Sorry it took so long! I've been busy, busy, busy! When you work an 8 hour job Monday-Friday, by the time you come home your brain is fried! Especially when ½ of the day is spent translating English to Spanish and back again. Anywho, I was astonished by how many people said that Ch. 7 was their favorite! Also, many people have grown attached to Koga who is my own character. Seeing as the goal of this story was initially to hone my writing skills by working on creating believable characters, those reviews made me very happy! So thanks so much and here's Chapter 8!

GONE…?

Chapter 8- Summons from Beyond

After a quiet lunch, Tohru turned at last to say farewell to her foster family. She hugged Kameko tightly wishing her new friend the best, and though Tohru said she would return the clothes she had borrowed, Kameko would not hear of it. "They are yours to keep and remember us by," she told Tohru with a smile. When Koga trudged out to see her off, Tohru was unsure what to say. She remembered that he had asked her to be his girlfriend, but she didn't think it would work out between them, especially since they lived so far away. He was a very nice young man, but Tohru didn't really return his feelings. "Koga-kun, um, I apologize for being such a burden to you and I'm sorry that we, um, that is to say, uh," she stuttered trying to find a way to say this.

"Don't worry about it," Koga said quietly facing away from her. "And you were never a burden. I'm happy to have met you. You're so easy to talk to I may have overstepped my bounds when I asked you about, you know, being my girlfriend and all. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, er, well I may never see you again, but if I do, maybe we can be friends?"

Tohru's face lit up, "That would make me so happy! I really do hope we can meet again, Koga."

He clasped her hands gently with a sad smile and let her go. She waved to her new friends and climbed into Hatori's car, settling herself between Yuki and Kyo. On the drive home everybody was relatively quiet. Hatori and Shigure were trying to understand what Akito meant by having someone try to kill Tohru. What was his game? Kyo was more concerned with how to prevent this from happening again. Yuki kept what he was thinking to himself, chatting quietly with Tohru and along with Kyo filling her in on what had been happening while she had been away.

"Oh, I'll have so much schoolwork to catch up on!" she cried when Yuki told her about school. "I can't believe I fell so far behind! And midterms are coming up soon! I need to study hard so I can pass the exams for Mom!"

"Tohru-kun, tonight you will do nothing of the sort!" Shigure said lightly. "You are going to relax and have fun and you are not to overexert yourself."

"But-"

"Shigure's right for once," Hatori said. "You shouldn't worry about everything. Just take it easy, if only for tonight."

She sighed, but deep down she knew they were right. Her mother would have said the same thing.

In the days that followed, any thoughts of sinister plots or people out to get her were driven from Tohru's mind. There was much activity in the ever-lively Sohma house to behold. Many of the Sohma relatives came by to see her and hear of her adventure though, as a safety precaution, Hatori had suggested that it be better to leave out any details concerning Akito. By now, Akito most likely knew exactly what happened, but the storm had yet to hit. Uo and Hana had come to spend the night again and had plenty to say about her story.

"Who was it that scared you?" Uo had demanded, fists clenched. "We'll teach him to ever mess with our Tohru!"

"What of this Koga boy?" Hana wanted to know, treating the situation like a romance novel. "Was he handsome? Were the Sohmas jealous?"

Tohru tried her best to answer their questions, but there were large gaps in her story that they were quick to notice. However, for Tohru's sake, they dropped the subject but kept it to brood upon another day.

Finally, things started to get back to normal. Yuki was smiling again, though he had fought with Kyo (again), Shigure was back to making snide remarks about everything and anything, but Kyo was unstable. One day he would withdraw, letting the boys at school tease him and allowing Yuki's derogatory comments to wash over him with out a sideways glance, but other days the slightest disturbance would set him off, and it would always happen while he was around Tohru.

