Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket –– the usual.

As a note. I received a private message asking me if I plan on having a Love Snare III. I can't really tell you guys that because I haven't decided the ending of this Love Snare. I could go many ways; Akito dying, Clarity, the curse being broken. I'm not sure.

I do think a Love Snare III is in order, but it might end up being rated M for mature content. I know I'm pushing it with some of the violence.

Keep up the reviews!

BTW: Someone decide what color her eyes are, cause the anime Tohru's eyes are teal, I heard they're actually brown. HELP

Chapter 15- Horse and Rooster

Tohru and Kyo came home late into the evening, Tohru sighing as she walked through the door. "I'm home," she called throughout the house, her voice weak, and still a little sad. Kyo had his hand on her shoulder, walking behind her, closing the door with his foot.

"Flower!" Shigure appeared from his office, bags under his eyes, which were surprisingly red. Tohru frowned lightly, had her father been crying? He ran up to her and cuffed her face in both his hands. "Are you all right? Where did these bruises come from? Did you eat? Who hurt you? Are you okay? Tohru, I was so scared. Oh thank god you're back."

"I'm okay now, really, I am," Tohru started gently. Shigure was down on one of his knees looking up at her, and she smiled softly. "Kyo took care of me, and Hatori took care of my wounds earlier. I got into a fight with Kureno-sama, but it's okay now." She watched her father's face get cold and angry, "Don't be mad at Kureno, please don't. I don't want anger, I'm too tired for it." Tohru reached out and pulled off his glasses, resting them on his head. Her teal eyes softened with kindness as she stroked underneath his eyes. "Were you crying, Daddy? You weren't crying about me, were you?"

Shigure looked up at her, smiling softly, "I think a few tears snuck by me. But only for you, my darling Tohru. Where did you go?"

"I took her to the cave I trained in the mountains with," Kyo rubbed the back of his neck. "The dumb girl didn't have her phone so she couldn't call. I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking about you guys. I just wanted her to stop damn worrying about everyone else and more about her."

Shigure smirked, "Oh Kyo, you didn't do anything naughty now did you? You had poor Tohru alone in a secluded area only you knew. Tsk tsk, I'm sure your sensei will be so happy you deflowered Tohru and your special training grounds."

"DAMN IT YOU DOG!" Kyo whacked him over the head with a punch and was about to beat him more when he heard a sound. Tohru was giggling, and slowly growing to roaring laughter. She held her sides and chuckled lightly, her voice filling the home with the life they thought they had lost.

The sound of a door clicking made Tohru look up. Momiji was standing at the top of the stairs, staring at Tohru wide-eyed. His chocolate eyes filled up with tears as he watched her walk to the bottom of the stairs. "Tohru...I..." he sniffled lightly and ran down the stairs, crashing into her arms, transforming, and caused her to fall onto her butt. "Tohru I'm so sorry! I'm sorry Tohru! I didn't mean for any of this! I'm sorry! Please don't hate me Tohru! Please! I'm sorry!" the small bunny sobbed against her shirt and she smiled lightly, stroking his head.

Tohru kissed the top of the rabbit's head and held Momiji out so she could see him, face to face. "I don't want to think about it anymore," Tohru told him gently, tears sliding down her face to match his. "We made some mistakes, we had our fights, but its bound to happen. It's okay." Kyo helped Tohru up and slowly everyone sat down on the sofas. Tohru found herself wedged between Kyo and Shigure and she smiled. "Where are Haru and Yuki?"

"Haru went out earlier to look for you in town, but he's got his phone with him, so he promised to call if he got lost. He feels bad too, like I do." Momiji looked up at Tohru, his little rabbit ears drooping.

Tohru closed her eyes and felt Kyo weave his hand through her hair. "And Yuki?"

"Most likely asleep," Shigure told her gently. "He worked very hard taking care of his garden today, the strawberries were going to wilt in the heat. Poor lad, he wanted to pick them with you, but thought that you'd be upset if you were the reason they went bad." Shigure stroked Momiji's head and smiled, "Strange thing about us Sohma lads, we all go to great lengths to keep you happy, and still we fail so miserably."

Tohru looked down at Momiji in her arms, surprised he hadn't turned back yet, but looked up when the front door opened. Haru was walking in, kicking off his shoes with a sigh. When he turned to see everyone on the couch, especially Tohru, his eyes lit up. "Tohru."

