Yuki shook his head again realizing the previous events. He moved over silently and crouched beside Tohru brushing her dark strands away from her face muttering to her ear, "It's ok…"

Tears continued to stream down her pale face. Kyo joined them telling her, "C'mon, relax… Stop crying."

Akito stopped laughing.

"What do you two THINK you're doing! WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO MOVE? Get away from her!" barked Akito.

"No," They both replied simply.

"What did you say?" demanded Akito.

"No," they both repeated with more confidence.

Akito looked bewildered. She gritted her teeth angrily hissing, "How dare you defy me."

The boys stared defiantly at her each clutching one of Tohru's cold trembling hands.

"Don't you think it's about time you started treating us better?"

"I'm sick of you controlling me, maybe that's fault for letting your words rule my life, but not anymore, I've decided that I will no longer live in fear. Because as long as she's here, I can go on believing that life isn't just filled with darkness, she is my ray of light that broke through all your sinister words. So don't try to harm her or anyone else for that matter because we can stop you know, since we found someone who we can rely on more then you," Yuki told Akito calmly.

"We're all sick of it. Even I can say it. I don't care anymore that you won't allow me into your precious zodiac… I don't care if you don't accept me because she accepted me. No matter how many times you try and tell me that I'm a worthless monster I won't believe you because there are people who will support me so I don't need your love or acceptance," Kyo added.

The two boys stayed put, not moving an inch. They comforted the coughing Tohru. Her face turned red, she wanted to say something but couldn't. Fear shown in her eyes. Kyo and Yuki gave her hands a light squeeze.

"That's right, we're sick of your abuse to us and the ones we love. Why won't you just let us be free? Do you Fing think isolating us from the rest of the world is gonna make us love you?" asked Haru as he entered the house almost turning black.

The rest of the Juunishi seemed to be entering the house now. They all stood there with solemn faces, all but one was there. The seahorse was missing from the scene.

"Akito… Please… Don't hurt us anymore…. We don't want to feel so sad and hurt…." Kisa whispered half hiding behind Hiro.

"Yeah, all this is too much for one person to bear, all this pain and tragedy is way too much… So instead of focusing on your suffering, why don't you think about our feelings for once? Don't be so conceited," Hiro muttered with an angry glare, standing protectively in front of the tiger.

Kisa hung onto Hiro's arm tightly. Her eyes widened as she saw Tohru crying over by Yuki and Kyo.

"Onee-chan..." The little girl murmured.

She was about to rush over to Tohru but Hiro grabbed her arm. Kisa stood there for a minute before realizing that Hiro thought it would be safer for her to stay beside him. The small girl nodded at him, signaling that she understood.

"You want to be loved so badly but you can't love anyone else, can you? Or at least you don't show it. Which makes you, no better then a bag of s---!" Rin snapped.

Haru stood behind Rin wrapping his arms around her waist.

"It's ok baby, no reason to waste our voices with Akito," Haru murmured to her ear loud enough so Akito could hear.

Akito stood there disoriented staring at the people who were supposed to love her. All of them looked back at her with hurt and pain in their eyes, and in some cases anger shown vividly.

"You should cherish the ones you love… Because keeping us like this… Doesn't make us love you… But if you were to treat us with respect then there would be no reason for us not to love you. And the first step is easy; don't cause the one's you love pain… And only say you love us if you truly mean it," Momiji advised with a half smile.

"Yes Akito, we want to love you… But all of this isn't making loving you easy…" Kagura frowned slightly.

For once everyone was serious as ever. Even Momiji, Kagura and Ayame. There was no doubt that all of the juunishi wanted this problem to be fixed.

"It's true… Being loved is truly a blessing and something that one must earn. I admit, it's never easy to get another to love you but even harder is to keep them loving

you. It takes constant effort and work," Ayame said slowly like he was talking to a child.

"Free us, free all of us… Please…" Kureno quietly begged.

"Sometimes it's a relief to apologize and have someone forgive you, but a better feeling is happiness for not having to apologize for something you regret…"

Ritsu took a deep breath, he had gathered up all his courage to be brave and confident enough to say those words. It took everything in him not to apologize at that moment.

"Akito, you should start acting more like yourself and stop getting so involved with the curse, because under all of this "god" I know there is another person we have yet to meet. Please let us meet you Akito," Shigure said with a smile.

