Thank you to all those who have read and those who have reviewed! It makes me very happy to see other people enjoying my work!

Anyhow, I decided to do another "combo" chapter. As aformentioned, I eventually intend to separate each session into its own individual chapter. However, for Chapter 2, I've decided to present both Yuki and Kyou's sessions with one another. I suppose I feel they sort of compliment each other and should not be separated. Also, as it is still the beginning of the story, I believe that if I divide it up too much right now I might hurt the narrative's momento (yes, I think way too much about these things...)

With that, enjoy, enjoy!

Patient – Sohma Kyou; Session #124

"So," I questioned, "Uh…how does that make you feel…?"

"How do you think it makes me feel?" Kyou shouted, crossing his arms and turning away with a huff.

Instantly, I felt incredible stupid. The whole point of this session I knew was completely absurd. There was nothing to be said. There was nothing I could do to solve his problem. Yet, I struggled on with it, despite this, "Yes, I –"

"I mean," Kyou continued to lash out, "How would you feel if you knew in less than a year you'd be locked up for the rest of your life?"

I cringed. "I suppose I'd feel pretty lousy…" I muttered. I knew I already felt lousy just being part ofour miserablefamily.

"Exactly. So there's really nothing left to talk about. The only reason why I come anyway is because stupid Akito makes us." He had a point in regards to his former statement; neither Oxford nor Harvard prepared me to counsel a teenager as he prepares to be imprisoned forever by his unloving family for doing absolutely nothing wrong.

"How about we discuss something else then? Is there something else on your mind?"

"No."

I fiddled with my pen a bit in my hand. A thought struck me – one that had often struck me during my sessions with Kyou. I never dare mention it out loud, though, but I could no longer resist. With some hesitation, I slowly began, "Hey Kyou…"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Have you ever thought about – " I stopped.

"Thought about what?" Kyou now questioned.

"Nothing, never mind," I mumbled.

"No, what were you going to say?"

I couldn't understand what was holding me back. Surely, I knew Akito would never approve, but what did it matter? I also knew what was right. Had my independent and reasonable spirit succumbed to the madness of my family? Growing angry with myself, I finally blurted; "Well, have you ever thought about traveling?"

Kyou looked at me surprised; I could see it was not what he was expecting to hear. He blinked. "Traveling?"

"Yes, traveling. You know, going off and seeing the world a bit. When I was your age, I was already studying in England. I had traveled all over Europe. There's quite a lot to see in just that little continent alone. I think it might be good for you to get a fresh perspective. You could even go and visit Egypt, if you'd like; the cat was an important animal in Ancient Egypt, you know."

"I don't know…how am I going to get the money for that sort of thing? And I have no time, since I still have to try and beat Yuki before I graduate…" At this, I wanted to lunge across my desk and slap him for acting like such a stupid idiot. Didn't he get it? If he was halfway across the world, it wouldn't matter if he beat Yuki, for how on earth did he expect to be locked up by anyone from the Sohma family?

"Well," I tried my best to pursue it further, "why don't you try finding yourself an exchange program? There are some really good ones. I can help you, and Kazuma of course, find one that'll suit you, if you want. Then, you can finish high school overseas."

"Just so I can come back here?" Kyou scoffed.

"No," I replied, trying to keep my temper. "After all, I spent eight years abroad."

"That's good for you. I don't know how it'll help me."

"I'm talking about running away!" I suddenly snapped.

Kyou rolled his eyes, "I'm not trying to run away; we've been over this before. I accept the fact that I'm the cat, blah, blah, blah…"

I buried my head in my hands in total frustration. "That's not what I meant. And, just so you know, I can tell you're not very sincere - about accepting who you are, that is."

'Then what is it that you mean, hmm? Because all of this is just getting really annoying!"

