Wow, it's been awhile since I wrote this - a long while! I apologize to everyone for keeping you all hanging, but I suppose life has been pretty hectic for me these last few months that I just didn't have the time to sit down and work on this. However, I am proud to announce that this story is finally finished! There are just four chapters left, including this one, which should all be posted by the week's end. I am both excited but sad for having completed it. Admittedly, I'll miss writing this story, especially Kazuki and all the Sohma's in all their craziness!

Without further delay, I give you another session with Kyou - enjoy and thanks!!!

Patient – Sohma Kyou; Session #127

"So it is true?" Kyou asked anxiously as soon as he sat down on the couch in my office for our meeting. "You're not leaving after all?"

A little over a week had passed since I had made my decision to reject Professor Jammerson's offer and remain in Japan with my family. It was now the very beginning of December, and outside there was a light snow flurry, although nothing substantial was sticking to the ground. Akito had not been by since our last session, which had left our relationship in quite an unsettling state. It seemed to me that I was becoming a bit of an insomniac due to it, as I would stay awake for hours just lying in my bed unable to sleep. I was plagued with relentless, gnawing thoughts; it was as if no matter how much I tried I could not turn my mind off even for an hour's sleep. At times, I would contemplate whether I was right in deciding to stay at the Sohma residency instead of undertaking the great opportunity offered by my former mentor. I also began to constantly question my motivations – was I simply trapped in a power struggle with my sick, mentally instable cousin? For small fleeting moments, I feared that I too was on the brink of slipping into insanity, but I was fortunately able to shake off such unpleasant notions through simple rationalization.

The fact that Akito had not come by for another session for about a week also caused me great concern. She typically stopped by at least every other day, so for her to stay away so long made me exceedingly uneasy and perhaps a smidge paranoid. I kept thinking that she was purposefully maintaining her distance to keep me in a state of constant apprehension. It was as if she was enjoying watching me squirm as I waited to see what her next move would be. Of course, this sounds absurd; as a psychiatrist, I shouldn't have allowed myself to think that a girl like Akito could play such mind tricks on me. If anything, I would try to reason, it was I playing mind tricks on myself. Yet, despite this, I couldn't help but have this vexing feeling deep within that Akito was in someway plotting against me. Add to this my new obsessive desire to receive approval from my mother, who seemed all together oblivious to my childish yearning, and I suppose one could say that I was maybe in need of my own therapist.

Nevertheless, with Kyou sitting eagerly in front of me, I decided to at last put aside my own confusing problems and focus on his instead. Addressing his question to me, I answered, "That's right, Kyou. As it turns out, I won't be leaving for awhile yet."

"But what about your professor's offer? You decided to turn it down?"

"I decided that it wasn't for me," I replied, a sudden distaste in my mouth that I'm sure showed in my face.

"Wow, you really are stupid," Kyou bluntly stated. "I mean, you actually had a chance to get out of here and you choose to stick around? And you're supposed to be the smart one." He crossed his arms and leaned back, but I could see a smile in his eyes.

"Yes, well, sometimes the easiest answer is not always the best answer," I tried to reason, but even I felt that perhaps I had been idiotic to reject such a fantastic opportunity.

"Sure, sure," Kyou rolled his eyes, but seemed quite satisfied by the situation. Then, for a moment, guilt flickered in his eyes. "Hey, you deciding to stay – it didn't have anything to do with me, did it?"

"Oh, no," I immediately answered, deciding it was best to fib a little so as to save him from any guilt he might feel from a more honest response. "I choose this for my own personal reasons."

"Good," Kyou said, "because I don't need you doing anything stupid for my sake. I can take care of myself, you know."

"Of course," I smiled.

Kyou then glared at me doubtfully. "It wasn't because Akito made you then, was it?"

"Certainly not," I instinctively snapped.

"Jeez, sorry," Kyou mumbled an apology, obviously surprised by my harsh reply.

"No, I – " I blushed, embarrassed by my rude answer. "I apologize for taking such a severe tone. I just wanted to stress that I am not subservient to Akito. As I've been saying all along, it is unhealthy for anyone, including yourself, to participate in such an imbalanced relationship."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Kyou again rolled his eyes, although he perked up a bit. "I've heard this all before."

"Yes, I know," I answered sincerely. "I'm afraid, however, that you have failed to apply this advice to your own life yet."

"Because it's stupid," Kyou retorted. "There's no way I could ever stand up to – it's just - well, isn't that why you really stuck around for?"

"Hmm?"

"You know – to handle all this Akito stuff for – uh, everyone...?" He concluded sheepishly and averted his gaze to my bookcase, acting as if he was intently interested at my collection of texts all of a sudden.

I blinked, a bit confused. "I'm afraid I'm a little uncertain as to your meaning..." I uneasily trailed off.

"Come on!" Kyou grew angrily impatient, jumping to his feet and clenching his fist. "You're the only one who has the nerve to do anything! The rest of us – we're – we're stuck – I don't know. It's like I said before – you're different. You've got all these crazy ideas and – surely you get it, don't you?"

"Kyou, I think you have got the wrong impression," I choked out, managing a weak chuckle and feeling oddly hot given the wintry weather.

