Chapter Ten: Results
Waiting again.
The thirteen waited nervously in the library room the next day, all afraid of what the afternoon had in store for them. December 20th. They had lived at the Main House for a little over a week, but it felt like an eternity. At that moment, there was only one thing on everyone's mind: going home. The events that had occurred at the Main House were ones that were not wished to be relived.
Seeing Rini and Kohatio enter the room, Hiro sat down at his table next to Kyo. Under Hatori's instruction, he had been examining the bookcase quite thoroughly…
"Order!" Kohatio boomed as if it were a court room, wearing a coat that was far too large for him despite the fact that the heater was on. In his hand was the infamous manila envelope. A silence ensued. "Here's how today is going to work."
There were seven tables positioned in a circle around the room. Each person and their partner sat at a table, with the exception of one. Tohru sat alone.
Kohatio and Rini stood in the center of the room, under the elaborate chandelier that hung from the ceiling.
"One at a time, each pair will share their answer. Whoever is right wins, obviously. The answer lies in this envelope, and perhaps in one of you!
"And so, let us start with our dear friends, Hatori and Ayame."
Hatori looked around before standing up and clearing his throat. "After careful consideration and analyzing, we have chosen Sam Kohatio as the murderer of Akito Sohma."
Kohatio's devilish grin slid into a grimace as Rini wrote his name down on her green clipboard.
Shigure and Momiji were next. Momiji chose to stand. "Kureno," he said in a choked whisper. There was an explanation behind the reasoning, but Momiji couldn't bring himself to say it.
"It's that damn rat!" Kyo declared without standing up. Both Yuki and Hiro rolled their eyes.
Forgetting their real answer of Kureno, Kagura screamed "Yeah!" and Yuki received another vote.
"This is ridiculous," Yuki whispered to Rin. "Just because somebody gets more votes then somebody else doesn't make them the murderer."
"Oh shut up with your whining," Rin snapped. Yuki searched her face for a smirk, a smile, anything, but her face was blank, and she was staring straight forward.
She had slept on the floor the night before.
"Are you… mad at me?" he dared to ask.
Rin turned to roll her eyes at him. "No, dumbass, I don't mind being embarrassed in front of Har—I mean, the whole family because now he—they think we're dating or something!"
Yuki stared back as Tohru quietly announced she thought the murderer was Kureno. "You… like… Haru…" he confirmed, his voice dropping significantly on the last word.
"…yes," Rin admitted, too embarrassed to admit that she had just been toying with him. "I don't like you. I don't know what I've been doing, trying to flirt with you and stuff, but I don't like you that way and I doubt I ever will."
Both looked away, Rin mad at whatever had come out of her mouth. It was possible that there wasn't a word of truth in anything she had said.
But Yuki didn't know that.
He stared at the table, mad that he had ever considered asking her to be his girlfriend as none other than Hatsuharu rose to give his table's answer.
"It's me," Hatsuharu said. "Since none of us have any clue who it is, I'm going to say that it was me, Hatsuharu Sohma."
"What?"
"Yes. Me," Haru answered Kohatio's quizzical look. "So anyway, we vote for Haru, because neither of us gives a crap about Akito. He could be listening to my every word and I wouldn't give a shit."
"Oh Haru… he is…" Rin whispered, and Yuki turned his head to look at her.
"What?" he hissed.
"The bastard's not dead."
It was possibly the first true thing she had told him in a while.
While Yuki was still confused, Rin took a note pad and pen out of her purse.
A K I T O S O H M A
S A M K O H A T I O,
she wrote, connecting each same letter.
"When… when did you figure this out?" Yuki whispered.
"A while ago. I mean, come on, the guy couldn't have been more obvious with the name."
Kohatio cleared his throat and both Yuki and Rin looked up. "We're waiting," he told them, before noticing what was on the paper.
"AKITO!" Yuki yelled.
Click!
"You're all wrong, idiots," Kohatio pulled out the shot gun that had been hiding in his large coat and pulled a second out for Rini.
"Now wait just a minute…" Hatori started before Rini held the gun to his forehead.
"Spreading rumors, are we? Come with me, Isuzu," Kohatio commanded, pointing his gun against her forehead.
"Yuki… maybe… I… lied," Rin hissed through her teeth. "I… don't… hate… you…"
"I know," Yuki understood what she meant.
"Rini Sohma… did you murder Akito?"
Rini smirked at Hatori's question and simultaneously, she and Kohatio pointed their guns at the occupants of the room. The girls screamed as Rini shot down the chandelier and it fell in the middle of the Sohma Circle, sending shattered glass everywhere.
There's no way out! Yuki thought desperately as the rubble was blocking the doorway. We're all going to be killed!
Unless…
"Kyo! Haru!" he shouted across the chaotic room to his cousins. "Get to the window!"
