AN:

OMG! this had totally took me sooooooooooooooooo long to update this. Ive been so totally ambushed with work/school and other commitments and I went off writing something else for a while. +bows in apology+ I am really, really, really, really, really, really REALLY...ok you get the idea...Im extremely sorry but thanks to all my reviewers. I hope you like this chappie...if you do. Ya know the drill and even if you dont, ya know the drill

Lv ya all

Sashenka
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Chapter 15 - Always II

Kyo walked forward and slid open the door to Hatori's rooms with a quietness that only made Tohru feel even less comfortable. As they stepped inside Tohru realised with a jolt that the room was a total mess. Hatori's chair was tipped over and the low table was broken in half as though someone had been thrown into it. It was clear some sort of struggle had previosuly happened in this room. The air seemed to still as the truth set into them both. Tohru looked at Kyo with a worried expression that he couldn't help but find cute. Shaking those thoughts out of his head he quietly crept through the rest of Hatori's rooms and found them in the same state. Moving back to Tohru he squeezed her shoulder reassuringly even though he knew, just as she knew. That Hatori was probably injured.

"Where do you think he is?" Tohru asked. Now she was really worried. Hatori was no one of the zodiac who generally insulted people enough for him to be attacked. What's happened? She asked herself. I knew something was wrong, oh mom...what should I do? why diddnt you warn me? Mom? Mom? Still her mother did not answer.

"I don't know we should go" Kyo said moving to pull her out of the room. Tohru was iun danger, he could feel it.

"What if he's injured? Kyo…"

Kyo stopped and looked back at Tohru. As she looked at him with those big innocent eyes he couldn't refuse her anything. Nodding he led her the other way and into the corridors of the main house.

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"You have been plotting against me Hatori…"

That voice, so cold. So utterly cold and heartless. Hatori could hear it and yet he could not see the owner of it. He had been placed into a room that was pitch black. His wounds were bleeding heavily and he felt vaguely nauseous and extremely dizzy.

"Haven't you!….I found your little scheme out But how did Kazuma and Shigure ever persuade you…"

"I don't know what you mean. Akito"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Akito yelled and struck the doctor around the face. Hatori's head snapped painfully sideways and his earlier injuries caused him to fall sideways. Wincing he pushed himself up into a sitting position again. "You were planning on sending them away. Far, far away. But it will never be far enough. I will still find them. They will still pay the price…"

Hatori managed to raise his head to look at Akito. He had never seen such a wild gleam in his eye. The Doctor knew Akito was unstable, he could understand why. He knew what Akito had done to Yuki...what he was still doing to Yuki.. The madness that drove AKito was the entire Zodiacs fault...every single zodiac member who had came before him and who would come after. It would be the same for every Head of their giant family...and so he had sympathised with Akito. Not once had he disagreed or argued. But now he had to. Tohru and Kyo's lives were at stake and at that moment Hatori knew that Akito would kill them, he would kill them both. One way or another.

"You…can't" Hatori coughed. Blood coming from his mouth and spilling out onto the mats.

"Oh really?" Akito asked before he laughed coldly and very cruelly. "We shall see. The girl's determination is admirable. But she will never defeat Yuki. She is worthless she is nothing to me! She should never have interfered! Now she and that…monster….will get what they deserve!"

"But Akito…" the doctor began again. Or tried to. Another blow cut of to whatever he was going to say and he slumped to the floor totally unconscious. Akito starightened and lightly kicked Hatori so he rolled over onto his back. Hatori's eyes were closed and his shirt and fingers were bloody. Akito found it the most beautiful sight in the world.

"This Sunday…we shall see…this Sunday"

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"Tohru don't wander off, you could get lost" Kyo snapped harshly. If Tohru got lost...who knows what she may find. Or who might find her. His mind kept making up different scenariors. All ending badly. He could not get them out of his head, he could not rid himself of those images and so he began to panic. Every time he lost sight of her.

Tohru tore her gaze away from the beautiful painting that adorned the wall and looked at him. His face was pale and he was waiting for her impatiently.

"I'm sorry" she apologised sincerely.

"No its ok" he sighed "I'm just on edge. I don't want anything to happen to you" it was true. He had never before believed that he could feel the need to protect anyone this strongly. He didn't even think he was capable of that protection. But while he lived, he would protect her.

