I was happy. I was actually happy. I never thought that me, the cat, could be happy. I always thought that it wasn't allowed or something. Well, I was right. It's not allowed. Damn the world for being so damn nosy. Shigure. I want to kill him. He told Akito about me and Kyou. Needless to say, he was... upset. He didn't think Kyou should be allowed to be happy, just as I had assumed. And Akito contacted Uncle Mitch. To top it all of, he had got an affirming report from Jesse. Damn him. And I never would have known until it was too late if it wasn't for Lilah.
RING. RING. RING. I blearily reached for the phone. It was extremely early in the morning and I could see Kyou was about to wake up across the room.
"Hello? Who calls so damn early in the morning?" I hissed into the phone.
"Shawna? Shawny, there's been a problem. It's about you and Kyou. Uncle Mitch knows, and he's not happy. I don't know what to do... I'm supposed to be getting on a plane in ten minutes to come to Japan! I'm in the bathroom! I had to call you, warn you! Uncle Mitch is coming! He's so angry! Shawny, I don't know if this is any help, but I just thought you should know! I- I have to go now. They're calling me. At any rate, well, be there by tomorrow! I love you, Shawna, I'm so sorry." Lilah hung up, leaving me speechless. Thank God she had gotten to warn me. But what could I do about it? I curled up into the fetal position and thought, long and hard, until the sun rose.
At seven AM, I sat at the table, staring down. I knew what I had to do, no matter how much it hurt. The weather was perfect. It was rainy and miserable. Absolutely perfect for what was going to go down today. Thunder cracked in the skies, and I heard footsteps on the stairs. I turned to look to see Kyou.
"Yo." He said, smiling at me lovingly. He reached out to touch my face and I winced at his smile and shied away from his touch. "What's wrong?" The concern was evident on his face. I didn't want to have to do it. I didn't want to have to hurt his tender heart.
"Don't..." My voice was hoarse. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Don't touch me. Stay away..." I had to make it hurt, so he wouldn't come after me when I left to deter my family. I thought to myself 'If you hurt him now, you may ruin your happiness, but at least he'll have the chance to be happy some other time, with someone else. If you stay with him, Uncle Mitch will come here and hurt him. You're doing this to protect him. Don't chicken out!'
"What's wrong?" Kyou asked again and looked at me worriedly. He reached out to me again. I wanted to lean into his caress and let him sooth me, but I knew I couldn't.
I jumped up, trying to make myself angry about something, anything. "I said don't touch me!" I cried, desperate. I had to do this. "You... stay away from me! Don't come near me! I don't want you! You were a fun toy to play with, but now you've gotten old! Leave me alone! I- I can't stand you!" I could see my words cutting into him, hurting him, and I wanted to cry. My precious Kyou... he looked so injured, standing there, staring at me. He was looking at me like I had just ripped out his heart, and in a manner, I just had.
"But- why..." I could see the pain, and hear it in his voice. I didn't want to have to see it, hear it. I wanted to shout 'just kidding!' or something. I wanted to make him smile. Anything but this...
"Didn't you hear me! You were nothing but a little toy to play with! I don't feel like playing anymore, so just leave me alone!" I could feel the tears begin to choke me. I wanted to break down into hysterical sobs and tell him everything, but he wouldn't understand. Uncle Mitch was different from Akito. I couldn't let anything happen to Kyou.
"Shawna?" I heard a soft voice from behind me, and whipped around to see Dean standing in the doorway, looking at me. The majority of the rest of the house was watching from the top of the stairs. My yelling must have woken them up. Now they all knew. They all saw how cruel I was, and none of them would follow me when I left. I couldn't risk anyone coming along. I had to protect them all.
I turned back to Kyou, and saw tears silently running down his face. No. Nonononono! I didn't want to see him cry, especially because of me. I had to go anyway... I ran out of the house, feeling the eyes following me as I left.
When the Sohma home was almost out of sight, I turned around and whispered, 'I love you, Kyou Sohma..."
:-P
It took me an hour to walk to the hotel where my family was staying. The first person who saw me was Lilah, and she ran to me, throwing her arms around me neck and crying, "Shawny, Shawna, my little Shawna! I'm so so sorry! Shawna..."
I pulled back from her. I was closed to the world, as I had been for the last four years. "It's taken care of. I've come to take the heat, then you can all go home." I stated. I could see the surprise on Lilah's face, but she knew better than to push me, and just nodded.
As I made my way to Uncle Mitch, I saw pieces of my family here and there. There was Helen the horse and Tommy the rabbit, who looked at me like they wanted to say something, but one glare from me shut them up. Finally, I arrived.
"Uncle Mitch?" I called, entering his room.
After hearing that I had 'fixed the problem of me being happy', Uncle Mitch smiled and said, "Well, I am so glad. But you still must take your punishment for that time." I nodded. I knew it would come to this. I would not get out of this bruise-free. I got the worst beating of my life right there.