After briefly shooting Rin an apologetic look, he met with his cousins in front of the paned glass. "We need to get everyone out," he winced at the sound of the bullets and screams. "Get the windows open. Get everyone out."
All three boys tried with no luck to unlock the large windows. Either it was impossible to open—which was unlikely because Shigure had just days prior to this incident—or the cold from outside mixed with the heat from inside had sealed it. Yuki desperately tried to warm the lock, praying for their lives, before screaming and punching through the glass with his bare fists.
Although his hands and arms were cut up to an extreme extent, he had done it. There was a hole large enough to climb through.
But… what was that smell?
-+-
He would open the lid, throw it into the air vent, and run out of the house.
That was the plan.
For the last time, Kureno turned the air-tight case over and over in his hands.
Zyklon-B.
Solid gas.
As soon as it touched air, the crystal turned into a gas so deadly, the longest person to withstand it had only lasted five minutes.
That would show Akito. That would show that spoiled brat that he was worthy. Until he died, of course…
Kureno took a deep breath, opened the case, dumped it into the air vent, and bolted out of the house.
-+-
Yuki turned around again, coughing. He had heard somebody scream. A girl.
Kyo and Haru had also broken the windows open, and one by one, everyone in the room but two jumped out.
As soon as Rin's feet hit the newly fallen snow, she ran.
She ran so fast and hard that to try and catch her would be foolish and stupid.
She ran like a horse. She ran in fear, afraid of what she had just done.
Haru was desperately trying to help Momiji while he watched her, along with Hiro carrying Kisa running behind them. Yes, the candle Hatori had told Hiro to place on the bookshelf had finally caught. Smoke poured out of the Main House.
"Kyo! Help Tohru!" Hatori shouted to the mop of gasping orange hair in front of him as he ran alongside the two other Mabudachi. Tohru was last out of the house, even further behind than Ritsu and Kagura. Kyo looked over his should at Tohru. She was wobbling back and forth as she tried to run in a straight line. Just watching her made Kyo dizzy…
She fell over.
"Tohru!" Kyo exclaimed, doubling back and just barely catching her before she hit the ground. He had known by the smell that the room had somehow been filled with poison gas. He just hoped Tohru hadn't inhaled too much…
"Kyo?" her eyes fluttered open and Kyo sighed in relief.
Her face was so close to his…
"Hi, Tohru," he said stupidly, blushing.
"Thank you, Kyo," Tohru whispered, and gave him a weak kiss on the cheek.
Kyo's face burned, but as she fell back asleep, he picked her up and darted after everyone else to Shigure's house.
-+-
"Rin… are you--?"
"I'm sorry, Haru!"
Rin and Hatsuharu were the first ones to arrive at Shigure's house. Rin was on the other side of the porch, opposite Haru, her tears nearly freezing to her face. "I'm sorry I've been trying to ignore you, I'm sorry about all the shit with Yuki… I'm sorry, okay? Please, Haru, don't hate me!"
Haru stepped forward and drew her into a hug she wanted more than anything. "When did you get so soft?" he muttered. Rin never cried… at least… not the Rin he knew. He stepped back and looked at Rin as if she were a total stranger, his hands on her shoulders.
Technically, she was.
She's changed so much… Haru thought.
Why didn't I realize it before?
"I'm sorry too, Rin. I guess I was just so mad that I kind of got carried away. I mean… Yuki?"
"I don't like him. I just… and Akito…"
"Akito's gone, Rin," Haru whispered, nuzzling her cheek with his nose, warming her chilled face with his breath. "You don't have to try to protect me."
"He wasn't before…" she mumbled as their cold lips locked and Haru's arms were the only thing keeping her standing. Everytime she saw his she had yearned for that kiss… and now she was completely speechless. He was right. She didn't have to feel guilty about this kiss. Akito was dead because of her. Her eyes were shutting, Haru was kissing her even more deeply, and everything seemed the nearest to perfect that it had in a while… until Yuki came.
"Haru? What's going on?"
Yuki caught up, followed by Momiji and the Mabudachi Trio. Seeing Haru kiss her life that… he felt so awed and miserable at the same time.
"I'm sorry, Yuki," Rin sighed, and pulled herself away from Haru to give Yuki a quick hug. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
"Rin, stop. You sound like Ritchan!" Ayame giggled, and he and Shigure held a good, hearty laugh. It felt nice to be able to laugh after everything that had happened at the Main House.
"I'M SORRY!"
Ritsu had caught up, followed by Kagura, Hiro, Kisa, and eventually Kyo and Tohru.
"So… we're safe," Kyo declared, panting hard.
"For now…" Yuki thought he heard Hatori whisper, but he couldn't be sure over Rin's sobs.
"Did you… say something, Ayame? Ritsu?" Kagura asked, looking around.
"I thought Hatori said it," Momiji said.
"But I thought it was Shigure…" Ayame put in.
The click of a gun being loaded could be heard behind a nearby tree.