A/n: Insert humorous authors commentary here.

Chapter 5: slumber party

Kureno had asked Tohru to write a shopping list, and had used some of the remaining shopping money to buy the foods. Tohru had prepared hot chocolates and cookies, then when Kureno returned with the night's feast he left the two alone.
"Do you mind me using my natural voice? It's… been a while." Akito was hesitant to ask this question. Tohru nodded quickly.
"Of course I don't mind!" She had not known Akito had a 'natural voice' and assumed she was deep voiced by nature. Akito cleared her throat
"Much better." She muttered. Tohru was dumfounded, much as she had been when she had first heard the muted Kisa speak and call her 'sissy' (Nee-san), such a gentle voice coming from such a menacing figure was something that surprised her
"It's beautiful." Tohru whispered.
"So… we sit and eat junk food?" Akito questioned, changing the subject and sipping her warm drink tentatively.
"Yes, and… yeah Kureno rented us a movie." Tohru pulled the vhs out of the bag, not as small as the disks Momiji had once showed her, she was momentarily confused, and Akito took it from her putting it in the player. (If you remember Tohru had never seen a DVD before… so P)

"Have you seen this before?"
"No." She admitted as Akito read the back of the box. It looked sappy. She removed the heels, her dress, and her lipstick had already been removed by the hot cocoa Tohru had commissioned. Pulling a robe on, and letting her hair down, Tohru knew it was little wonder most mistook her for a man, if a feminine looking one.
"Have you ever told Shigure you love him?" Tohru asked gingerly, sitting on the bed beside her.
"Have you ever told that stupid cat?" Tohru blushed furiously
"That's completely irrelevant!" She squeaked flapping her hands as though she was a caged bird.
"So it's true!" Akito was shocked, and angry. She did NOT like things going on without her knowledge, especially in Shigure's house.
"He doesn't like me back… I'm not sure he likes anyone actually. He put up with me because we lived together. Does Shigure know you love him?"
"That's none of your business." Akito sounded haughty as she continued to watch the movie. Was Tohru and Kyo's love as doomed as hers and Shigure's? "I hate couples… Haru and Rin… Kisa and Hiro… Hatori and Kana… I stopped them all." She looked darkened. "Because I was never loved. There was only one person I ever wanted to love me." The orphaned brunette wasn't sure how to react to Akito's moment of sadness, so quickly changed the subject

"OH we should hang up your dream catcher!" Tohru busied herself placing the black silken dream catcher on the wall above Akito's bed.
"It has been… interesting talking to you." Akito said eventually.
"That's as close as I'm going to get to a thank you aren't I?" She smiled brightly. "You're welcome. Please continue to act as your heart believes you should." Sinking down into the softness of the comforter, and with her feet aching from walking around the city centre all day, it wasn't long before the two fell asleep, beside each other on the same bed.

----------------------

"She's free to go." Muttered Akito darkly to Kureno and Hatori. Tohru was still asleep, no longer having an alarm to wake her up.
"Back to Shigure's home?" Hatori questioned.
"No, to live in a tent in the forest… of course with Shigure. And I will be accompanying her home… if I'm well enough to leave the house?" Hatori nodded. "First… I wish Kyo, Yuki and Shigure to be called here. They are to know nothing. Arrange it." Akito swept back into her room and threw her heel at Tohru. She sat up dizzily.
"Ouch, good morning…" Her voice wavered and her eyes rolled several times before she snapped back into her reality.

"Wake up you useless brat." Akito used her male voice.
"I'm awake, please don't throw another shoe at me." She rubbed her head.
"I'm talking with those imbeciles you live with later. You are NOT to let them see you, let them hear you, or interact in anyway. If you obey… you may keep your pathetic memories Tohru Honda. If you fail… well." She smirked. "We'll see."
"Th… thank you!" Tohru yelped hugging her. Akito stumbled back, was this girl always so physical?
"Shut up… Stay in here. And don't move until Kureno comes to get you. Hatori will check on you hourly." Tohru broke the hug and nodded furiously.
"I'll stay put. Thank you." She bowed and Akito left, angry as usual.