Finally, one night while Yuki was studying in his room and Tohru was hanging up her school uniform, Kyo climbed up onto the roof. He was trying to calm himself after a massive bout of rage at everything in sight. Get a grip, Kyo, he was telling himself. Just act natural. I can't keep going off like a time bomb or she'll be afraid of me again. He took some deep breaths and thought about martial arts. That always seemed to calm him down best. Right punch, left mid-block, and kick! He went through the movements in his mind reliving his training and sighed.

"Kyo-kun?" came a quiet voice.

"Hmm? Tohru?" he asked, sitting upright. She was looking up at him from the ladder that was leaning against the side of the house. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just was worried about you. You seem… upset." He stared at her, unsure what to say. "Is it something I did? Have I said anything that made you unhappy? Or Yuki-kun?" she asked, coming to sit carefully on the roof.

"No, it's… it's nothing like that, it's just… I'm not very good at this sort of thing, you know, expressing myself or whatever."

"I didn't mean to pry," Tohru said, getting up from her perch next to Kyo.

"No, wait!" he cried, tugging at her sleeve. "I mean, you don't have to go. I'm not mad at you. I… I don't know what to feel anymore. It's like one minute everything's fine and the next I'm losing control! I hate not being able to do anything about it."

Tohru sat back down. She was so close; Kyo could feel the warmth emanating from her body. She made him feel safe. "Kyo-kun, you can tell me anything. I mean, I may not be of much help but I'm a really good listener!" she blurted out. "I mean Mom always said to be open and not to be too mistrusting of others but maybe I'm not the right person to be talking to after all and perhaps someone else would be better."

"Ah…" He had no idea what to say. It was like someone had taken his tongue out and replaced it with a stick of lead. "I… I…" What am I trying to say? he asked himself. "You know, you don't have to worry about everyone else all the time!" he shot out. Stupid, stupid, stupid! shouted that little voice in the back of his mind. "No, that's not what I wanted to say, I'm sorry!" he said at her confused expression. He sighed deeply. "I don't understand. It's like every time you come around I get all worked up and I don't know why and it makes me even angrier because I don't why and then I just blow up! I don't know what to do! That's what's bothering me. And then that stupid rat comes along and makes everything worse! I hate that stupid Yuki with his prissy boy attitude like he's better than I am!

"And Shigure and Hatori, everybody since I was a little kid have always made fun of me. 'Oh look it's the cat boy; there's nothing special about him. He'll never be part of the Zodiac.' I hate being the Cat, I hate this family and I hate that I can't get away from them!" He was breathing heavily, almost dry sobbing, but he had said almost everything he had had on his mind.

"Mom used to tell me the story all the time when I was little," Tohru replied. "And I would always cry when she told me about the Cat. It wasn't fair that the Cat couldn't go to the banquet. I always wished I could be a Cat instead of a Dog. But Kyo-kun isn't just a Cat. Kyo-kun is Kyo-kun too and you should be able to do what you like. Kyo-kun is as special as Yuki-kun. Yuki-kun isn't just a Rat either. You are both people, you shouldn't have to hide that and you shouldn't have to fight Yuki-kun to be one of the Zodiac because your animal doesn't make the difference, it's who you are. You are a wonderful person Kyo-kun. So are Yuki-kun and Shigure-san and all the other Sohmas. I'm so happy to know you all." Her eyes were bright as though she might cry, but she didn't, her face held firm.

Kyo couldn't help but smile. Her humbleness and eternal optimism was the guiding light he knew he could always count on. "You always know just what to say," he murmured under his breath. Whether she heard or not, he would never know. Aloud to her he said, "Maybe I should be able to just be me, but Akito doesn't think so, and Akito is the one who decides what we are. One day though, I'll show Akito and everybody else that I'm not just a Cat!"

She beamed at him in approval, glad that she could help. His eyes were sparkling with excitement again and she knew that this was the real Kyo shining through his disguise. He smiled at her in thanks, and she blushed in amazement. She could count on one hand how many times he had smiled, truly smiled before. "Well, I… I better get back to studying, it's getting late!" And with a final good night, she descended from the roof again.