"It sounds to me that you forgot about your anger management exercises," I said pathetically (why did I even bother with those anymore? It wasn't as if anyone actually used them). Sighing, I shook my head and stated, "Oh never mind - that's not important now. Just listen to me. I know I've been working with you on running away. And I know I've been explaining to you that running away is a bad thing. And it is a bad thing to run away from who you are instead of accepting who you are. It is also a bad thing to run away from relationships because you are afraid of getting close to someone since you don't think they will accept you for who you are, namely because you don't accept you for who you are.

"However, we also worked on learning to love and respect yourself and to work through your inferiority complex. Part of what we worked on is standing up for yourself in a way that is positive and constructive, not in a matter that is angry or destructive. Don't you think then, that something like being locked up for the rest of your life is something that maybe you should deal with by standing up for yourself in a positive and constructive way?"

"Well, obviously; that's what I'm trying to do!"

"Okay, sure, but don't you think that further fueling an illogical and pointless rivalry with Yuki which must cumulate in you using physical force against him in an attempt to shift your complexes might be more an angry, destructive way of handling the situation?"

"I don't know…what else am I suppose to do, huh?"

"That's what I'm trying to explain. I think that if you instead decide to do something positive for yourself – traveling while further enhancing your education – you will, as a result, be standing up for yourself in a very constructive non-negative way by not accepting being locked up no matter what. No ultimatums, no deals. See? You are a person that deserves happiness and respect, after all." I felt quite satisfied when I was done. After all, it must have been the first time that a member of this family actually said something that was actually logical. What's more, I was sure I had finally gotten through to someone in this family. I must have made sense. And I was sure Kyou would be the one to understand. The one they all thought was inferior would end up, ironically, being the smartest of them all. Or so I thought.

Unfortunately, Kyou didn't fully embrace the idea. He definitely pondered it, but something in him seemed doubtful, unsure. "I gotta go," he said abruptly, and turned.

"But wait – " but Kyou was already out the door, "Oh, forget it!" I yelled with an annoyed huff.

Once alone, I fell into thought. At once, I wondered why on earth I was still there, at the Sohma residents, suffering as I was. They were all hopeless, all of them. I tried to talk; they didn't listen to me. They talked; I had to listen to them. The whole thing was so depressing, so miserable, so frustrating that I was ready to snap. Not a single one of them had a shred of reason in them, not one of them had been enlightened to the greatness of logic and morality. And yet, as much as I hated it and hated them, I stayed. To be honest, I couldn't leave. But it wasn't because I was cursed as the jyuunishi were, drawn, or so it was said (I still believe there's a psychological explanation for it), to their god, Akito, and unable to defy her despite any wishes not to. No, I was cursed with something far worse and far more deadly.

I was cursed with obligation, a sense of responsibility. Worse of all, I was cursed with hope. For some unexplainable reason, I still felt I could help them, save them. It still lingered in the back of my mind. If I stuck it out a bit further, I would think, then maybe I could get through to them. Because of my conscience, I couldn't abandon them, and, because of my hope, I couldn't stop trying to help them.

Patient – Sohma Yuki; Session #124

Yuki always remained perfectly pleasant and polite during his sessions with me. He would lay on the couch flat on his back the entire time, resting his hands on his stomach and would feign listening to me, as if he was seriously taking what I was saying to heart. Hardly ever did he show anger or annoyance. It was oddly frustrating, as I knew it was all a façade, and I had been working on him to be more honest about his feelings. Yet, he seemed to constantly put a pressure on himself to be amiable and likeable. Except, that is, when we talked about Kyou, who was the topic at hand.

"I hate him because I'm the rat and he's the cat," Yuki said coolly, "There's really nothing else to it."

I sighed. "I think there is something more to it, though, Yuki."

"So you say…" Yuki muttered.

"Listen, Yuki, I believe it's important to discuss this irrational hatred you have for Kyou."

"It's not irrational; I just explained it to you."

"Well, firstly, it's not good to hate anyone; you waste a lot of energy when you do so. Secondly, it is irrational, for the only 'reason' why you hate him is because you were told you had to hate him for a reason that he has no control over." Yuki remained silent, so I continued. "It seems to me that you have developed this unhealthy prejudice toward Kyou – because he's the cat – as a way to make yourself perhaps feel better about yourself, hmm?"