"Oh, great," Kyou mumbled, slumping on the couch. "So you're a coward like the rest of us after all."

I grimaced at this conclusion. "No, I – "

"So you do have a plan, right? I overheard the others talking – "

"The others?" My frown grew more severe.

"Yeah," Kyou clarified for my sake before going on. "You know, Yuki and Haru and Momiji and Kagura. They say you've been plotting something against Akito all along."

"They have...?"

"Shigure, Hatori, and Ayame have talked about it, too. They were a little bit more skeptical at first, though. But with you actually deciding to stay now, they're absolutely certain you've got something up you're sleeve. Admittedly, I kind of thought you were too much of a wimp to try and do something as idiotic as defying Akito or anything like that, but I see now that you're actually kind of brave, even if it is still kind of moronic. Shisho says so, too. We're all just waiting to see what you're next move will be."

I let out a sickening string of laughter at Kyou's last statement. Was my family really talking about me that much? Could they honestly believe that I really had some grand plan to usurp my disturbed cousin? Had Akito warped each of their minds so much as to really convince them that all my psychiatric work to help them better themselves was simply a front to mask an underhanded devil trying to overthrow their god? To be truthful, I was simply lost for words; I had absolutely no idea what to say to my young, teenage cousin sitting across from me, who, it seemed to me, was the only one who would be even remotely gleeful at the notion that I was scheming against Akito. Of course, I at once felt the weight of such expectations, especially since, as Kyou put it, the rest of the family was anxiously awaiting to see what my next "move" would be.

Yet, as I looked at Kyou, I instantly recognized that Kyou was not, in fact, a victim of Akito's brainwashing. Instead, Kyou had succumbed to that which had plagued me for most of my time as the Sohma family's psychiatrist – hope. I recalled our previous session; he had it in his mind that somehow I could save him. With me staying, I had only reinforced this idea for him. Knowing very well that I had given very little thought as to what I would do when the time came for Kyou to be imprisoned (admittedly, the whole concept seemed so bizarre to me that I had found it hard to comprehend that such events were really set to unfold just a few short months away), I grew overwhelmingly depressed and surprisingly ashamed of myself for having amounted to nothing but another disappointment in Kyou's short life.

In the meantime, as I sat silently dumbfounded, Kyou grew impatient once more. "So, aren't you going to tell me what you're planning? I won't tell anyone, just so you know. I mean, if you think about it, it wouldn't really make sense for me to."

"I – I don't have a plan," I uttered, staring at him blankly.

"What do you mean, you don't have a plan?" Kyou questioned sharply.

"I don't have one," I repeated, voice distant and strangely without emotion.

"Then what? Are you just going to sit around and let me – " Kyou didn't finish, swallowing his words. "You know what? Never mind. This is all so stupid. I knew you were a wimp." I thought he would storm out at this, but he didn't. Instead, he crossed his arms again and stared out the window.

We were quiet for a long while. After some time, I finally offered, "Listen, Kyou – "

"Just drop it, okay?"

"But – "

"I said drop it," Kyou lashed out harshly, his cold glance shooting my way for a moment before returning to the soft flurries outside the window.

I respected his wishes for only a minute, but I could not control myself for long. "Kyou, I promise I will think of something," I blurted out without a thought.

Kyou raised a skeptical eyebrow, but there was a tinge of hope that returned to his eyes. "You will?"

"Well, I – " I bit my lip nervously, suddenly feeling uncertain about committing to a promise that I wasn't sure I could keep. However, growing resolute, I replied, "Yes, I will. After all, I'm sure that reason and logic will prevail in the end anyway..."

Kyou didn't seem all the convinced by this, but he appeared to soften a bit at my effort, no matter how pathetically weak it might have been. Giving me a half smile, he said, "Thanks, Kazuki. But, uh, you don't really have to worry about me."

"I don't mind, Kyou," I told him truthfully. "I really want to help you."

At this, Kyou grew both curious and suspicious. "Why is it that you want to help me all the time?" he asked.

"Pardon?"

"It's just weird, you know, because nobody else in this family seems to care about me except for Shisho. Even Kagura doesn't really care. They all just think of me as the cat. So I don't understand why you would care. I mean, I guess I appreciate it, but it seems like such a waste of time for someone like you. It doesn't make sense."

Blushing at this, I stammered, "Oh well...doing the right thing and all that. It's what decent people do. And it's important to not follow someone else blindly just because you're told to – a person has got to be an individual, stand up for what he believes in."

"Hmm," Kyou shrugged, unimpressed by my answer. "I guess you do get odd ideas from the West..."

I frowned, knowing that by suppressing my own feelings and giving my patient such a vague response to his reasonable question, I was being deceitful. So, sighing, I began awkwardly, "To be honest, Kyou, there's something else to it." I anxiously tapped my pencil on my desk as I noticed him look back over at me with intent interest. "You see, you kind of remind me...of me."

Kyou rolled his eyes for the third time that session. "That doesn't even make sense," he scoffed. "I'm the cat."

