Replaced by a Note

By Lightkit (Yay me!)

Hey y'all! XD Sorry I haven't updated, but I've been very busy. I'm out of school now, so I should be able to write and update a little more frequently…hopefully.

Thank you to everyone for your reviews from the last chapter! The correct answer to the riddle was Fort San Felipe del Morro! Or just el Morro for short. StyloLove was the only person to get it right, but MACHOxMAN and Lilac Rose6 tried. So I'm going to be nice. The three of you who tried each get a 10ft long chocolate bar. Enjoy! XP

massie: Fruits Basket isn't on anymore, but if you go on funimation's website, they'll say when other shows are on.

brigee-chan: You'll find out later! XP Just keep reading.

YouGotsToLoveMe- You're welcome. And thanks for the support.

Disclaimer: Don't own it. Maybe random guy, but otherwise not.

14. Ch. 12- El Morro

A quick online search on the hotel's computer proved to be all Yuki needed to find their next destination.

"Fort San Felipe del Morro," he said. "Completed in 1589, built to defend the small port of San Juan; this matches the information given in the riddle." He looked back over his shoulder. "So we'll go there and search for the next note. We're leaving now." Before anyone had a chance to protest, Yuki had closed the internet window and walked out the front door to the car.

The rest of the boys looked at each other and didn't say anything. Kyo rolled his eyes and said, standing up from where he was sitting on the couch, "Let's go guys. He'll leave us behind otherwise." Momiji and Haru jumped up and followed Kyo out to the car, worried not only about Yuki's strange, somber behavior, but about how they'll find a piece of paper in a for that big.

An hour of driving later, the four Sohma boys stood at the entrance to the 16th century fort, staring at the six levels of defense. Yuki shook his head and sighed, "Cone on then." He walked forward, continuing, "We should split up. Momiji and I will take the bottom three floors." He spun on his heel, walking backwards to look at the other boys who were following closely. "Kyo, you and Haru will take the upper three. Got it?"

Momiji nodded and ran ahead, already excited and bouncing. Haru ambled ahead at his own pace. Kyo gave Yuki a concerned look, and jogged after Haru. Yuki sighed again, and pulled out the picture of Tohru that they had received last time. His sad eyes hardened as he looked at the picture, as did his resolve to find Tohru. He put the picture back into his pocket, and strode through the level to the stairs. He was gonna find that note.

- An hour and a half later -

"Man this is hopeless!" Kyo exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "We looked everywhere! Under all the tables!"

"Kyo," Haru said quietly.

"In the brochure racks! In the d**n gift shop!"

"Kyo," Haru said again, louder. He stood inside one of the watchtowers that dotted the edge of the main battery, looking up toward the sloping roof.

"We even looked inside that stupid cannon on display for Akito's sake!"

"KYO!"

"What?"

"I found it." Haru reached up and pulled a small colored envelope from where it was duct taped to where the roof met the side of the tower.

Kyo ran over, screeching, "What? Lemme see that!" He grabbed the envelope straight out of Haru's hands. He flipped it over in his hand, and read 'Tohru Honda' printed in delicate handwriting on the outside. "Oh yeah, this is it," he murmured. Turning to Haru he said, "Call Yuki. We've got another riddle to decrypt."

Yuki and Momiji walked around the bottom floors for hours. They ended up on the water battery looking out at the harbor entrance. "Well," Yuki sighed, sitting down, "we didn't find it. I hope that Kyo and Haru had better luck than we did."

Momiji nodded and sat down, hanging his legs over the edge, dangling them above the sea sprayed rocks. "They probably did. If we didn't find it on our levels, they must have found it on theirs."

Quiet settled over them, and both young men simply stared out over the crashing waves, absorbed in his own thoughts. Both jumped when Yuki's phone rang, and Yuki had to pull Momiji away from the edge where he was about to fall off before he answered. "Hello?" Yuki held it to his ear. "Yes. Yes. Okay, we're on our way." Yuki snapped the phone closed, and turned to Momiji, who waited with wide eyes. "They've got it," he said, nodding. "Let's go."

- Later –

They sat at a round table, the envelope sitting innocently in the center. Momiji watched it somberly, fear glowing in his childlike eyes. Haru looked straight out bored, staring blankly. Yuki watched it with a guarded expression, whilst Kyo's orange eyes smoldered with suppressed anger.

Five minutes passed in this manner.

"So," Haru said, breaking the silence. "Shall I open it?" Yuki nodded, not saying anything. Haru reached over and grabbed the envelope ripping it open in one smooth movement. He tipped it over, and its contents spilled out onto the table. A small piece of folded paper sat half open, and the gold locket they had given her for her birthday a few months ago lay splayed across the glass table. Both of the windows were broken, and it barely hung on its hinge, and in fact broke in two as Yuki picked it up to examine it further. What they saw with horror in their eyes though, was that the locket was smudged with a substance that, upon examination, could only be blood.

They sighed in relief; at least it wasn't covered in blood. It wasn't all too bad this time. Yuki delicately lifted the broken locket and placed it in a Ziploc bag that they brought for whatever they got of Tohru's back. So far, it held the locket, the shoe, the lock of hair, and the picture.

Kyo grabbed the note while Yuki put the bag away. He unfolded it and read it aloud:

Where jets and planes once took to the skies,

is where the next riddle hidden lies.

I hope you're ready, you realize,

one of you will learn to fly.

So there you have it. Hopefully they won't fill the bag up, right? XP

What will happen next? Where are they going? Just wait 'til next time to find out. Or do your research. XP Tell me the right answer and you get…a virtual model of el Morro! It's actually a really cool place to go actually.
Anyway, review! You know you want to…. XD

Luv,

Lightkit