She waved, a small smile on her face, "Hello Haru, welcome home. I'm sorry I was gone for so long." Tohru watched him walk up to her, and cuff the side of her face, rubbing where the bruises were from Kureno. "It's okay Haru, Hatori took care of me."

Haru sighed, "I'm sorry. Stupid me, stupid Black Haru. I'm sorry. If I wasn't so stupid, then I wouldn't have fought with him." Haru stopped when he felt Tohru touch the side of his face. "You seem...better."

Tohru nodded slowly, "I am. I feel a little bit braver, stronger. I think that, falling down, made getting back up more worth while. I took for granted how much keeping things inside were hard for me." Tohru smiled and rested her head against Kyo's shoulder. "I want to tell Yuki I'm home..."

Haru headed for the stairs, "I'll get him, just hang right there." Haru took one last look at Tohru and then wandered up the stairs. He knocked gently on Yuki's door, "Yuki? Are you awake?"

Haru heard a slight moan and the ruffling of bed sheets, "Yes, Haru?"

Haru smiled gently, "Tohru's home now, and I don't think she'll be running away anytime soon. She just wanted to tell you so you wouldn't worry. Oh, and Tohru's sorry about the strawberries, she said she'll use them in a pie as soon as she gets the opportunity."

Yuki smiled to himself, Tohru, how kind she was. Slowly he pulled back his covers and stood, stretching slightly, then followed Haru down the hall. When downstairs, he noted how thin Tohru had become recently. Her eyes at that moment were focused on the locket Kyo had given her, her fingers running over the picture of her mom. "Tohru?"

Tohru lifted her head, "Yuki! I'm sorry that I woke you up, but I wanted to say I'm sorry for running away from you at the graveyard." She watched Yuki shake his head and smirk but she continued, "I was just, I was afraid. I have to see Kureno and Rin tomorrow."

"What time do you have to leave tomorrow?" Yuki asked, sitting down with Haru.

Tohru shrugged, "The note didn't really say. They could come anytime they wanted I figure." She closed the locket and sighed, shoulders sagging. "Sometimes I wonder...were you lucky?" she mumbled under her breath. She stood up and bowed to everyone, and didn't say anything else, walking upstairs.

Once Tohru disappeared a sad sigh rolled between the boys. Momiji had already transformed back and was squished between Shigure and Kyo. Momiji was trying hard to stay awake, but he couldn't help but feel his eyes droop. He wanted to be treated like the others, he was the same age after all.

"What do we do now?" Yuki asked gently, rubbing his eyes. He was still in his blue pajamas, and normally Kyo would've teased him, but no one was in the mood.

Shigure shifted his weight and ran his hand through his bangs, "I don't think Rin will hurt Tohru, Kureno, I do not know."

"I don't trust that bastard," Haru snarled, clenching a fist.

Yuki crossed his arms, "I don't like it that Tohru has to go with them. First off, Tohru hasn't even met Rin, and we all know Rin isn't a bundle of roses. Second, Kureno just beat her up just a few days ago. This isn't a smart idea."

Momiji was the only one who hadn't spoken yet, and Kyo too. His hands were on his knees, clenching them. Kyo was the first to notice his little body was shaking lightly, tears hitting his pants and soiling them. Kyo rubbed the little man's head and pulled him onto his lap, very unlike Kyo. "Why you crying, Squirt?"

Momiji rubbed his eyes and sniffled, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be crying. I should be strong like all you guys are. I can't help it. I'm not strong enough to protect her. I want to so bad." Momiji looked up at Kyo, and saw Kyo's own concerned eyes. "I wish Akito were dead!"

"No you don't," Yuki mumbled slowly. "If he were dead, she'd blame herself."

There was a crash upstairs that made everyone jump. Yuki was the first one to his feet, pounding his chest like he had just experienced an early heart attack. "Tohru, are you okay up there?" There was a slight delay, but a small 'I'm sorry' could be heard. "I'll be right back," Yuki told his Sohma family. Once upstairs he knocked on the wooden sliding door of her room. He could hear a slight mumble, maybe she was picking up what she broke. She didn't respond to his knocking, so he opened the door a crack. "Miss Ho–, I mean, Tohru, can I come in?" Still, no response.