---------------------------------

(Akito will be referred to as 'he' in the presence of Yuki and Kyo)

"How is she… is her recovery going well?" Yuki asked weakly, knowing often it took months for a person to recover after losing their memory. Akito was never his favourite person to face, and now bound by the knowledge he had erased Tohru's memory… worse made innocent Hatori erase it, Yuki felt a white hot hatred in the pit of his stomach.
"Miss Honda is fine." Akito looked larger than either of the three men had ever seen. "Hatori is with her at present." he held his head and his shoulders high, an intense look in his eyes. "I have brought you here, my loved ones, to ask you questions. It is my wish you answer them honestly." Shigure smiled and nodded.
"Would we have any cause to lie to you Akito? Really you make us sound like we're under interrogation." He laughed waving his fan.
"Speak when you are spoken to… Shigure." Akito barked, approaching the reproachful looking Kyo. He traced his fingers under Kyo's throat and raised his head to meet him. "Naïve boy." Akito dropped his chin and turned to Shigure. "What did you think of her, Shigure? That woman… the foul being you allowed to live in your house. What did you think of her?"
"DON'T TALK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT!" Kyo yelled thumping his fist on the table.
"Silence cat." Akito's smooth voice was calm as he faced Shigure.

"What do you mean what did I think of her?" Shigure said waving the fan a little quicker.
"Did you think she was pretty?"
"She was a high school girl." Shigure smirked and Yuki chopped him on the head. "I'm sad to see Tohru go, she was good company, a great chef and a kind hearted girl."
"Stop playing the fool." Akito placed both his hands on Shigure's face, so they were directly facing. "Did you love her?"
"I loved her as I would a sister or a daughter." Shigure said calmly, unperturbed by the hands on his face. The head of the family, although 6 years his junior, had already hurt many people, and it seemed slightly surprising to Kyo and Yuki that he was unafraid.
"If that's how you treat your sister or daughter you need help." Yuki muttered under his breath.
"So there was no sick and twisted romantic link between the two of you. Good." Akito let go of Shigure and turned to Yuki.

"Yuki, Yuki, Yuki… it's been a while." Akito purred.
"Not long enough, Akito." Yuki's face mimicked Akito's, a poisonous smile etched on each of their faces, eyes filled with hatred.
"So… what did YOU think of that brat?"
"DON'T CALL HER THAT!" Kyo said losing his temper again.
"Silence cat." Akito's voice was once again calm as he addressed the orange haired youth.
"What did I… think of her?" Yuki looked thoughtful, remembering how kind Tohru had always been to him, and how she had asked him to remain her friend. He remembered her protective nature, her innocent mind, and her pure heart.
"Nothing you say can harm her now." Akito reminded him. "Did YOU love her?"
"I… I saw her as a mother figure." Yuki admitted avoiding Akito's stare. Kyo looked slightly amazed, he had always seen Yuki as a rival, and had never bothered to ask his opinion on Tohru… in fact Yuki never discussed his feelings.
"A mother?" Akito raised one eyebrow.
"She… was there for me like I always wished she had been. Even when I was a child… I met her once and somehow she made my world that little bit brighter. When she came to live with us… she took care of me even when I was sick, and cared for me… even tried to protect me from you." Yuki broke off knowing he was showing too much weakness in the presence of his superior.

"You don't need to be protected from me, as long as you obey." Akito said brushing aside the sentimentality of the younger boy. "Very well… you're free to leave Yuki." Akito sat down in silence, waiting for Yuki to leave. Reluctantly the silver haired teen left the room and waited outside the main house. He ran into Momiji.
"Yukiiiiiii!" The blond yelled hugging his cousin.
"Momiji now really isn't the time." Yuki sighed.
"Aww, what's wrong? Are you sick? I was sick last night Ha'ri saw to me so I'm fine now." The small, yet only slightly younger boy seemed hyper as though he had consumed a large amount of sugar.
"You didn't hear then…" Yuki whispered.
"Hear what?"
"Tohru… had her memory erased yesterday."
"WHAT oh no!?" Momiji burst into tears. "Wait… I saw her yesterday, here at the house." Yuki nodded weakly wondering how Kyo and Shigure were holding up against Akito's 'interrogation' . "She was leaving with Akito… They didn't have an adult with them." He pondered. "It must have been before she had her memory erased, because she was smiling at me and she waved. I waited for the car to come back but… I got sick… Ha'ri spent the night at my place… he couldn't have wiped Tohru's memory yesterday."
"It may have been done this morning. I do not doubt Akito… Momiji promise me that even if she forgets you, you'll try to be her friend." Momiji nodded obediently.
"I will. I love Tohru she's great!"

