Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or Black Butler. They, and their characters, belong to their respective creators.
And because I"m being nice, here's a good long one for ya. ;)
Chapter seventeen - And the World Came Crashing Down
Kyo rushed the door one last time, the wood around the frame splintering as it buckled under him, then fell down with a crash. He could smell her, and his strong sense of smell told him she was in pain. Taking a moment to look around, he saw a very tall, black-garbed creature holding her against the wall, his mouth against hers. She looked like she was struggling against this assailant, trying her all to get away, useless as it was. Anger welled up in him and he charged.
Sebastian leaped over the broken door seconds behind him. "Wait!" He tried to warn the foolish boy against his actions but it was too late.
Kyo growled. "LET GO OF HER!" He reached out a clawed hand and sank it into the creature's shoulder, pulling him away from her. There was a horrible sound of sucking air as the demon and Tohru's lips parted.
The demon snarled in rage at him as he whirled around to crush the disruption. "I'll teach you to meddle," he said in a menacing voice as he let go of Tohru, who slid to the ground like a lifeless doll. He spun around and slammed his hands into Kyo's chest, sending him flying against the far wall, smashing into various odds and ends on the way over.
Ciel peered around the broken door frame, out of breath, debating. Sebastian was there, even though he was doing nothing at the moment but watching, waiting. He didn't see Tohru's limp body sitting against the back wall. But, as he looked around, he saw Lizzy, lying unconscious nearby. He hesitated. Part of him wanted to run recklessly into the room and make sure she was all right, but another part of him knew that if he did, he was making himself as good of a target as anything.
Kyo shook his large head in a daze, then turned angry, purple eyes towards the demon and growled menacingly. "YOU'RE TOAST!" With another roar of rage, he rushed the demon again.
Sebastian continued to wait, watching, calculating. He took in everything in the room, Kyo, the other demon, Tohru, Lizzy, every article of furniture. He was rather amazed that Kyo was still fighting after being thrown by his adversary. It was true that the boy had shown incredible strength fighting against humans, but against a demon, that was something else entirely. But for all that, the boy was definitely giving him a run for his money. Perhaps he'd not given him enough credit after all.
The demon snarled at Kyo as they circled once more. Their first clashes had left various wounds, bruises, cuts and scrapes. Kyo was panting but still fired up, like a lion fighting for a fallen mate. He limped slightly, blood soaking his pants from his right thigh down.
Ciel didn't know if he could watch any longer. He could see that Kyo was obviously injured. He didn't know how long the boy could keep this up. And Sebastian was just standing there! Why was he just standing there? He clenched his hand, Kyo's beads biting into his palm. In the end, Kyo was only human, not the demon he appeared to be right now, and, if things stayed the way they were, he would lose.
Stepping into the doorway, Ciel removed the patch from his right eye, clearly showing the mark of his contract with his butler. "Sebastian! This is an order!" He pointed clearly at their adversary's back. "Destroy that demon!"
Sebastian smiled as he bowed low. He'd wondered how long it would take his young master to make his move. "Yes, My Lord." He moved to a crouch, pulling the hidden silverware from his pockets, various knives and forks placed between his fingers.
Kyo and the demon, meanwhile, were exchanging blows again. It was quite clear that the demon had the upper hand as Kyo limped around, getting slower and slower. His vision was starting to get fuzzy but he was not going to let that demon live so long as he had the strength or ability to fight. His attention was diverted for a split second when Ciel called out, giving the demon the chance to throw him against the wall one more time. He slid to the ground, momentarily unable to move, the air knocked from his lungs. He saw stars before his eyes.
The demon moved towards him. He wasn't entirely sure what this creature was, something similar to himself but not. There was definitely something very human about him. And the rage in his soul would make it a wonderful snack while he finished things before getting back to his real meal. He moved towards Kyo, grinning in anticipation.
Seeing the demon move towards Kyo's unmoving body, Sebastian took his opportunity. Jumping into a flying leap, he sent several knives flashing through the air. They embedded into the demon's back, causing him to turn around with a furious growl of rage. "Sorry to interrupt, but I'll be your opponent now," he said politely to the enraged demon as he landed gracefully.
The demon scoffed. "You, a human's lapdog? Don't make me laugh." He grinned to display his sharp, pointed teeth. His black nails grew longer as he reached behind him and pulled out the knives, brandishing them.
Sebastian smiled politely, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "And why not? I hear laughter is good medicine. But preying on someone my master has under his protection is not allowed. As such, you must pay the penalty for it."