He walked into the room, only a few steps, and was stopped cold. A vase that was in Tohru's room was on the floor broken, papers and clothes askew and all over, bed unmade, the picture of her mother was the only thing that hadn't been touched. Her chair was knocked over, bulb of her lamp broken. Her hands were clenched over her head, chin to her knees, shaking. "Tohru!"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She repeated this over and over again, pulling at her hair like she was trying not to scream. Tohru was like a brittle twig, and something had finally snapped. Her eyes were wide with panic. The locket lay across the room. He noticed blood on her hands.

"Tohru. Let me go get some medical tape. We'll take you to Hatori's in a second."

"NO!" Tohru shouted, breaking down into hysterics. Her blood was smearing into her hair but she didn't care. When she came upstairs earlier she had just snapped, imagining the worse, and losing control of the sanity she had. Tohru had been through so much, but was so ashamed she had nearly given up. "Leave me alone! Please!"

"No! I will not leave you alone to suffer this way." Yuki got down on his knees and held her shoulders, trying to straighten her up. "Tohru please, you have to talk to us."

She shook her head left to right and tried to resist him, "I can't! I cannot tell you what I just said to myself. I won't! I'm horrible! Beyond horrible."

"No Tohru, that's not true," Yuki told her gently, letting go of her. She was still curled up, but he patted her head gently. His eyes softened, "You could never be horrible, Tohru. Never. Now please, what happened."

"I...I..." Tohru started to cry more. "I wished I was..." she mumbled the rest to herself.

"Tohru..."

"I said I WISHED I WAS DEAD!"

A silence broke out between them, until she started to laugh.

"Tohru?"

"But I couldn't do that, now could I?" Tohru asked lightly, sitting up, wiping her blood on her jeans, ruining them. "If I did that, I would fail you guys, wouldn't I? Mom always told me that life would throw you some of the hardest challenges of your entire life, and it was in those moments that our true selves are defined. I musn't run away." She shook her head and laughed, wiping away her tears. "I am pathetic, I sound like an emo from some sort of drama Momiji watches."

Yuki smiled and stood up, taking her wrist as to not harm her hand more. "Lets go to the bathroom, and clean you up." The faucets started to scream with warm water, he put his hands under them with care. So many times, she had bandaged them after quarrels. Now he returned the favor, tying the bands gently. Her hand tilted down hid her face, but he still managed to stroke it gently, "Tell me Tohru, why can't you go see Hatori?"

"Akito said that, the next time people see me, they'll have to say goodbye. That only means one thing," Tohru paused, staring at her hands. "Hatori's going to erase my memories if I see him again."

Yuki was stunned but understood. He took Tohru back to her room and put her to bed. She was asleep in minutes, and spent the next hour in the dark of the room cleaning. The others downstairs decided that no one should jeopardize Tohru's safety by following her into the city. They also decided that Haru and Momiji would cook breakfast, since Kyo, Shigure, and Yuki were horrible cooks.

Fontina Blu Cent De cravi esca letisimo Lalala… De quantian La finde reve

Your wishes can bring destruction...or your wishes can bring salvation

Tohru opened her eyes and found she was in her bed. The covers were draped up to her chin. She rolled over and found her room was clean. The locket was by her mother's photograph, she felt the bandages on her hands. She rolled back over, facing her wall, and closed her eyes. The door slid open gently, a new weight added to her bed. Slippers were kicked off, she felt the covers pulled back, someone slipping in with her.

A hand stroked her hair, which was stiff from the dried blood. His breath was warm, a small sigh escaping from his lips. "God, Tohru, I'm so worried about you. Please, please be okay. I cannot stand to see you in such pain. You saved me, you saved everyone, and now you're dying. Please God, help me."

Tohru rolled over and looked at Kyo in the dark. His face was cast in a shadow, but she could still see the glow of his beautiful eyes. That face, that had always been harsh but honest, passionate about what mattered to him, but kind beneath. "Kyo..."

His hands cuffed the sides of her face and he pressed his forehead to hers, "I love you, I love you Tohru."

The two kissed gently in the darkness of the night. Caresses and comforting continued in humble and kind silence until the hours grew on. When she slept, her face buried in his warm chest, his hand beneath her small frame, their chests apart, but his lips pressed gently to her forehead. Their hands together, despite small hours, peace.