Yuki frowned and glanced away. "I'm not the only one who feels this way. Nobody's ever liked the cat. Nobody does now. He doesn't belong. We can't all be wrong."

I wanted to shout at him that yes, they all could be wrong, very wrong. Instead, though, I said calmly, "Well, why doesn't anyone like the cat?"

"He's a monster."

"Just because he's different than you doesn't make him a monster. How about this question; what is it about Kyou that you don't like?"

"He's the cat."

I grimaced; we were going around in circles. I sighed and said, "I suppose there's nothing wrong with not liking a person. Everyone knows people that they don't get along with, sometimes just because they're not compatible. That's perfectly fine. However, it becomes unhealthy when it consumes you and you begin to wish harm on the people you don't like. That's when it escalates into hate, which is negative and usually indicates perhaps low self-esteem or a need to assert superiority. Is there something about yourself that is bothering you that you're not dealing with directly but instead expressing indirectly through hating Kyou?"

"No."

"Well, I can't help you, Yuki, if you don't tell me what's bothering you," I said seriously, but let out a laugh light to keep the atmosphere relaxed.

"It seems to me that something's bothering you…" Yuki muttered sharply. I hated when patients took it upon themselves to start analyzing you; I hated it more when they did it accurately.

"I suppose," I began cautiously but honestly, "Something is bothering me. I guess I don't understand how you or anyone else in this family could hate someone so much as to wish them to be imprisoned for the rest of their lives. Don't you think that that's wrong?"

"He deserves it…" he trailed off, sounding a bit uncomfortable. "Let's not talk about this anymore, please."

I tapped my finger on my desk. To be honest, I wasn't sure if I should continue pursuing the conversation. Sure, I had a lot to say on the subject (mostly about how locking up another individual simply because you did not like him was illegal), but I ultimately decided to let the subject go for the time being, as I didn't think I was doing any good arguing in circles, or arguing at all, for that matter. Perhaps I still clung to that little thing called hope, the hope that logic and reason would enlighten not just Yuki, but all the Sohmas, and they'd see how ridiculous they sounded wanting to lock up a seventeen year old based on some old folktale. Certainly thinking individuals wouldn't really do such a thing. So, I said to Yuki, "Sure, we don't have to talk about this anymore today. What would you like to talk about?"

"Nothing really, Kazuki."

"How about your relationship with Akito? How's that coming along for you?"

"Just fine…"

"Oh, is it?" I looked over at him and immediately felt a wave of depression; he was lying, I knew. Swallowing hard, I suppressed my own sadness, and asked, "Have you worked on overcoming your fear in regards to Akito?"

"No…I mean, uh, yes…"

"Well, its all right if you're still frightened," I then assured him, "What's important is that you don't let that fear control you, hence allowing Akito to control you. What Akito did to you was very wrong, but you can overcome that by reminding yourself that you are a good person who didn't deserve such treatment. When you begin to think of yourself in a positive way, you'll soon see you'll be able to cope and deal with things in a more positive way, remember?"

"I will try to do so, Kazuki." There he went again, pretending to be receptive, but by now, I saw through it.

"How about you list some of the qualities you like about yourself then, hmm?"

"I'm sorry, but I unfortunately have to leave," Yuki answered, suddenly sitting up, "I'm already running late, and I don't want to keep Miss Honda waiting."

"Oh, okay. That's all right. We'll just pick this up next time, then," I said as he went to the coat rack, took his jacket, and put it on. Quickly, I added, "I think it's very good you're spending time with Tohru. She seems like a good friend."

"Yes, she is, thank you," Yuki smiled genuinely for once. However, that sincerity was soon gone as he continued, "And thank you for such good advice, Kazuki."

"You're welcome…" I replied, suppressing my bitterness at knowing he hardly absorbed a word I said. "Have a nice day, Yuki."

"You too. Good-bye." With that, Yuki left. I frowned; 124 sessions and he hadn't changed a bit.