"Oh Kyo" she smiled. Kyo reached for her and once of his hands found the small of her back and pulled her towards him. Tohru fell into his hard chest and smiled. "Hatori…" she said quietly. Kyo ignored that and bent down to kiss her. Yet again his kiss was sweet and tender.

"Wait here" he told her seriously "I'm going to ask for directions"

Tohru smiled as he ran off down the corridor to where a servant woman was arranging a vase of flowers. Not one to keep still Tohru went off down a corridor to see another painting. Surely it wouldn't do any harm to just look at it? She would be back within a minute. Still she felt slightly guilty at not doing what Kyo had told her to. But the flowers of the painting were so beautiful so real.

"DON'T LIE TO ME HATORI!"

Tohru jumped as the yell ran through the corridor. Upon hearing Hatori's name she felt a chill runt through her as she recognised the voice of the shouter.

"Akito…" she whispered.

Running down the corridor she followed the voices that were steadily growing louder and eventually came to a halt in front of a very ornate door. Sliding it open slightly she saw Hatori lying sprawled on the floor the mats around him seeping with blood.

"This Sunday…we shall see…this Sunday"

"What happens this Sunday?" Tohru asked gently.

Akito visibly jumped and he span around quickly. The glare that he sent Tohru made her want to back out of the room and run for Kyo but something propelled her forwards. Some strange new courage that made a rush of revenge flood through her. Scared she made to back out of the room but Akito had recovered quickly. He grabbed her arm and pulled her forcefully into the room.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!" he yelled.

"I…I…I…" she stammered. "I came to see…Hatori" she gulped.

"As you see the Doctor is busy at the moment" Akito laughed.

"Akito I…"

"Shut up!" he yelled backhanding her around the face "You dare speak to me. You're worthless. We don't want you here. We don't need you here! You are nothing to us!"

"Is that really what you believe?" she asked quietly "I know now how much pain you're in Akito. I know because I am to. Everyday there's this thing inside of me, it constantly tries to break free and it hurts. Is that how you feel too Akito? Is that why you never get close to anyone?"

"SHUT UP!" he yelled again. How could this mere girl understand? How could she so remarkably understand more than his own family what he was going through. How? How? HOW!

"I'm sorry Akito…I'm sorry for you're pain. But you have to stop now. Because no matter how much you control the zodiac. No matter how much pain you deal out. Your pain will never go away…not like that. Never like that. Akito….I can help….let me help you"

"I…you can't…" he said softly. Then something snapped within him and he lashed out at her striking her hard. Tohru stumbled backwards blood spurting from her newly bust lip. She stumbled to the floor wincing as her head hit the ground hard. Suddenly his leg came kicking out of nowhere and she doubled over in pain. Again he kicked her. Her crossed arms barely shielding her and she felt a blinding pain run up her arm. Tohru scrambled up and ran for the door but he grabbed her hair harshly and pulled her backwards kicking and sobbing onto the floor. He bent down and grabbed the front of her shirt and hit her again and again until she cried and pleaded for him to stop.

"You think you can heal me Tohru Honda?" he asked savagely "You think you can heal any of us? You can never lift the curse. NEVER!"

His hands gripped her neck and she could hear and feel the blood pumping in her head. Blood trickled from her nose from a burst vessel and she gasped and scratched at his long white fingers. The last thing she saw before her vision went black was the steady trickle of tears from his eyes and the way his lips moved silently into one single word. Never.

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The door burst open and Kyo ran into the room. The Servant woman who had showed him the way was sobbing behind him. Apologising over and over again. She had been the one Akito had called upon to deliver Hatori for him. Little did she know the savagery of which Akito would deal out his punishment to the dragon. Afraid, upset and extremely guilty she had told Kyo of the Doctors whereabouts when she had overhead a heated yet whispered argument between him and a fellow colleague.

"Tohru?" he asked as he pulled her against him. Cradling her in his arms as gently as he could. He quickly scanned the room for any sign of Akito and thank the stars that he wanst there because Kyo was ready to rip him to peices. Looking back at Tohru he studied the many injuries on her face and limbs and felt his heart begin to pound painfully against his chest. "Oh shit. Tohru! I'm gunna get that fucking bastard. Ya'll see. I'm sorry Tohru. I'm so sorry. I thought I could protect you. I promise to Always protect you….but I didn't. I failed…Tohru…"