The next day at noon there was a knock at the door. Shigure answered and found Kureno standing, Rin in the background with her arms crossed. He let the two enter, but not before glaring at each of them. Tohru was sitting on the couch, her hand with Kyo's, the two had been eating a late breakfast together. She stood slowly, and watched Kureno's eyes' expression change. She couldn't describe it, it was such a foreign look, something painful.

"We'll have you back late, but back tonight," Kureno told her quietly. He turned back to Shigure, Kureno wasn't surprised to see the hate burning through his cousin's eyes. "I will have her back here, and she will not be harmed."

Rin still stood in the back, hatred in her eyes. There were bruises on her arms, but she wouldn't budge an inch. Her eyes were stone cold, face like ice. Her hair was dark black and reached down past her bottom. She was in a school-girl uniform with long black leggings on underneath.

Tohru bowed slowly, "Kureno-sama, Isuzu-sama." Tohru took one last look at Kyo, giving him a wink for reassurance. After last night, she felt a little better. She had told everyone how she felt, it was all that was needed. Tohru gave her father one last smile, "I'll be okay."

It took fifteen minutes by foot to get into the city. Kureno walked up front with Tohru at his side, Rin taking up the back. They were very quiet, and Tohru didn't know what to do. She kept her hands folded in front of her skirt and kept her head down.

"...Tohru?"

She looked up, surprised to see Kureno staring at her with such a sad face, "Yes, Kureno-sama?"

"I just..." Kureno rubbed the back of his head and stopped walking. "I'm sorry Tohru. I am truly sorry." He heard Rin growl in the background as he bowed to her. "I didn't...look, all that's happened the past few days. I never had that intention. Well I did, being the lap-dog of Akito, but not me, not the real me."

Tohru smiled gently, "It's okay. Everyone seems to say that, you Sohmas are, after all, cursed people." That answer seemed so fake, to Kureno. She seemed happy like her old self, yet cold and hateful.

The three came to a café where they sat. Rin drank oolong tea and remained silent still. This Tohru, she didn't impress Rin at all. Although her resume filled with treachery and bravery was impressive, the girl in front of her was a ditz. She was bashful, a horrible actress, everything about her annoyed Rin.

"Why am I here?" Tohru asked quietly, staring at ice in her tea.

"It was ordered of us," Rin snapped, putting her cup down on the table. "We have no choice in what Akito orders of us. We are puppets on strings. We cannot live our own damn lives–"

"That's enough Rin," Kureno countered slowly, playing with the straw in his drink.

Rin huffed and sat back, watching the cars in the streets. "It would be so easy, to jump into the street and let it all end, to escape this hell. But it would be so, boring , to die and then have nothing to do after."

"Suicide is for cowards," Tohru blurted out, she was startled by her own ferocity in those words. But that same ferocity had caught Rin's attention, her eyes now on the girl, waiting. "If we all gave up and died then the bad guys would win, and we'd have nothing to prove we ever existed. When you die, you'll leave heartache!"

"So, you aren't as dumb as they say you are," Rin smirked, turning her back out to the street, crossing one leg over the other. "We are supposed to tell you the next time you screw up Hatori is going to erase your memories."

"More importantly, we're here to tell you that you must break up with Master Kyo," Kureno added, frustrated with Rin's non-chalant hate.

"No. I won't do that," Tohru told Kureno quietly, clenching her glass, bandages growing moist from the cup's perspiration. "I will not give up one of the few things I have ever asked for. I know that is selfish, but I love him, and would not break his heart like that."

Rin laughed, "Good. You passed my test."

Kureno nodded slowly and they left the café, leaving Tohru completely confused. Kureno was protective of her, somehow, this girl had changed him. He was looking over his shoulder constantly. Rin opened up a door to a building and they rode up an elevator. Opening up a door, Tohru found herself in an apartment.

"Sit," Rin told her coldly, looking up at a bookshelf for something.

Tohru sat on a black leather couch, which was cool from the central air. Kureno sat down beside her, and discreetly squeezed her hand so Rin could not see. Tohru didn't know what to make of Kureno, but she decided not to push the matter.

Rin put a book on the coffee table in front of the couch, sitting on the other side, and flipped through it. The book was old, very old, the pages had a yellow hue to them from their age. The pages were crisp too. "Here, this page."

