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My Most Painful Memory

Ch. 6

The bird suddenly fluttered off at the sound of Akito's voice. "No… If that is indeed what she says, you will bring her here. There is one too many outsiders in that house already." He focused his narrow eyes on Hatori.

He saw him flinch a bit, but nodded in agreement. "I understand. I'll fetch her first thing in the morning. She should be stable enough to move by then."

"Fine," Akito sighed in annoyance. "This is such a bother… You may leave now, I need my rest." Hatori bowed, and left Akito's room.

---- At Shigure's House ----

"I understand." Shigure had one hand on the phone and the other one clenched into a fist. Hatori had just delivered Akito's final verdict. "I'll see you in the morning then. Goodnight."

Tohru was hovering nearby to hear what Hatori had to say, but was only met with disappointment when Shigure told her. Yuki and Kyou were both silent. What could they possible do to change Akito's mind?

They all felt helpless. How could they have thought Akito would choose what was best for Shiori over what was best for their family?

That night, Tohru didn't leave Shiori's side. Tohru knew what Akito could be like, but she was hoping that he would take pity on Shiori. "I mean… You don't even have your memory… You've blocked out, whatever it was that hurt you."

From the cringing on Shiori's face, Tohru could tell she was having a bad dream. It was so hard to sit there and not be able to comfort her.

---- The next day ----

Hatori didn't even bother to nock. He knew that Yuki would be out, Kyou would be on the roof, and Shigure would be pretending to busy himself with a manuscript. Tohru on the other hand greeted him with a luke warm smile. This must've been tough on her.

"She'll still be able to go to school tomorrow, right?" Tohru asked.

"I'm sure that won't be an issue." He gave her a reassuring smile, and made his way up to Tohru's room. Tohru had already readied all of Shiori's things, and helped her out of bed. When Hatori entered, Shiori was sitting down reading quietly to herself. A look of disappointment smeared across her face. "Are you ready to go?"

Silently, she closed her book, and rose to her feet. "Yes…"

They walked through the house side by side. Hatori was carrying her bags, and Tohru was helping to make sure Shiori stayed on her feet. Finally, when they reached the door Hatori spoke. "I'll take her from here."

"Okay," Tohru let go of Shiori's shoulders and allowed Hatori to take her. "Goodbye."

"You'll come and visit me, right, mommy?" Shiori said as she walked away.

"Of course!" Tohru said waving furiously.

Hatori opened the car door and allowed Shiori to get into the back seat. Shiori was still looking at the house through the side window as they drove away a few moments later. Finally she sighed and faced forward.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure your living quarters are as comfortable, if not more, as what you had there." A cold, harsh voice reached her ears.

She jerked her head toward the seat next to her. There was a man, dressed all in black, smirking suggestively at her.

Suddenly the fog in her eyes cleared. She remembered the smirk, the awful smirk he gave her as he pinned her to the floor. Terror filled every inch of her body, and her heart began to race. Her fingers trembled, and all she could hear was her own scream. Shiori reached for the car handle, but the door was locked. "NO NO NO!"

She felt hands come and wrap around her. They were trying to secure her. "Calm down!" The voice said. She could feel the tears on her face. "Sit still! I'm not going to hurt you!" His voice seemed angry, but there was something underneath.

"No…" And the fog returned. Safety in forgetting, that's how she thought of it. She soon drifted off to sleep, with the boy's arms still around her.