The demon began to laugh in earnest now. "Now I know you are a human's lapdog! Very well then, I will enjoy ripping you to shreds!" He ran towards Sebastian like a speeding train, his procured knives flashing in the light of the room. He sliced out with them as he curved around his opponent.
Sebastian easily sidestepped the attack, bringing his own knives to block. "You must be very young and inexperienced," he commented. "Or you have not yet felt the satisfaction of waiting for the perfect soul, cultivating it while you serve it and protect it. I must say I pity you." He lashed out with his other hand, his knife slashing across the other demon's chest.
The demon struck out, racking his claws across Sebastian's back. "I don't need to wait! I have the perfect soul here!"
Sebastian suppressed the urge to growl in pain. Instead, he whirled around, flinging forks, then quickly sped to find another weapon. But the other demon wasn't having any of that. He ran to beat him, crashing into him like a boulder.
Ciel looked around again. Lizzy was so close! But he felt the bite of the beads in his hand. Kyo was out for the count, still winded, and bleeding. Which should he go to? He debated, waiting, watching as the battle between the two demons continued. Lizzy might already be dead, but Kyo would die if he didn't do something.
Kyo panted. The room was slowly spinning around him. It hurt. He couldn't move. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see dark shapes darting around the room like black fireflies. What were they? His mind was too confused to understand what was going on and why he couldn't move.
Ciel made his way carefully along the wall, doing his best not to knock anything over or do anything else that might draw attention to him, though it was hard. Kyo had torn the room apart when he'd been fighting and now Sebastian and the demon were only adding to it. He ducked just in time to avoid a large piece of wood that was headed his way, but being small was a blessing and he used it to his advantage.
Kyo closed his eyes. He'd failed. He couldn't save her. The agony of that thought was far worse than his physical pain.
Ciel inched closer. He was almost there! He looked behind his shoulder and saw the two combatants still going on it. He looked back at his goal. Five more feet. Three. Two. Made it! "Kyo!"
Kyo shook his massive head. It was useless! Useless! He let out a terrifying sound of despair, much like the one he'd made when he'd sat out in the woods that fateful night, that night that Tohru had come after him.
"Kyo, stop it this instant!" Ciel grabbed at the clawed hand. It was too big to fit the bracelet around but he slid the beads over the first few fingers, not sure what it would do, but if taking them off had allowed his friend to transform into this shape, maybe putting it back on would change him back, if only he could get the beads back onto his wrist.
"You are most untidy," Sebastian said as he lunged at the other demon again, thrusting his hand deep into the chest cavity. "You should have listened to me at the beginning. Now you will pay the ultimate price." He glanced over at Ciel, a bit surprised by his movements, but understanding. "Young Master, close your eyes. You don't need to see this."
Ciel closed his eyes as he shoved the beads down as far as he could on Kyo's hand. He would not open them again until Sebastian told him it was safe to do so. Underneath his hands, he could feel Kyo shudder. The foul stench filled his nostrils and he tried to hide his nose in the folds of his coat.
Kyo's heart lurched. He could feel his eyes dilate behind his lids. What was happening? "G'YAH!" It hurt.
Ciel felt Kyo's hand shrinking in his, getting smaller and smaller, more smooth, less rough and hide-like. The stench, though still strong, was also changing. He was very tempted to open his eyes, but he'd promised not to, at least until Sebastian gave the all clear. The beads slid further onto the older boy's wrist at his insistent pressure, biting into both of them.
In the background, the two demons clashed. Occasionally screams of rage would come from the one, grunts from Sebastian. Shreds of darkness flew all around, felt as cold blasts of air. Then, with a final cry that nearly deafened, the noises ceased.
Ciel listened intently. Footsteps sounded on the hard floor. Had it ended? He leaned forward, eyes still closed, and felt a cold yet familiar hand touch his cheek.
"Young Master, it is over. You may open your eyes now."
Ciel opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Sebastian's smiling face looking down at him. He looked to one side and saw Kyo returned to human form, shirtless but alive. Shifting again, he could see the ruined room, and Lizzy.
Sebastian held out his hand. "Allow me to help you, Young Master." He lifted his master to his feet, brushing off the dust from the rubble. "I believe Lady Elizabeth is waiting for you. I will attend to Kyo."
Ciel didn't need to be told twice. A little unsteadily, he walked over to where Lizzy lay and went down on his knees by her side. He caressed her cheek. It was still warm, that was good. She appeared to only be unconscious and was at least visibly unhurt.
Sebastian knelt by Kyo's side, his tattered coat trailing out behind him. "Master Kyo, you need to wake up." He put his cold hand against the boy's neck.
