Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, the only things in this story I own are Amaya, Rei, and the story line this tale has taken to.
I would like to thank my reviewers (again) moonflower, Amandazh94, and Kitty Kyon Lover. Thank you so much! This is the longest chapter I've writted yet, almost 2000 words, where as I normally have around 1000. Whoot!
Chapter 6
A young maid walked into Hatori's room where he and Amaya were.
"Hatori is ready to see Amaya-san. If you wish, Amaya-san, Hatori-san may come also." The nurse bent down so she could look into Amaya's eyes. This nurse was kind, which was odd compared to the other maids, who acted spiteful and mean.
"You're new, aren't you? Akito hasn't turned you into an old hag. Neither do you detest me… Yes, you must be a new one." Amaya stared back at the nurse with a frightening, blank look. "And I think I will spare Hatori-ue a visit to Akito. I will be there in a few minutes."
"Y-yes, Amaya-san, I shall tell Akito." The maid walked away shocked, thinking of what Amaya had just told her. As she left, Hatori turned to Amaya.
"I wish you luck, Amaya. I regret that I couldn't have saved you from this." A guilty look escaped his unemotional front. Hatori knew he couldn't stand up to Akito and because of that felt weak and useless.
"Hatori-ue, it isn't your fault. Besides, I won't die, will I? I always get hurt, but have I ever been killed by Akito? He doesn't have the guts to kill me." Amaya scoffed at the idea of Akito becoming completely ruthless and just killing her already. That wouldn't happen, he liked to torture people, and she was an easy target.
Amaya watched Rei slink over to the door, to go around patrolling the place as she normally did. "Amaya-chan, if I see Megumi-san, I promise I will keep him outside as long as I can, so you may see him.
"Thank you, Rei-chan. Now, if you excuse me, I'm off to have tea with Akito, or so he says." Amaya marched off with Rei behind her, both readying themselves for their duties.
Tohru knocked on the door to Hana-chan's apartment. She had originally thought of calling, but this way if Megumi and Hana-chan decided to come, she and Kyo wouldn't have to meet them anywhere. Speaking of Kyo…
"Tohru-kun, how did you get to know the boy's address so easily?" Kyo looked at the door suspiciously until it opened.
"Hello, Tohru-chan." Hanajima was standing at the door, staring at Kyo. "I see you've brought him."
"What are you doing here!" Kyo stared at her, and then at Tohru, then back at Hanajima. "Did you get the wrong address, Tohru?"
"No, Amaya-san wanted to see Megumi-san, who is Hana-chan's brother." Tohru said as they entered the apartment
"Amaya-san? You know her?" Hanajima was curious to see if this was the same Amaya as the one she knew before. "Megumi said she had died." As the wave girl mentioned him, Megumi peeked his head out from another room.
"She did die, we were told by her cousin, Hatori-san." He stepped out of the room all the way and walked towards the hushed trio. "Tohru-san, you're back. But who is this? Is he your boyfriend?" Megumi looked at Kyo, who was blushing.
"N-no, Megumi, he is a relative of Amaya, and he's a friend…" Tohru was blushing as well, but was ignoring it, because she really wanted to help Amaya and have her see Megumi as soon as possible.
"Why don't we all go to my room and sit?" Hana-chan led the other three to her room, and they sat down around the table that rested before Hanajima's bed.
"Amaya is alive, and she wants you to visit her, Megumi." Tohru looked over to him, to see what he was feeling. Unfortunately, Megumi wasn't letting any emotion show.
"I will go see her, I suppose, but how is she alive?" Tohru smiled, Amaya was going to be happy.
"Well, you should know she was turned into a… neko, because she said that she was exposed as one to her whole school." Tohru stared out, trying to explain why Amaya wasn't dead.
"I wasn't there when that happened, I don't remember it. But I know I was sick the week she was reported dead." Megumi looked over to Tohru with a blank expression. She was surprised, to say the least.
"So, you never knew…" Tohru dazed off, wondering what Amaya would say when she found out Megumi had never known. "We might as well go see her now, if you don't mind." Megumi stood up.
"I don't. May Saki come?"
"Of course, Kyo and I will show you the way." Tohru also got up, as did Hana-chan and Kyo.
"Come on, let's go." They all walked out of the apartment and headed towards the subway.
"Why did you run away? You know you're not allowed to leave the main house!" Akito advanced on a kneeling Amaya who tensed up, getting ready to get beaten.
"Akito-sama, I only ran away because I felt that I needed some time alone." Amaya bowed her head respectively, not looking Akito in the eye.
"Liar! You went to see that boy, didn't you!" He grabbed Amaya's silvery tresses, pulling it to force her to look at him. "I told you not to leave! You disobeyed me!"