Akito looked at them bewildered. Their words not yet fully sinking in. She backed away from them like a frightened child with nowhere to go. Everyone was silent, not meeting each others gazes. The front door swung open loudly as a dark haired man barged into the house.

"Akito! Where have you been? Why did you run off when I parked the car! I was looking for you all over!" Hatori gasped in between breathes as he entered the room tiredly.

Nobody said anything. Hatori eyed the people in the room noting the silent eerie atmosphere.

"What happened….?" Hatori asked them all.

Mizuki finally broke the silence with a quiet greeting and slight bow. Sano and Nakatsu stood there watching the Sohmas, fascinated yet surprised.

"Family issues…." Nakatsu muttered to Hatori softly as if not to disturb the quiet.

"Seems like mental issues…" Sano mumbled under his breath.

"Sano!" Mizuki hissed at Sano elbowing him in the stomach.

Sano grunted but remained silent, knowing now wasn't the time to fight or argue

"Akito-san? To care for someone is to care for yourself… And you need to respect and love yourself a little more… I can tell that you're troubled by yourself… Maybe even disgusted… But you know what? I bet you're totally awesome deep down!" Mizuki exclaimed.

Akito looked at her with a strange look.

"What do YOU know? YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING! I was born TO be loved! And I'm not!" shrieked Akito with wide eyes.

"Nobody gets it any easier… No one is ever born loved… You have to earn that love," Sano replied stepping forward.

Akito dropped to her knees her hands clutching her head. Nothing made sense to her anymore. Hatori kneeled down beside the panicking woman.

"Even though I wasn't here to hear the whole thing, they're correct. You have a heart for a reason. Use it. Give it to someone you love," Hatori whispered to her.

"But… What if this person doesn't accept it?" Akito whined like a child, tears brimming in her eyes.

Hatori was silent.

"That's easy. You try harder and convince the person to love you back. Nobody guaranteed that they would accept it, but that's a risk you have to be willing to take," Nakatsu put in with a wide grin.

Akito bit her lip nervously, trying her best to think it through carefully.

"Akito-sama… Love isn't easy to find…" Tohru started out weakly.

Akito glared at the brunette.

"What do you know! Everybody LOVES YOU!" Akito screamed blinded by jealously.

She pulled out the knife she had hidden in the sleeve of her kimono and ran at Tohru.Everybody's eyes widened. Kyo and Yuki grabbed both of Akito's arms not letting her get any closer to Tohru. Tohru sat there in disbelief staring at the furious Akito.

"LET ME GO!" yelled Akito struggling, trying to get free.

Kyo and Yuki held on, not budging at all. They kept their hold even throughout her outrageous kicks to their shins and sides. Kyo and Yuki glared at each other. Their own way of telling one another to keep their hold.

"Let her go," Tohru stated simply.

"What!" cried Yuki and Kyo.

Neither of them released their grasp on Akito but simply looked at the frail brunette. She looked back at them with watery brown eyes.

"Everyone gets angry with one another, that's life… But it's also true that people forgive one another over time. Akito-sama, I never did anything to deliberately make people love me more then you. Frankly I don't think they love me more then you. You are blinded with confusion right now… If you look carefully they do love you," Tohru told Akito with a weak smile.

There was a moment of silence before Tohru nodded at the two of them. They stood there off-struck by her words. Kyo and Yuki glanced at one another again, both of them deciding to trust Tohru. Akito slid to the floor as Kyo and Yuki released her. She jumped up and closed the distance between herself and Tohru. Yuki and Kyo had their arms out stretched trying to pull Akito back but they were too late. She smiled wickedly and swiftly finished off her plan, driving the knife into Tohru's stomach.

"Shut up you B----! What do you know!" snapped Akito as she pulled out the knife gruesomely.

Tohru gasped clutching her bleeding stomach. Kyo and Yuki stared, not believing what happened. Quickly Kyo yanked Akito up. Akito laughed wickedly holding the bloody knife in her hands. Yuki knelt down beside Tohru. Her eyes rolled back closing shut. He held in his arms calling her name over and over but none reached Tohru. She was slipping into the darkness, where nothing reached her.

TBC!

Haha… This is a cross-over but it seems more like a Furuba fanfic right now, eh? TRUST ME! The hana-kimi characters will be more involved in the next chap!