Meanwhile Akito had turned his attention to Kyo.
"Did you love her?" The orange haired boy said nothing.
"Akito he's upset right now…" Shigure trailed off hiding his face behind his fan.
"Shut up Shigure. Kyo. Did you love her!"
"YES I DID." Kyo growled, Akito smirked. "AND YOU TOOK HER AWAY YOU BASTARD!"
"I have no sympathy for you… because you should have told her." Akito glanced at Shigure.
"And if I'd told her you'd have taken her away." Kyo looked down. "Because you never let us have anything we want… and I'd have gone behind your back."
"I say who the ZODIAC date… you are not a zodiac… and are free to do as you please in that respect. Had you bothered your stupid orange head with that petty detail, you could have had her."
"Had her? What are you stupid or something she wanted that damn rat." Kyo folded his arms.

"Perhaps… she flirted with the rat to make you jealous." Akito locked eyes with Shigure, and Shigure knew Akito was addressing him at this point, more than Kyo. "Perhaps you were the one she wanted all along."
"Like it even matters now." Kyo scowled, and was shocked realising the focus had turned off of him. Akito and Shigure were surveying each other… then Akito shocked them both by kissing Shigure firmly on the lips.
"It was you I wanted Shigure." Kyo coughed and spluttered and tried not to fall out of his seat. Akito was gay?
"You slept with Kureno." Said Shigure looking away. Kyo fell over.
"I wanted you to pay attention to me!" Kyo stood up.
"This is sick." He muttered and ran out of the house.

Akito rolled her eyes.
"Oops." She said sarcastically, in her female voice, watching the orange blur speed down the garden path and away. "Shigure… I love you. But at the same time I despise you. Get out of my sight." with that she swept from the room. Shigure batted his fan a few times before heading after Kyo. He had apparently already passed Yuki and Momiji in silence.
"Stupid cat." Yuki said idly. "What happened? Did you get to see her?"
"Who Tohru? No…" Shigure hadn't even noticed the presence of Momiji.

---------------------
"Kissed?" Yuki seemed calm. "Are you sure you're not inventing things?" It was evening, and true to their truce they had managed to go the whole day without fighting, and insulted each other much less than usual, though 'damn rat' and 'stupid cat' seemed to have stuck. Kyo stood with his back against Tohru's doorframe, the two had been packing her things.
"I swear to… okay swearing to god's probably not the best idea. But I know what I saw! Akito kissed him and then admitted to sleeping with Kureno."
"No wonder he always kept him so close." Yuki smirked. "They were lovers."
"Why don't you seem shocked by this?" Kyo sighed, his cousin's antics frustrating him.
"With his hatred of women could you REALLY see him with a girlfriend?" Kyo thought for a moment, and then realised his cousin was right.
"No… but I can't see him with Shigure either." Yuki thought too, Kyo definitely had a point. Akito just didn't seem to have a soul mate. Yuki picked up a slightly crumpled paper flower.
"She actually kept that thing?" Kyo whispered sounding impressed and disgusted. Stupid girl.
"What is it?"
"A flower I made her… it's not very good or nothing but…"
"It must've meant something to her, if she kept it." Yuki said smiling slightly as he put it in a box, beside the old red hat that had once belonged to Kyo. There was a knock downstairs and without blinking both boys yelled.
"SHIGURE!"

"I'll… leave you here." Akito said after knocking on the door. Tohru hugged her quickly.
"Thank you, for everything. I'll keep your secret,"
"Just get with that stupid cat okay. He said he loves you."
"Y… you want us to be together?" Tohru asked seeming very shocked at Akito's momentary kindness. "What happened to 'I hate couples'?"
"Well… I'm going to instruct you two to be together and instruct Shigure to keep you apart. That way, Shigure will mess up, ensuring I spend a little more time with him for 'defying me.'" Tohru laughed. Always calculating!
"We should go shopping again sometime." Akito rolled her eyes and disappeared into the night as the door slid open to reveal Shigure.

A/n: Ehe. Reviews are nice.