Disclaimer: I do not, nor did I ever claim to own Fruits Basket.

Authors Note: My excuse for being so late is that I had midterms all of last week, so I had nothing to type up besides my European History notes… and I don't think you all want that… Wow… I can't believe this is on chapter 20… I thought I was only going to make this a … like… 10 Chapter (maximum) story…

Book of the Cat

Chapter 20

Thursday 10:00 P.M. Sohma Estate:

Kyo lay on his side while Hatori checked the thermometer. Hatori nodded as he read the number. "98.6. Much better." Kyo nodded and rolled onto his back. "Are you feeling better?" Hatori asked. Kyo shrugged.

"I don't know."

Hatori put the thermometer away. "Yuki and Haru came by to see you while Akito was here."

"Yuki?" Kyo asked, shock evident in his voice.

"Yea." Hatori responded.

"But why? Shouldn't he want to tear out my throat?"

"I don't know. Maybe he's forgiven you."

"Doubt that…" Hatori continued to tidy up the room. "Hey, Hatori… has Shishou come at all?"

Hatori froze up a bit, unnoticed by Kyo. "No."

"Oh," Kyo said quickly, not noticing the way Hatori flinched as he talked.

Hatori turned quickly. "I'm going to let you rest now. Hopefully you can be out of that bed by tomorrow morning."

Kyo didn't respond.

Friday 10:00 A.M. Sohma Estate:

Kyo pulled his baggy pants and t-shirt on, pleased at how the clothing felt against his skin as opposed to the way too airy kimono. Once he was done dressing, he stepped into the main part of Hatori's office. Hatori was stacking some papers on his desk.

"So… I can go back to my room again?" Kyo asked.

"Yes, just please take it easy… you could relapse. I don't want to have to see you everyday!" Hatori joked.

"And you won't." Akito said as he walked in. He stared at Kyo, who shrunk back against the wall. This made him smile a little.

"Akito," Hatori stood up putting himself between Kyo and Akito, "is there something you need?"

Akito looked around bored, "You're looking tired lately, Hatori. You should get some rest."

Hatori shook his head. "No, I'm fine."

Akito played with his nails. "I know that Kyo's wearing you out. He's so pathetic and weak… the way he always gets sick." Kyo looked down at his feet. A while ago, he might have yelled or defended himself. Now he didn't do anything. "Anyway," Akito continued, "I've arranged a vacation for you, Hatori."

Hatori jerked his head up. "What?"

"Yes, today. You have plans to go with Shigure, Ayame, and whoever else to one of the weekend houses."

Once Hatori got over his shock, he responded. "This is very generous… but what if you get sick? I should stay here."

Akito clenched and unclenched his fist. "Do you not trust me with Kyo? Is that why? Well, I won't touch that filthy beast while your gone… Does that make you happy?"

Hatori looked uneasy. "Um, It's not that… I just want you to be healthy."

"Hatori, I said go. So, by noon today, you had better be gone. Do not return to this house until Sunday… And if you refuse to go… then Kyo here will know the true meaning of pain."

Kyo stared wild-eyed at Hatori. Hatori looked contemplative for a minute. "Okay, I'll go."

Akito smiled. "Excellent."

Hatori avoided Kyo's eyes, but they both had the same sinking feeling in the pits of their stomachs.

Hatori packed his suitcase slowly, his mind trying to figure out anyway to get out of this situation. Akito sat on a chair in the room, watching Hatori straighten up and close the case. After a minute of silence, Hatori bravely turned to Akito.

"Akito, please don't touch Kyo. He could get very sick. Please."

Akito grinned. "Hatori, I won't lay a finger on him." Hatori didn't know if he should be relieved by Akito's promise, or frightened by it. But what else could he do? He can't defy the heads orders. He nodded and walked out of his room. Akito lazily got up and walked to another part of the house.

As Hatori approached the main house doors he found Kyo. Kyo nervously paced the hallway, as if he had been waiting for Hatori to show up. Hatori cleared his throat to get Kyo's attention. Kyo bowed his head.

"Just rest up Kyo. Is there anything you need before I go?"

Kyo looked hesitant, then slowly whispered. "Don't leave me here… please, can I come with you?"

Hatori was a bit taken aback. This shy, humble boy had replaced the Kyo he knew. Was it his fault? Did he help to break Kyo? Before he could say anything, Akito emerged from a room.

"Of course not… why would I let you have a vacation?" He sneered. He faced Hatori. "We'll see you again on Sunday."

Hatori swallowed the lump in his throat. This was so wrong. He should stay behind. He should fight Akito. His foot took one step towards the door. He should help Kyo. He took another step towards the door. What kind of a person leaves his sick cousin with his tormentor? As Hatori neared the door he felt like the lowest person on the planet. It took him all the strength he had to get to his car and drive to Shigure's house. He had left something behind, and he knew he would not rest easy until Sunday.

The ride to Shigure's house seemed shorter than usual. He stopped at the entrance and stepped up to his best friend's front door and knocked softly. Seconds later Tohru answered.

"Hello! Hatori? What a surprise! Come in!" She opened the door widely. Hatori mumbled "thanks" and walked inside, instinctively going to Shigure's study. Yuki and Shigure were watching television in there. Hatori cleared his throat loudly to get their attention. Shigure instantly popped up.

"Hatori? To what do we owe this honor?"

Yuki raised his eyebrows. It was unusual for Hatori to just show up without a reason.