"I did not do it to defy you, nii-san. It was for my health. I did it for me." Amaya remained calm, she had gotten used to this treatment, and her hair was the least of her worries.
"For you! You are being selfish again! You are not meant to disobey me for any reason, let alone yourself! I am your god, you must listen to me!" Akito used most of his strength, and tossed Amaya across the room, making her crash into the wall.
Amaya landed on her arm, and a sickening snap was heard. She looked down, and saw blood gushing from her upper limb that was stinging agonizingly. 'He tossed me harder that usual… I think my arm is broken.'
"Dear sister, are you injured? Now do you feel the pain you bring to others? Doesn't it hurt?" Akito's voice had switched from loud and furious to calm and malicious. "I shall show you what the pain you bring is really like. It is not as pitiful as the pain that I have bestowed on you before.
"You mean you're going to kill me?" Amaya looked up at Akito, sick humor teasing him in her eyes. To stop the taunting, he indifferently stepped on her torso, cracking about four or five rib bones. But the look in her eyes was still there. "You don't have the guts to kill me."
"I never said I was going to kill you, instead I will beat you within an inch of your life, over and over again." Akito brought out a whip from the folds of his kimono and smirked evilly.
As Tohru and Kyo approached the gate of the main house, they didn't see Amaya, but Rei instead. She was sitting on the top of the gate, staring at them impassively.
"Rei-san, can you open the doors?" Tohru yelled up to the black cat. In response, she only got a nod of the cat's head. Then, Rei jumped down into the Sohma village. A few seconds later, the doors were opening themselves.
"Tohru-san, you have come, and Megumi-san is here, too!" Rei jumped up to get on top of Kyo's head. As she sat from her perch, Megumi stared at her.
"I never knew you talked." As Megumi and Hanajima stared at Rei, Kyo frowned; he had supposedly come to the main house, which he loathed so much, to be a jungle gym for a cat, great.
"No one did, now let's go. Amaya had to visit Akito, if she's done with him, she'll be in Hatori's office." Rei jumped off of Kyo's head and ran away. Everyone looked at each other and shrugged then ran after Rei, since none of them actually knew where Hatori worked, and they didn't want to lose their guide.
Once they had finally gotten to Hatori's workplace, they found that he was gone. Rei explained that he was probably getting Amaya from Akito's room, and that she would most likely be hurt but awake. Everyone sat and waited for about an hour until Hatori came back, having a maid carry Amaya, who was passed out and bleeding severely.
"What happened?" Megumi walked over to the maid and looked at Amaya. Her navy kimono was torn around her middle and back and was bloodstained, especially around her stomach.
The nurse put Amaya down in one of the patient beds and left. Rei noticed it was the same maid Amaya had frightened before, and she wore a look of shock the entire time.
"Akito hurt her, severely. Many of her rib bones are broken, as well as her left arm and her right leg. Her left ankle is also twisted, and her right arm is dislocated. She has lost too much blood from the numerous whip lashes on her stomach and back. There are a few deep cuts on her arms and legs, and there is a thin one on her neck." Hatori gave them the full report, paralyzing them all. "Her katana is gone, so Akito must have used it against her, or she tried to defend herself. She's never been this bad before."
Everyone looked over to Amaya, she did look really bad. Megumi walked over to the bedside and stared at her tail and ears. Finally, he took his hand and brushed it over both her ears and her tail. They were real, and covered in cat fur.
"Be well, Amaya-kun." Hanajima bowed her head as she gave her wishes to Amaya. Then she headed over to Megumi and quietly told him they should go. With a solemn nod to Tohru, they both walked out.
"I will make sure they make it out ok." Rei rushed after the two, wanting to be free of the uneasy silence that filled the room.
"Hatori, will she be alright?" Tohru walked over to where Megumi had been standing, tears in eyes. Hatori could only bow his head, before walking away to get bandages.
"Tohru-san, you and Kyo-kun had better go, I'll take care if Amaya." Hatori came back and gently shooed them out.
"Come on, Tohru-kun, we better go." Kyo grabbed Tohru's wrist and led her back to the gate.
"Yes, of course." She smiled sadly at Kyo and maneuvered Kyo's hand from her wrist. His eyes widened momentarily, and then he smiled sadly as well, slowing down so he could walk beside Tohru.
"Tohru, I promise you Amaya will be fine." They kept holding hand, walking back t Shigure's house.
To tell you the truth, I don't know how long this story is gonna be. I was hoping to get 20 chapters, because that would put this story in 20,000 words if I keep the chapter length around 1000, which I am. I don't really know, though. 'Cuz I hadn't really planned this story out. --' I'm so organised, aren't I?