"What is it?" Tohru asked innocently, seeing a sort of text she wasn't used to.

"This book was found in a warehouse in America, but it's written in a dead Roman text. I believe that you might recognize it," Rin told her slowly, like explaining herself to a child.

"Fontina Blu Cent De cravi esca letisimo Lalala… De quantian La finde reve" Tohru mumbled out, stumbling over the words. "Your wishes can bring destruction...or your wishes can bring salvation."

"Your wishes can bring destruction, or salvation," Rin repeated, pointing a finger at her. "This is the song you sing, from what Haru told me."

Tohru tilted her head slightly, "I didn't even know you and Haru spoke anymore." She blushed lightly, realizing she had blurted that out without thinking, "I'm so—"

"Sohmas keep connections with each other, lose ones, but we might need each other," Kureno interrupted. "The only one we hardly speak to is Kyo. He's forbidden."

Tohru frowned, feeling bad for her Kyo. Still, why would Rin have a book like this one, with her song in it of all things. The song her mother sang. It didn't make any sense. Her fingers caressed the old page and saw the rest of her song was missing. "Where is the rest of the song?"

"According to the one who donated the book there are a few pages in the back that were lost," Kureno explained, turning the page. The next page had one large picture of a storm, and a pair of eyes belonging to a dragon. "Tell me Tohru, what separates Kyo from the rest of the Sohmas?"

"Well, Kyo isn't part of the original twelve zodiac members. The cat I mean, it's excluded, because the cat missed the banquet in the original story," Tohru fiddled with her bandages. She hated talking about Kyo's extra curse, that feeling of rejection.

"Have you forgotten?" Rin asked with cruel humor. "Your kitty has something else."

Tohru looked at Rin, squinting slightly, trying to figure out what she was implying. "Are you talking about the fact that he has two forms?"

"Bingo, the girl has a brain." Rin twirled a finger like she should be rejoicing. Boy, Tohru was slow. Rin sat down on the floor and hugged one knee losely. "Now, what is Hatori's curse?"

"Well, Hatori transforms into a seahorse, the dragon of the sea," Tohru answered slowly. Kureno had gotten up to make some tea for Tohru, he hated this conversation.

To be honest, this had all be Akito's plan. But when Rin realized she had the opportunity to meet the famous 'Tohru Honda-Sohma' she surprisingly jumped all over it. Rin was probably the strongest Sohma out of all of them. Rin's tolerance for Akito was the smallest, and she had a special grudge. She hated the fact that Akito had used Haru as blackmail multiple times, thus destroying a perfectly good relationship. To make it worst, Akito had pushed her out a window. Sworn on revenge, Rin went into a sort of hiding, trying to find a way to break the curse.

"Hatori is a dragon," Rin stated bluntly, ruffling her hair with a hand. "But he transforms into the dragon of the sea. Japan is famous for their dragons, especially the god of Seiryuu. This god is supposedly the ruler of the east, and is a symbol of war." Rin leaned forward, a wild smirk on her face. "I believe because of Hatori's kind nature, the Seiryuu god inside of him has been constrained, leaving him as a peaceful sea dragon.

"Are you implying that you want to free that dragon?" Tohru asked politely, fidgeting in her seat. She couldn't imagine Hatori as a cold war-driven dragon.

Kureno nodded, "Our theory is that Hatori's real dragon can come in handy in our plan."

"What plan?" she blurted out.

Rin smirked, "Our plan to break this curse." Rin stood up and walked over to the shelf and pulled down another book. Kureno was already pushing aside the first book to make room for the second. Neither of them paid attention to Tohru's shocked expression. Tohru always knew that the others wanted this curse to be broken, but she never knew they were actually working on it.

"This book," Kureno began as Rin set it down on the table. "This book was found in a shrine up in the northern half of Japan." Kureno was trying to take this as slow as possible with Tohru, so she wouldn't overwhelm herself and run her mouth with banter. "In this book, they talk about the zodiac curse, but there's one thing different. That one thing is the fact that their 'god', dies."

"Akito..." Tohru mumbled slowly. Akito was not happy with Tohru, because the band had returned. However, she had just called the band to tell them she could no longer be a part. She needed to talk to them though. Poor Kira, he gets beaten up just to have Tohru quit their band, they came back for her and everything. 'Tohru?' "Huh? Oh I'm sorry, I just, I'm thinking about Akito."