"Well, I can't say I understand everything, but I know from my own experiences that it's hard being looked down on all the time just because of something that you had no control over in the first place. And how frustrating it can be that no matter how much you try to prove everyone wrong, all they'll see is the stigma." As I finished, I felt an odd relief having actually said the words out loud.

However, before Kyou could reply, our session was interrupted by Kagura, who poked her head through the door. "I'm sorry to interrupt Kazuki, but – " She stopped mid-sentence as soon as she saw Kyou sitting on my office's couch. "Kyou, you are here!" she exclaimed, running over to him and embracing him tightly, much to his unhappiness. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to be here today? I had to find out from Momiji!"

"Maybe because I didn't want you to bother me," Kyou muttered, trying his best to yank his arm from her strong grip.

Kagura's temper flared at this remark, and she looked as if she was ready to throw my table (the one that replaced the one Akito had broken) at Kyou for being so disagreeable. However, I interjected by clearing my throat. "Kagura?"

The nineteen year old froze at the sound of my voice, suddenly remembering that I, too, was in the room. With embarrassment, she removed her grip from my table and grew bright red, recalling how she had, in the past, assured me on numerous occasions that she was making great strides in controlling her violent tendencies. "Oh, right...sorry, Kazuki."

"It's all right," I assured her, satisfied that she had been able to control her rage, if at least to humor me.

Growing tense, Kagura forced a smile (probably for my sake) and yanked Kyou's arm harshly, dragging him toward the doorway. "Come on Kyou. Let's go take a walk outside!" she ordered eagerly.

"So you can hit me there instead?" Kyou snapped.

"Don't be silly," Kagura laughed. "I don't hit you anymore! He says the silliest things, Kazuki, I swear!" I grimaced as Kagura went on, the edge to her voice melting as new romantic thoughts replaced her anger. "I just want to go for a quiet stroll with you, that's all. We can go to dinner, too! Won't that be fun?"

"No," Kyou candidly answered. "In fact, I can't think of anything that would be less fun."

"Now, Kyou, you should try to be a little bit more respectful of Kagura's feelings," I quickly attempted to advise before Kagura had time to muster a hostile reaction.

"Me be more respectful?" Kyou at once grew argumentative. "She's the one who's always bossing me around!"

"Yes, well, you should at least try to be a bit kinder in your responses to her," I instructed. Although not adequately prepared nor eager to do couple's therapy at the moment, I still turned to Kagura and offered, "And, Kagura, I think Kyou does have a point – you can't expect him to follow your every order."

Kagura pouted a bit, but soon denied this, "I don't expect him to follow my every order, Kazuki. He just exaggerates." Pulling at Kyou once more, though, she added, "But if we don't hurry up, it'll grow dark and it'll be too late for us to do anything!"

"I said I didn't want to – " Kyou began before sighing. "Oh, never mind. Fine. I'll go with you. But only for Kazuki's sake. The last thing he needs is to hear you yelling like a crazy woman."

"I am not a crazy woman!" She shouted loudly, eyes twitching violently. Remembering my presence though, she again repressed her aggression and faked a wide grin for me, saying, "See?"

"Perfectly," I managed, suppressing my own disappointment at how little progress Kagura had made over the last two years; such was the case, I suppose, with all my patients, though.

"Oh, before I forget!" Kagura then said unexpectedly, as she tried her best to remember the message she had been entrusted to deliver. "Momiji also told me to let you know that Yuki told him to tell you that he wouldn't be attending his session this afternoon."

"No?" I made quite a bit of an effort to keep from frowning. I was certain Yuki was trying his best to avoid me, as he must have never had any intention of seeing me again after confessing to not liking me all that much, among less flattering things. In a way, I suppose I, too, was relieved at his abrupt cancellation, because such a session would be exceedingly awkward for me, as well; after all, knowing that your patient does not like participating in your counseling sessions nor finds you in any way a decent, helpful person makes it quite difficult to work. "I guess I'll just have to reschedule with him, then."

"Stupid rat," Kyou mumbled softly, before demanding "Can we go now?" He wriggled his arm at last from Kagura's hold and grabbed his jacket from where it hung by the door.

"Yes! I know just where we'll go..." Kagura grew excited that Kyou was actually being compliant for a change as she skipped out the door, her date for the evening still seeming rather reluctant to follow. Slowly lingering at the door, he began, "Hey, Kazuki – "

"Come on, Kyou!" Kagura called from down the hall.

"Yeah, yeah!" he shouted to her before turning back to me. Not looking me in the eye, he stuffed his hands in his pocket, "I just wanted to say that, even though you're a stupid moron, I think you're a pretty all right guy after all. That's it, really..." The teenage boy left then, never shifting his gaze in my direction. At once, I felt both pleased that Kyou had faith that I would be the one to help him out of his unfortunate predicament and dread that I would ultimately end up as nothing but a disappointment for him. Of course, I had always hoped that I would be the one to save my family from their curse – it was, in a way, what had been driving me on for so long. Yet, to learn plainly that Kyou saw me as his only hope to save him from his cursed fate gave me much trepidation. It all of a sudden felt like such a heavy responsibility to carry.

In the end, while one's personal hope can be quite troubling and misleading in its own right, the hope that somebody else has for you is an all together different and much more deadly monster.