Oh God, Kyo thought as he watched her slip back into her room, I think I'm in love with her.

………………………………...

When Tohru entered her room again, she found a note taped to the inside of her door. Wondering what it could possibly say, she took it off the door and read:

Tohru Honda-san,

You are requested to visit the Sohma estate tomorrow at noon along with any of the other Sohmas you are presently living with in order to meet with the head of the family about a very important matter. Please do not be late.

There was no signature at the end. Tohru sat down and reread the letter, wondering what she should do. Of course she would go because it said the matter was important, but whether or not she should tell the others that they were also invited was another matter. Naturally someone would have to come with her. On Shigure's orders she was not allowed to leave the yard without an escort especially after recent events, but should everybody come?

In her year of living with the Sohmas, Tohru had learned a few things, one of which was that not everybody was to be trusted. Also, some intentions may start out as good, but may not always end that way. Glancing at the clock on her desk, Tohru saw it was now almost midnight. She would have to bring the matter up with the family at breakfast tomorrow. Her studying would have to wait as well; tonight she was just too tired and had too much to think about.

………………………………...

The morning was gray and rainy when she awoke feeling tired and worn. It was seven thirty now but she felt as though she had only just closed her eyes. Tohru got up and got dressed trying to get her flow of optimism going again. I get to go to the Sohma house again, she thought idly as she brushed her long, soft hair. Maybe I'll be able to see Kisa again or Ritsu-san. That cheered her up. Yes, I just need to stay positive and maybe nothing bad will happen. Maybe Akito-san only wants company.

Kyo was already downstairs when she went into the kitchen. "Good morning, Kyo-kun. You're up early again."

"'Morning," he yawned, listening to the newscaster babble on about how the rain should clear up by mid afternoon. The rain always made him tired and subdued.

The smell of breakfast brought Shigure out of his study where he was already at work on yet another of his books-to-be. "Ah, our beautiful flower is making us breakfast. What would we do without you, Tohru-kun?" he asked dramatically.

"Starve?" answered Yuki who had come down the stairs behind Shigure.

"Good morning!" Tohru greeted them both. "Breakfast is almost ready and then I have something to tell you all."

"Oh?" said Shigure over his newspaper. "What might that be?"

Kyo flopped down in the space at the end of the table as Yuki went to help Tohru bring breakfast to the table. When they were all seated Tohru took the note from the pocket of her apron and handed it to Shigure as she told Yuki and Kyo, "I've been summoned to the Sohma house again today at noon."

Yuki dropped his chopsticks and Kyo broke his in half. Shigure was reading and rereading the note as though to find some loophole around it, but finally he surrendered and placed the note in front of him. "Well it seems there is no two ways about it. Tohru is to go to Akito today and we can join her if we choose, which in Akito's terms means we have to go."

"No way she's going back there!" Kyo snarled. "Akito will kill her Shigure!"

"He's right, we know Akito isn't one to just want company!" Yuki agreed loudly.

"Now, now boys we don't know what Akito wants but we can't ignore this request," Shigure said calmly. "We won't let anything happen to Tohru-kun all right?"

Tohru stood up and said, "Thank you for worrying about me, but I don't want to upset anyone by not attending. I'm sure whatever happens everything will be all right. I understand if you don't want to go."

"You can count me in, Honda-san," Yuki said quietly. "I won't let you go alone."

"Me either, I'm coming," Kyo announced, glaring at Yuki as though daring him to say otherwise.

"And naturally as your guardian I will have to escort you," Shigure said.

"B-but it might be dangerous, I don't want you to get into any trouble on my account," she stuttered, flattered by their loyalty.

"It's our family Honda-san, we want to be there with you," Yuki replied, and that settled the matter.

Oooh! I'm probably gonna get a couple of unhappy comments for cutting it off here, but I like cliff hangers, it helps build suspense. What does Akito really want? Will Tohru discover the truth behind the Head's treacherous plot? Tune in next chapter to find out!