"Yeah, you aren't on good terms with him," Rin waved a finger of disapproval. "If you get your memories erased all of our planning will be down the tube."

"Rin, I don't think that's helping Tohru," Kureno argued slowly, looking over at the small onigiri. Her hands were playing with the hem of her skirt and she was lost in thought again. "Tohru you are a crucial part in breaking the curse."

"Are you sure? I mean...there's nothing really special about me, I doubt I could be that much help. But I'll help in any way I can," Tohru smiled, feeling her normal genki nature return to her. "Akito isn't happy that I stayed with the Sohmas, he thought I'd leave with my band Clarity. But Clarity came back, so he was furious. He also found out I'm with Kyo, so I'm basically in a lot of trouble."

"You're the only person outside of the Sohmas who knows of this curse, so we think you're the only one who can break the curse." Rin flipped through the pages and once again the picture of the dragon had returned. "It's said only someone outside the curse has the ability to awaken the power of the dragon."

Tohru sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "I don't want to be responsible for death, no, not after my mother died. I couldn't kill Akito, I couldn't kill anyone even if I wanted to." Tohru touched her locket and thought of the picture of her mother, and that smile.

Kureno ran his hand over his face and sighed, "Tohru, Akito is going to come after you. We're supposed to tell you this. He's furious, we know. In the next few days your life is going to be in great danger, so this is our one attempt to save you." Kureno watched her eyes widen with shock and he sighed again. "He'll kill you Tohru, the man is cold and doesn't care."

"That bastard wants all of us to suffer!" Rin growled, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "This is why we need Hatori's dragon. Hatori's dragon and Kyo's curse are the two strongest creatures in the zodiac."

"There's someone else...who might know about the curse," Tohru whispered, watching them each stop their trains of thought. "It wasn't like I told her. My friend, Hana, she has her own set of telekinetic powers and stuff. She can sense the waves, that each person can portray. She constantly tells me that the Sohmas have strange waves, and often calls Kyo and Yuki the cat and the rat." Tohru glanced at Rin, "The day Kureno assaulted me, she was there, and I had to transform Kureno into a rooster or he would've killed Haru. She didn't see anything, but I think she has a sense that something weird is going on."

"Do you have like an army of followers or something?" Rin asked in frustration, hitting her hand to her forehead. "All the Sohmas follow after you, you have your band, and your friends. Gees lets just put a hat on your head and call you Napoleon or something."

"I don't want anyone else involved in this," Tohru countered with a new found bravery and determination in her voice. "I don't want the people I love to get hurt. Every time I do anything remotely dangerous someone always thinks they have to come and save me. Then they get hurt. I don't want that."

The day went on with Rin and Kureno explaining tidbits of information. Most of the information dealt with how they came to acquire the books. Rin had apparently been searching for a cure since she was young, Kureno was freed from the curse years ago. He was never sure how, so he couldn't help the others. Tohru was afraid of what was going to happen not to her, but to her band. She knew that somehow, this perfect plan they seemed to have, was going to fail. There was a tugging pain in her chest that said something bad was coming.

Kira...Li...Sora...Yue...Uo...Hana...why do I fear for you? Why does my heart beat like I'm terrified? Kyo...Shigure...Yuki...Haru...Momiji...Hiro...Kisa...Ayame...Rin...Kureno...why am I so afraid for all of you? Why do I feel this rumbling, why can't I stop this adrenaline?

Tohru looked up from staring at her hands, seeing Kureno and Rin were discussing something that was rather hush-hush. She stared at the two of them, each stopping to stare at her as well. "Someone's going to die..." Tohru told them, her voice filled with fear, but serious tone.

"Of course, Akito is," Rin countered bluntly, crossing her arms. She looked over at Kureno, he raising an eyebrow at her, "What? He is!"

Kureno rolled his eyes and turned to her, "What makes you say that, Tohru?"

