Chapter Six – The Confession

It was getting very late when Yuki and Tohru finally made it home. The sun had set, and the shadows around Shigure's house looked strange and twisted. Tohru shivered as the cold breeze whispered across her skin - she was very glad that Yuki was with her. The warm yellow light bathing the porch was a vivid contrast to the evening gloom.

Yuki had been very quiet on the way home, and Tohru guessed the afternoon's events were weighing on his mind. She herself had been bubbling with questions about Saotome-san's curse, but knowing Yuki wouldn't know the answers she hadn't voiced many of her questions.

Yuki had been wrestling with his conscience ever since leaving Ucchan's. His upbringing was warring with his experience. He had been told time and again, that should his secret get out he must alert a senior member of the Sohma family immediately. He had done so as a child, and that had resulted in memory erasure for his playmates.

However...when Honda-san had dramatically learnt of the curse, she had been allowed to retain her memory. He considered it likely that was only because the Sohma Family had a hold over her – she was staying with them, and easy to deal with if she became a problem or revealed the secret. Saotome-san and Akane-san had no connection to the family, and there was no reason or obligation for Yuki to protect them.

Yuki broke into a cold sweat as a sudden realisation hit - if he confessed, Honda-san could have her memory erased as her actions had revealed the secret to Akane-san! It was an accident, and Akane-san had been very understanding, and it was perhaps likely she would have found out from Saotome-san.

Nonetheless, two people had found out. The Sohma secret had been revealed.

But they had a secret, a curse, as well. Did that change things?

Yuki considered this development. He supposed the best he could hope for was a 'if you don't tell anyone, we won't tell anyone' deal.

The other thing Yuki was struggling with was a revelation that had turned his world upside down. There were other people in the world with a curse! He was still trying to come to grips with the concept. To find that he wasn't as alone as he'd been led to believe! He had grown up thinking there were only twelve people in the world like him, but from Saotome-san's remarks, that was far from true.

Saotome-san, Akane-san and even Ukyo-san has seen him as a rat, and had taken it in their stride (even though he had allowed Ukyo-san to think he was the victim of this Jusenkyo curse – it hadn't seemed worth the bother of trying to explain an entirely new curse to her). Ukyo had been more interested in engaging in verbal sparring with Akane (that had, for some reason, resulted in Ranma being hit over the head with a mallet) than inquiring after the boy that turned into another animal. Yuki shook his head. He never thought he's see the day when his curse was ignored in favour of an argument over cooking!

Consumed by his musings, he entered the house, slipping off his shoes, not really registering Honda-san singing out "We're home!"

Shigure slid the door of his study open and called "Ah, Tohru-kun! I was starting to worry about my precious flower being out so late! "

Regarding the pair with his head titled to the side he said in a puzzled tone "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, of course" Yuki said shortly. He was not in the mood for dealing with his cousin's silliness.

"But I thought you two went shopping?" the novelist asked.

It was rather unfortunate for Yuki that it was this point in time that Tohru realised that the groceries were at the dojo. She clapped her hand to her mouth and gasped "Ah! Yuki kun! I forgot to go back and get the groceries after the okanomiyaki!"

Yuki suddenly realised that he didn't have the faintest idea where the weekly shopping had ended up. Before he could come up with a reasonable explanation – or any explanation - Shigure was in full flight.

"Ah, Yuki-kun! You took Tohru-kun on a date, instead of shopping, didn't you! Shame on you! If you are going to make up a cover story, you should at least make up a believable one – or one that you won't be caught out in the minute you get home! And keeping Tohru-kun out so late – I may have to set a curfew on the pair of you, if I can't trust you!"

Yuki rolled his eyes. He was NEVER going to hear the end of this, ESPECIALLY as he lacked a good explanation or at least a believable lie.

"I am incredibly sorry, Shigure-san! I will go directly back to the dojo and fetch them!" Tohru offered, truly distressed at the oversight.

"You took Tohru-kun to a dojo on a date? My, my, Yuki, that wasn't very romantic... I may have to get Aya to talk to you about the finer points of seduction..."

After half an hour of Shigure's hyperbole, Yuki cracked. "For the twenty-third time, I did NOT take Honda-san on a date to a dojo! She went there with Akane-san after I collided with another person and turned into a rat!" Yuki bit out.

For several seconds there was blissful silence.

Then the silence became uncomfortable when Yuki suddenly realised what he'd said.

Glancing at Shigure, he saw his guardian had frozen and was staring at him with a mixture of shock and resignation.

"Go on." A suddenly serious Shigure urged when Yuki didn't continue. "Tell me what happened."

Yuki took a deep breath, and started to tell his cousin what had occurred.

After Shigure had been filled in about the dramatic events of the afternoon, he sat in grim silence for a full minute. Yuki waited for his cousin's verdict, outwardly calm, but under the cool exterior, his stomach was churning. Unable to sit still, Honda-san got to her feet and quietly left the room. A few seconds later, the kettle in the kitchen was switched on, and the unmistakable sounds of tea being prepared drifted to where the two Sohma men knelt facing each other across the low table.

Shigure got to his feet "I'm calling Hatori."

The bottom fell out of Yuki's stomach. He concentrated on keeping his face expressionless.

Shigure inwardly sighed. He hated to see Yuki withdraw from the world – Tohru-kun had been drawing him out of his shell and Shigure had been watching, secretly delighted, as Yuki changed. He was worried that this little episode may undo all of Tohru-kun's good work.

But in a grave situation like the one currently before him, the rules must be followed. Two strangers without any connection to the Sohma family had discovered the secret. Additionally, if Yuki's wild tale was to be believed – and Shigure was having trouble accepting this – there were other curses in the world.

That was the other reason for calling Hatori. He wanted his old friend to come and check up on his two young charges to confirm they were not delirious and hallucinating the whole thing...