Never Give Up
By Ginta and Hakakku Fangirl
Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket.
A/N: I don't know Kyo's father's name (not Kazuma), so we're just going to call him Shimbo (just because I like the name…). Oh, and I'm going to tell you right now that this chapter is mainly just flashbacks, both of the manga and of this fic. But keep in mind that I said MAINLY. There is plenty of new stuff; the flashbacks are a part of it, so just bear with me.
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Previous Chapter:
"Sorry we're late," Hatori said as he, Akito, Ayame, and Kureno entered the room.
Shigure scowled at Kureno, who simply nodded.
"It's fine," Kazuma said impatiently. "Just as long as Kyo comes down before he gets here."
…
"Your father should be here soon," Hatori murmured. Kyo and Kazuma just nodded.
Chapter Twenty-Six: Confrontation of the Past
"I'm nervous…"
Yuki glanced up at Kyo, mildly surprised that the Cat would actually admit to such a thing; Hatori and Shigure glanced at him as well.
"I'm sure that it will be fine," Kazuma murmured, although he was unable to hide the doubt from his voice.
Kyo opened his mouth to reply, just as the doorbell rang.
"That's him," Akito muttered; surprisingly, he seemed a bit nervous as well.
"I'll get it," Yuki muttered. He was slightly surprised when Kyo stood up as well, bet then understood as the Cat ran past him, fleeing, once again, to the bathroom. Yuki shook his head once, before opening the door.
And there, on the threshold, with a murderous look, stood Shimbo Sohma.
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In the bathroom, Kyo stood at the sink, rinsing his mouth.
'Get a grip, Kyo! This can't be any worse than what you went through with Akito!'
Flashback:
"Hello, Kyo," Akito said calmly. "And what brings you here today?"
"Don't mess with me," Kyo muttered angrily. "I'm not in the mood, Akito. You know why I'm here."
"Now, now, don't be bitter," Akito said. "Even as the Cat, you shouldn't act so rudely."
Kyo glared at "God" through his bangs. They were the only two in the room; Akito could be as cruel as he pleased.
"And don't look at me like that."
"You don't own me!"
"Actually," Akito said in forced composure, "I DO own you, Cat."
"No you—"
"How do you feel about Miss Honda?" Akito interrupted.
"Huh?"
"I know all about how you forced yourself on her and impregnated her."
"I did not force myself on her!!" Kyo yelled. "Why does everybody keep saying that?!"
Akito laughed.
"Yes, well, until I hear that from Miss Tohru herself, I won't believe a word against it from anyone, not even Shigure."
"What is it with you and Shigure?" Kyo muttered before yelling, "STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM TOHRU!!"
'Right…' Kyo grimaced. 'It can't be nearly as bad as that…or as embarrassing…'
Flashback:
"Do you love her?"
"What?"
"Do. You. Love. Her?" Akito said with slow anger.
Kyo scowled. Who the Hell was Akito to ask if he loved Tohru or not. As far as Kyo was concerned, the only reason he never tried to provoke Akito was so that Akito wouldn't break his promise and imprison him in the Cat's room before he was out of high school or had a chance to beat Yuki in a fight. That was a thought that made him shudder. Now, the possibility of being trapped in that--that cage wasn't just scary, it was Terrifying. How would his dad feel, with him unable to see Kyo unless he had the permission of Kyo; what about the dojo?
And what about Tohru? What would she do without him? What about the baby, what about their daughter? Would she have to grow up, knowing that her father was in a prison on a relative's property? What would she think of him? If this meeting with his father didn't go well, Akito might reconsider their agreement--especially if Shimbo were to insult him.
And even if Shimbo didn't provoke Akito, Kyo was still in a very real danger of a severe beating. He'd never been beaten by his birth father, but Akito…even if Akito were to fight fair, he was still much stronger than Kyo. Hell, he was stronger than Yuki. And it had taken both Shigure and Yuki to restrain him the second time that Tohru had ever seen him.
Flashback:
"What did you come here for?" Akito asked. "It's okay, you can tell me; I won't get mad."
"I don't know," Tohru whispered.
"You don't know?" Akito got up and walked to the doorway to look outside.
"I don't know."
…
"No! Akito!" Shigure and Yuki both grabbed Akito as he went to attack Tohru; he succeeded in catching a handful of her hair and jerked upwards; Hatori just sat there, terrified. And who could blame him? The last time he had had to confront Akito with anything other than medicine, he had lost most of the sight in his left eye.
Kyo sighed, and began to rinse his mouth again. He remembered the last time he had seen his father; Momiji had found him afterwards, vomiting in the streets. He was just glad that it hadn't been Yuki who had found him (not that the Rat would have insulted him, he probably would have just left him there). Or Tohru; he didn't ever want to appear weak in front of her. And he was especially glad that it hadn't been Akito who had found him. Knowing him, Akito may have taken the opportunity for a bit more torture…mentally, if not physically. Kyo was pretty sure that even "God" wouldn't stoop that low, at to physically abuse someone who was vomiting his guts up in the streets.
Speaking of Akito…
"Kyo, open the door."
Kyo jerked upright; Akito coming to fetch him from the bathroom was NOT something that he had expected. Yuki, maybe, or Shigure. Kazuma or Hatori, they were who he especially expected to have come to get him if he had stayed too long.
Akito knocked sharply on the bathroom door.
"Open the door," he repeated.