Afterwards, I walked home in the rain. Lilah wanted to drive me, but I just ignored her. As I stumbled down the path to the Sohma home, the rain got harder, and the thunder louder, and my vision became so bad, I could barely stay on the path. I finally collapsed on a tree, holding it as my life support. One of my eyes were swollen shut, while the other was close, my nose was broken in at least two places, my lips were cracked and bloody, the bruises on my cheeks were beginning to swell as well, my left ankle was sprained, and I believed my right arm was broken. Yet I was proud of myself. Uncle Mitch was leaving, Kyou and the others were safe, and I had taken a brutal beating without making one noise.
"Curna-san?" I heard my voice as I was about to collapse fully to the ground, forget the tree. it was too hard to hold onto with one arm. "Curna-san? What happened! Curna-san, can you hear me?" I looked up to see Yuki bending over me from my position, slumped against the tree. That's when I lost it. The violent sobs tore through my body and I threw myself into Yuki's lap. "Curna-san?" He touched my head gently. "What happened to you?"
"Uncle Mitch... was here... he found out about me and Kyou... I couldn't let him hurt Kyou... I couldn't let him hurt any of you... had to protect... everyone... he's leaving now... please, don't tell anybody... they don't need to know... just muggers did this to me... or a gang...yes... I fought a gang... they don't have to know it was Uncle Mitch... please..." The words tumbled from my broken lips. I was surprised that my voice sounded so strange, and speaking hurt. Maybe my jaw was broken as well. As I sobbed and stared up at Yuki, begging him to not tell anybody, I could see the internal war raging inside him.
"Alright, Curna-san, but on one condition. We HAVE to take you to see Hatori. You're badly injured. You can't stay like this." Yuki helped me up, and I nodded. He helped take me back to the house, where everyone leapt up upon our entry. I must have looked pretty gruesome for the reactions I got.
"Shigure, call Hatori, she's in bad shape. Someone get me ice. She's bleeding pretty badly, and I don't know for how long, we have to stop the bleeding." Yuki seemed to be trying to keep calm while jostling everyone else into action. Everyone did what Yuki said, and he lay me on the floor, holding my head in his lap, and attempting to stop the bleeding.
I looked over myself. Yup. My arm was definitely broken. It's not supposed to twist in that direction... And then Shigure was back. "Hatori is on his way. He should be here soon." He informed us. I had stopped sobbing and crying before we got to the house, and made no noise when Hatori arrived and doctored my wounds. I did pass out from the pain when he began to twist my arm back into the position it was supposed to be in, though.
When I woke up, I the first thing I saw was Momiji. He began to go on about something, how the a whole lot of people came, and, oh! he was supposed to tell Hatori when I woke up. But his voice was a dull roar, because the next thing I saw was Kyou, slumped across the table, visibly asleep. But he was there, in the room.
"Curna-san, I am Hatori Sohma, I didn't introduce myself properly yesterday." The attractive man spoke.
"Shawna. Everyone but Yuki calls me Shawna." I replied.
"You were badly injured. If you don't mind me asking, how did you get those injuries? Yuki sad you muttered something about a gang when he found you?" Hatori asked. So Yuki had kept his promise.
"A gang... attacked me. I think I was too obnoxious or something. That's all." I replied. Hatori looked at me strangely, but nodded. He then began to change my bandages.
I stared at Kyou. I couldn't help it. Hatori noticed my stare and said, without looking up, "He's been there since we put you in here. It's been over 24 hours, I think he passed out from exhaustion."
"Hey, hey, I don't care if the doctor is with her right now! I'm her cousin/ guardian/ loved one! And I have to see my Shawny!" The commotion outside told me that there was someone fighting to get in. Then Lilah burst into my room. "Shawnyyy!" She cried, and ran over and threw her arms around my neck. "When Dean called, I got on the first plane available and came! Oh, this is sooo awful!" She spouted. I looked at her strangely and she hissed in my ear, "That Yuki boy spoke to me, because Dean called me and told me the extent of your injuries, and i came here as soon as Uncle Mitch would let me go. Told me 'bout the cover story. I admire your bravery, Shawny."
Hatori, finished changing my bandages, got up to leave. "If you leave this bed before three weeks is up, I will strap you to it. You're injuries are so severe, that you risked permanently injuring yourself if you move. It's amazing that you made it to the house."
"What exactly are her injuries, Doc?" Lilah asked.
Hatori glanced at her, then said, "Fractured jaw, broken nose in two places, broken right arm in two places as well, a chipped bone in her ankle, and three broken fingers. All other injuries are external and should clear in a matter of days." Then he left, leaving Lilah wide-eyed.
"Why won't you tell anyone it was Uncle Mitch, Shawna?" Lilah asked me.
"How much did Yuki tell you?" I asked.
"Just that you didn't want anyone to know it was Uncle Mitch. He said he couldn't tell me why." Lilah looked at me concerned.
"You don't need to know much more. Just that it involves trying to protect people by hurting them temporarily. That's all." I looked away. I had told Yuki out of desperation that night. Nobody else could know what I have done.
Lilah looked at me sadly. "Back to the way things were, then, eh? You are back in your shell, my love?"
"Appears so..." I whispered. "Appears so..."
:-P
Author's note: Okay, peeps, don't hate me! I know it was sad and all... but there is no way I'll let it stay this sad! Do not fret, for it WILL get better (eventually)!