"Akito ordered me to take a vacation. Let's go." Hatori's voice was monotonous as usual and held no emotion.

Shigure beamed. "You're inviting us? What an honor!" He bounced around the room until Hatori stopped him.

"Just get packed, okay?"

Shigure noticed Hatori's frustration and knew that he needed to talk to his best friend alone. He turned to Yuki and Tohru. "Go pack guys. We leave in an hour!"

Tohru stood up and started to panic. "Oh, I couldn't go on another trip! This is too much. I can't accept this."

Yuki shook his head and pulled her to the staircase. "Just consider it… a New Year's gift from the family, okay?"

Their conversation drifted away from Hatori and Shigure as they climbed the stairs.

"So, Hatori…what's the problem?" Shigure said, once the teens were out of earshot.

Hatori shrunk into his chair. "I don't think I should've left, Kyo."

Shigure bit his lip. "I see your point…" He sat down next to Hatori. "But, what could you have done. If Akito tells you to do something… you have to do it."

Hatori nodded. "Even though Akito promised me that he wouldn't touch Kyo… I don't know." Shigure looked pensive. Hatori continued. "You know… Kyo asked me if Shishou tried to visit."

Shigure looked to Hatori. "Did he?"

Hatori nodded. "I told Kyo he didn't… but in truth, Kazuma has been trying to get into the house everyday since Kyo was sent there. Akito refuses to let him in and he told Kazuma that if he got in, then Kyo would suffer even more. Akito won't let any of us tell Kyo if Kazuma comes. How am I supposed to feel good about myself if I contribute to Kyo's feeling of loneliness? The boy is breaking, Shigure… I can feel it…"

Shigure only sat there in silence. After a while they both took out cigarettes and smoked a while to calm their nerves. Shigure left to pack afterwards and eventually the group got on the road to their weekend house. Ayame, Momiji, and Haru were there as well.

The weekend passed slowly. The whole time, none of the group really enjoyed their vacation, their thoughts all being turned to the one person who should have joined them on their trip. They could only hope that Kyo was enjoying a calm weekend as well.

He wasn't.

Authors Note: This is mainly a filler update. The new update (coming soon) should have a lot of action packed goodness. I've got planned appearances for Kyo, Akito. Hatori, Shigure, Tohru, Yuki, Hana, Uo, and Haru.

As always, thanks to my reviewers:

Leiko Hiroko: I'm glad you think that I've got the characters down! I try to make each character as true to the manga as possible… (of course I tend to deviate after a while…)

Elina: I'm glad you like my story. Basically, when Kyo was screaming "It's not my fault," he was just having a sort of mental breakdown. Like, his mind kept repeating to him the words that Akito said, and after a while that's all he heard… and it messed with him. Ha, yes Akito is beyond a jerk. Are Haru and Yuki going to save Kyo? You'll just have to wait and see…

Kyo'slittlekittenkisa: I'm glad you liked the last chapter!

Fullma8712: I made Kyo keep yelling cause… well, let me put it like this… have you ever gotten upset and cried and just… kept crying as the words repeated over and over in your mind? Or have you gotten angry and just keep getting angrier each time you think of that thing? That's kind of what happened here… Kyo kept dwelling on what Akito said… and he had a tiny little breakdown. I hope that helped to explain things to you!

Shadow7272: Ooh, I do techniques where we flip other people, too! We learn a bunch of those from our sensei who studies with the "grandmaster." Yup. Anyway, I love that you're telling me all of this… It's really interesting. I've only known the Tae Kwon Do I've been taking, so it's good to hear about something else.

Bouncing Shii-chan: Yes, an alliance between Uo, Hana, Yuki and Tohru might be able to save Kyo… and destroy that damn book. But… will that happen? Nobody knows… Well, maybe I do… but I'm not going to tell…

Dark Inu Fan: Eh, Momiji's sources are probably just himself eavesdropping… Ha… I kind of pictured him as the eyes and ears of the Main House… because he's small and cute and he's around both the adults and kids a lot…

Dark-wolf-soulx: Uo and Hana should definitely fess up about what they know… maybe they will… maybe they won't. You're right… if I save Kyo now, the story would end… and well, since I'm planning on making this a trilogy… that would be pretty lame for the story to end in the first story. Haru and Yuki should definitely have broken down the door and yelled in Akito's face. I really want to write him saying "wawawa-wawawoo woo!" And Kyo really should say "I'm Heram the Dowsicorn." Forget just Kyo… if that happens they'll ALL need therapy…

Starship Gazer: Ooh! I'm glad you're following the timeline of my story and realize its New Years next week. I was hoping people would pick up that detail. And what about Akito's plans for Kyo? Oh boy, that's all I can say. So many questions you asked and I'm afraid I won't answer them for another few more chapters… But do not worry… all will be clear… well, soon hopefully… And thanks for reviewing twice! You are so sweet for wishing me a Happy Chinese New Year! No one ever has in my entire life! … Probably because I'm not Asian nor do I celebrate Chinese New Years… but, because of your sweetness, I dedicate this chapter to you!

The Cheshire Katt: Akito and the Cat working together? Hmm… you may be on to something… Ha, the Yuki and Tohru moment was too much for you? Eh, I'm not a big fan of Tohru; she's too sweet that I'm jealous… But I don't mind them getting together… as long as she leaves Kyo for me…

Narutofreak22: Glad you liked the length of the last chapter… sorry this one isn't as long!