"Um…"
Nervously, Kyo opened the door; as soon as he had, Akito slipped in and shut the door again, turning the lock. It gave a surprisingly loud click!
Akito turned to Kyo.
"I think you should know," he said, ignoring Kyo's bewildered expression, "that while I still have yet to forgive you for this, I especially don't want that father of yours involved in anyway with me, you, or anyone else of the zodiac. I don't want him anywhere near Miss Honda, or the girl in he stomach--"
"What brought all of this on--?"
"I'm not finished!" Akito snapped. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he continued. "I do not like that man. And he is to have nothing to do with any of us after today, do you hear me?"
"You don't have to tell me all of this, I hate him more than you do!" Kyo muttered.
Akito ignored this.
"I have also decided," he said, "that I will not blame Miss Honda for any of this. I don't care how any of this happened, and I don't want to know how. So don't tell me. But the child Tohru is carrying is a Sohma, and therefore it is in my interests to see that no harm comes to it--"
"Her," Kyo muttered. "Not it.'
"--as it is the child of one of the Zodiac," Akito said, once again ignoring Kyo's remarks.
"So, you're not mad at Tohru anymore?" Kyo asked.
Akito blinked.
"I never was mad at Miss Honda," he said, "that was just a threat to get you to behave."
Kyo opened his mouth angrily, but Akito interrupted before he could say anything.
"It worked, didn't it? You behaved. You didn't let your grades slip, no trouble at school, you didn't do anything to disgrace the Sohma family, and you didn't bother me."
Kyo just stared incredulously at Akito.
Flashback:
"The Cat may not be a part of the Zodiac, but you belong to me!"
"I don't belong to you, and neither does anyone else!"
"I AM GOD!" Akito screeched. "You, Yuki, Shigure, everyone—You all belong to me!"
"Uhn!" Kyo groaned as Akito lashed out and shoved him against the door; Kyo fell through the shoji, losing his balance and falling to the floor. Akito laughed as Kyo clutched his head; he had a gash from the wood along his temple, and was bleeding freely onto his suit.
"You belong to me!" Akito yelled again, slapping Kyo across the face, nails slashing the Cat's cheek.
"Akito!" Shigure ran into the room, having heard the crash, Hatori and Kazuma behind him. "Akito, stop!"
"Get OFF me, Shigure!" Akito yelled as Shigure grabbed him from behind; Hatori ran over to Kyo and tried to haul him to his feet as Kazuma grabbed Akito's legs to keep him from kicking either Shigure or an only half-conscious Kyo.
Hatori managed to get Kyo to his feet and started for the door, calling over his shoulder, "Shigure! Kazuma! We've got to get him to a hospital! He's had a concussion!"
Kyo just groaned and Akito let out a shriek of wild laughter.
"Pull another stunt like this, Cat, and Tohru Honda will be the one to pay for it!" he yelled after Hatori as he managed to get Kyo down off the porch. Shigure and Kazuma followed immediately after Kureno rushed in to calm Akito.
"Hang on, Kyo," Hatori muttered to the Cat. "Don't fall asleep until I can get you to the hospital."
"You mean…you mean that all of that was just an empty threat?" Kyo demanded.
"Yes."
"That I worked my ass off trying not to get into any trouble so that you would leave Tohru alone?"
"But of course."
"And that I had to stay away from Tohru and my baby, trying to make you happy, when you didn't actually even care whether or not I was with her, as long as I didn't misbehave?"
"Uh-huh." Akito seemed to be growing bored. Kyo just stared at him.
"Why the Hell did you threaten Tohru, for, then?!" he yelled. "Why didn't you just threaten me with the damn cage again, if you didn't want me to get into any trouble?"
"Why would I threaten you with that?" Akito actually looked surprised. "Don't you remember our agreement? You beat Yuki in a fair fight before you're both out of high school, and you won't have to live in the Cat's room. Don't beat him in a fight, and then you will go to the Cat's room. Stop calling it a cage."
"But…"
"Did you really think that I would forget that?" Akito pretended to look hurt before laughing. "If I kept threatening you with a cage, then you'd think that I was just bluffing, you'd never take me seriously."
Kyo just stared at him for a moment.
Finally, he said, "So you're okay with me and Tohru spending al of our time together?"
Akito rolled his eyes. "Do you actually care?"
Kyo shrugged. "No."
"I didn't think so. But, if you must know, no. I don't care. I don't care that you and Yuki, and even Shigure and Hatori are attending to Miss Honda's every need and want; I don't care that Akito is, at this very moment, designing baby clothes for your kid; and I don't care that you and Kazuma are working on a surprise for Tohru together."
"How do you--?"
"I'm God, Kyo, I know everything."
"Kureno?"
"And Shigure," Akito said with a shrug. "And Kazuma told me what he's helping you with."
Kyo stared at him. "So you really don't mind?"
Akito smiled slyly.
"Kyo," he said, "if I don't care that you and Miss Honda are fucking almost every chance you get, do you honestly think that I care anymore that she's pregnant?"
Kyo's mouth dropped open and he began to stammer.
"H-How did…How did you--When did you--?"
Akito laughed. "Just now," he said simply. "When you didn't deny it."
Mentally, Kyo began to punch himself. 'Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!'
Akito just shook his head, knowing exactly what was going on in the Cat's head.
"When you're through imagining beating yourself into a bloody pulp, come back to the table. Shimbo's here."
"Fine," Kyo muttered.
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A/N: There. How was that for a long chapter?