Kyo shuddered. "Ugh!" His eyes fluttered open and his body tried to bolt without his permission before her recognized the face over his. "Did we win?" He tried to sit up but it hurt, a lot.
"Please don't try to overdo things," Sebastian suggested. "It's over. You were wounded and have likely lost a lot of blood. You shouldn't move around too much." As he talked, he ripped segments from his own coat and began using them to bind the wound on Kyo's thigh.
"G'yah!" Kyo clenched his teeth against the pain as Sebastian pulled the bindings tight, securing them. His eyes closed from the fire he felt coursing down his leg. Behind his eyelids, a figure wavered in and out of focus. He sat bolt upright, breathing heavily. "Tohru!"
Sebastian moved to one side, his binding done. The worst injury was taken care of, at least for now. "She's over there," he said, pointing, then moved aside. He knew this was something was something the boy had to do on his own.
Kyo struggled to Tohru's side, something that took him three times as long as it would normally have. She lay limply on the floor, her eyes closed. "Tohru," he whispered, fear in his voice. "Tohru! Wake up! Come on! Stop fooling around. Wake up!" He wished he dared try and pick her up and cradle her, but he knew what would happen.
Ciel held Elizabeth in his arms. "Elizabeth," he breathed as she blinked up at him. "Thank goodness you're all right."
Lizzy smiled back up at him. "I knew you'd come for me, Ciel. It was scary. He... he said he was going to eat me." She shuddered at the memory.
Ciel smoothed her tousled hair. "Shh... You're all right now. It's all right now."
The girl suddenly sat up, remembering something. "Tohru!" She looked around frantically for her friend. "Ciel, Tohru..." She stopped, seeing Kyo kneeling over her. A small gasp escaped her lips. "Please no!"
Kyo nudged Tohru's shoulder. "Hey, come on. Tohru! Please!" He looked up at Sebastian who was picking his way across the rubble. "Sebastian! Hey! She's not moving! What do I do? She isn't...? I mean...?" His eyes pleaded with him for a favorable answer.
Ciel looked over as Sebastian moved towards Kyo and Tohru. "Sebastian, that demon... He didn't..?"
The butler knelt and took Tohru's hand in one of his. "Her hand is still warm," he noted. He moved his fingers to feel for a pulse and found it. "Her heart still beats, but weakly." He bent lower, breathing deeply of her scent as he opened his senses as wide as he could. "I believe her soul is still intact. I can still feel and smell it. I don't think he took more than a taste. However, the shock was probably too much for her."
Kyo looked up at him as the butler leaned back. "Hey! Can't you do something? I mean! You can do something, right? You're a... you're like that one, right?" He couldn't bring himself to say the name. Tears leaked from the corners of his eyes unheeded.
Sebastian sighed as he stood and brushed off his hands. "The only thing I can do is end it for her. If you had stopped him a moment later, it wouldn't have mattered either way. Unfortunately, most people don't recover from such an experience. Would you like me to finish it for you?"
Lizzy began sobbing. "Tohru! No!" She turned her face into Ciel's shoulder, her own shoulders shuddering.
Kyo didn't know what to say as he stared in shock. How could he want something like that for her? He wanted her to live!
Ciel looked up at his butler with serious eyes. "So there is nothing you can do, Sebastian? I thought I made it an order for you to save her."
Sebastian bowed, regret in his eyes. "So it was, Young Master. I have saved her physically as you requested. But there is only one person who can save her soul."
Ciel sighed, understanding exactly what his butler meant. "Of course. I should have realized that." He looked away.
Kyo looked up, angrily wiping away tears. "And who's that! Huh? Don't give me cheap answers!"
The butler looked down on the cat with pity. "You are." He turned, brushing off his clothes. "We should think about moving soon, Young Master. The authorities will be along soon, I'm sure."
Kyo surged to his feet rather unsteadily and grabbed Sebastian's coat. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean! How am I supposed to save her! How can I save her! I couldn't even save her mom!" He sank back down to his knees as fresh tears came. "I couldn't... even... save her mom!"
Ciel helped Lizzy to stand. He looked at Kyo from over his shoulder with pity, but he didn't let that pity reach his voice. "Then don't let her die," he said coldly.
Kyo took Tohru's hand in his, still sobbing. "How can I save her when I don't know how to save anyone? Tell me that!"
The young earl turned towards Sebastian and the exit so that he didn't have to look at him. "You love her, don't you? Do something about that." He started walking away, supporting Lizzy as he walked. It was difficult, leaving his friend like that, but he knew he had to figure it out on his own. And he had Lizzy to deal with. "Sebastian, let's go."