Tohru brought a hand to her chest and closed her eyes. "My heart's beating very fast, and I can't help but feel that something bad is awaiting all of us. I've been having dreams lately, where I am with Akito. Sometimes I'm tied up, others I'm falling from a roof. When I fall from this roof of a building, someone is above holding out their hand for me. I fall and a dragon, who I think is Seiryuu now that you told me about the dragon, saves me. But still, Kyo is always hunched over a body, crying." She opened her eyes and stared at the locket that was in her hand, "I know too many people, anyone could be used to destroy me. I don't want a victim..."

Tohru stood up suddenly, pulling out a key in her pocket. "I've got to go."

"Where are you going?" Rin shouted, jumping to her feet. "You're to stay with us for the day, remember? Akito's orders! What do you think will happen to US if we let you leave like this?" Rin blocked the door as Tohru slipped on her shoes.

"Then come with me!" Tohru countered, gripping her hands. "I need to see my band. I left them saying I'd quit, but to keep them safe I need to seal the deal, by returning this key. They need to leave here so they'll be safe." She turned her head to meet Rin's eyes, "Please Rin-chan."

Rin hesitated, looking to Kureno, who was already picking up his coat and his keys. "Rin, if she thinks this will protect them we should respect this. Tohru is, after all, the only one who can save us." He put on his jacket and pushed Tohru towards the door, "We're doing this as a favor, don't expect this treatment again. We need you."

It took half an hour to get across town to their underground apartment. Tohru was slightly nervous, she had not seen these boys in over a month, but had managed to cry and tell them she quit. Kureno was sitting on the hood of his car, Rin in the passenger seat with the door open. Tohru knocked on the door slowly, taking a deep breath, watching the door handle turn.

"Yea, what is it?" Yue asked, yawning. He rubbed his eyes and looked down, he being at least six feet tall. His long blond, nearly white hair, draped past his shoulders. In ways, Ayame and Yue looked the same, at least with the hair. Yue was definitely more masculine. "Eh? Tohru?"

"Before you get mad," Tohru started in a rush, "I wanted to say I'm sorry!" Tohru bowed fully and looked back up, tears brimming her eyes. "I'm not doing this because I want to! But if you stay with me you'll be in danger."

Before she could do anything, she was pulled into a huge hug, making both Rin and Kureno envious. Tohru felt his strong arms around her back and his breathing shaky, "We were so worried about you the day you spoke with Kira. He said you were in hysterics. There was a young boy crying too."

Tohru started to cry, "That was Momiji, my cousin-in-law. He's like my younger brother. Oh Yue, I'm so sorry to do this to you boys, you were all so kind to me. When this is over, I will come back to the band. I'll come back and sing with all my heart, but for right now, I can't."

"Tohru...are you in some sort of trouble, with those Sohma boys?" Yue asked gently, wiping away the tears in her eyes.

Tohru shook her head, "It's not like my father or Kyo and the others are treating me bad. There is just, another man, within the family, the head of the house. All I can say is that, he doesn't like me, and I'm afraid he might use the people I love to use me." Tohru opened his hand and placed the key inside. "This makes it official, I am no longer lead singer of Clarity. Tohru Honda-Sohma, officially resigns."

His lips pecked her forehead and he sighed, "You know where we put the spare, Tohru. Darling, I understand. I am the oldest, of course I do. I'll try and explain this to Kira. The poor guy hasn't been the same since the day we left on the 'tour' without you." Yue stroked her head and smiled, "Kira has loved you for a very long time Tohru, and it took a great deal for him to understand that you fell in love with a Sohma lad."

"Gomen..." she whispered quietly, letting tears slide down her face. "I never knew that my own personal wishes, would cause everyone pain. Being a Sohma, it has brought so much pain."

"Tohru," he picked up her chin and smiled. "I'd rather you be happy and face hardship, then be alone like you were. I'm sure even Kyoko would want that. She'd want you to be grateful for when the skies are blue and everything is pure, and take the tempest with valor. Just keep being Tohru; behind screams, tears, fury, and joy, you are still Tohru."

She nodded her head slowly and hugged Yue again, "Yue, thank-you. I will be back." Tohru bowed slightly and ran back up the stairs to where Rin and Kureno were waiting.

Kureno held a hand to her, frowning, sincerity in his eyes. "Once you take this step, there will be no turning back, Tohru. Everything you knew in your life, that blanket of security, will be at risk."

Tohru took his hand and squeezed it gently, "That is the only life you Sohmas have ever known. I want to show you how to live."