapped out of it immediately, and directed an icy stare in his brother's direction. The Snake hid himself deeper in Artemis's pockets.

How Yuki would have loved to be up there with Tohru, it was the perfect excuse to spend time alone with her... but he had to stay. Once again, Tohru had to leave to a place into which he was not permitted to follow. And to make matters worse, it was Ayame who was up there with her instead. Not for the first time in his life, Yuki sorely regretted studying martial arts.

The Rat watched, his face carefully expressionless, as the wolf-demon whirled around and bounded away out of sight, Tohru waving back at him and the others and calling goodbye. Then he settled down to wait.

To be continued...


Disclaimer: tunelessly sings dazedly to self I don't own Fruits Basket... I don't own Fruits Basket... I don't own Fruits Basket...

Well, sorry all you Yuki fans, I ruined a perfectly good chance to kindle a relationship between him and Tohru. But don't worry, he'll get his chance. And don't scream, Kyo-fans! Kyon-Kyon will get his chance, too! I just wanted to spend some alone time with Ayame. He's sooooo taaaastyyy... I don't see how anyone cannot love his character. I adore him, he's so great. He's just incredibly alluring... A-HEM!!! Anyway, thanks sosososososososososososososo much to everyone that has reviewed, and better yet, kept reviewing! And special thanks to Neko, who gave me some choice bit of advice concerning original works on this site, so thank you! Hugs and kisses to you!

And speaking of kisses... What happened to Artemis was not really what you expected, eh? I know it sounds a bit like the Sohma Curse, but it's not. As Artemis himself said, it's complicated. WAY complicated. Too complicated to explain in this chapter. Just trust me, and hang in there, all will be clear in the many, many, many chapters to come. By the way, any typos please report to me. I'm very fanatic about spelling errors and such, so if you could point out exactly where they are, which chapter and paragraph perhaps, that would be SO WONDERFUL OF YOU!!!!! That's it for now.

Ciao!

-Raha-