Kyo reached out a hand towards them. "Wait! Don't leave us! Wait!" But they didn't wait, becoming hazy in his eyes as the tears continued to spill. "Wait. I can't do this alone. Tohru..."
Their footsteps echoed, fading away, slower, slower, until they stopped and he was alone in the silence.
Kyo... when things get tough... when you're scared, when you're weak... I want you to tell me. I want you to let me care about you. I want to be together. I want us to live... eat meals, study... share our troubles... like we did before... together. I want to stay together!
He shuddered as he remembered those words she'd said to him that night, that fateful night. How long ago had it been? And why had he forgotten them until now?
You love her, don't you? Do something about that.
He closed his eyes, fighting against the emotional agony, his fists clenched as he bent over her. "Tohru, I'm scared. I'm weak. I don't know what to do! I don't want to lose you! I can't live without you! Please! Don't make me live alone! Come back to me! I love you!"
Without thinking, without realizing he was doing it, he bent lower over her until his face was inches away from hers. "I want us to live together, like we did before. Together." His lips brushed her bruised ones ever so gently. "Together."
Before he knew what he was doing, he was kissing her, his body automatically moving to keep a safe enough distance so that he wouldn't transform, knowing instinctively that transforming would only ruin the moment. His hot tears spilled onto her face, wetting her cheeks, ignoring the physical pain to himself his actions caused.
A small gasp escaped Tohru's lips as Kyo pulled back. Her eyelids fluttered. Very weakly, she tried to move. "Kyo?"
His eyes went wide in surprise as he heard her calling him, even though her voice was barely above a whisper. "Tohru?"
She cringed, shuddering slightly. "It hurts."
"Shh," he comforted, caressing her cheek. "It's okay. It's all over. You're safe." He wished he dared hold her to his chest, but he didn't, not even knowing they were alone. Silence filled the air.
"I'm glad. Thank you, Kyo." She closed her eyes again. "So... tired..."
He started, almost falling back into panic, when he looked at her face and saw that her expression was a peaceful one. "Never leave me again," he whispered.
In the distance, footsteps echoed, becoming more audible as time picked back up. The various cuts and bruises began to stand out in Kyo's mind, especially his thigh with the tightly wound bits of Sebastian's coat against it.
"This way, Young Master," Sebastian was saying when he stopped suddenly. He turned to look back the half dozen meters to where they'd left Kyo and Tohru.
Ciel also stopped, Lizzy still sobbing in his arms. They'd only gone a dozen or so steps across the wide room, stepping around rubbish. Why had Sebastian stopped? He turned his head to look back as well.
"He's done it," Sebastian said to himself, a slight pleased smile on his lips.
"Hey," Kyo said, nudging Tohru's shoulder. "You can't sleep here. We gotta leave. Tohru, wake up. I can't carry you."
Tohru opened her eyes and looked up into his anxious ones, noticing the cuts along his face, the bruising on his exposed chest. "Kyo, what happened?"
Sebastian walked back over. "A story that will have to wait for another time, I'm afraid," he said in answer to her question. "Would you mind if I were to carry you? You see, we must leave quickly. The authorities will be arriving shortly and we dare not be seen here. Too many questions might arise. You understand." Before she could say yes or no, he had slid his arms underneath her and lifted her from the ground.
Tohru looked down at Kyo who was still kneeling on the ground. He really did look like he'd been through the mill. "What about Kyo," she asked, looking back up at Sebastian's face anxiously.
Kyo used a broken chair to stand. "Don't worry about me," he said. "I'd carry you if I could but we all know how that'd turn out."
Tohru bit her lip. "Are you sure?" She looked back at him over Sebastian's shoulder.
His face was lined with pain and the blood on his pants was starting to darken, but there was a lot of it there, soaking through the majority of the one side. "Yeah," he grunted as he took a step. "I'll manage, at least for a bit so don't worry. It's not as bad as it looks."
Realizing that they weren't moving, Lizzy peeked over Ciel's shoulder. Her eyes went wide in surprise to see Tohru conscious in Sebastian's arms, heading her way. "Tohru?" She blinked.
Tohru smiled. She still hurt, though she couldn't rightly say what hurt, her head, her heart? But she waved a little. "I'm okay," she said as she was carried smoothly towards the door.
"We need to go," Ciel reminded his charge as he tried to steer her in the desired direction. He glanced back to see Kyo limping towards them. They'd have to go slowly for his sake. He vaguely wondered what had happened to the other women but decided that was something for the Yard to deal with. He'd had enough of the business for now.
Sebastian moved smoothly forward, right behind Ciel. Kyo stumbled behind them, doing is best to walk upright and hurry without giving Tohru a reason to look back again.