Good things come to those who wait! Apologies that I made you wait so long! I am out of school now so hopefully the pace will pick up a bit. I hope to have this story done before I return to school for the fall term… Thank you once again to those who have been reviewing. A special thanks to LibraryLady08, her review last week was the big motivator to get my act together and finish this story! I know this story is long, but we're in the homestretch people! Now that all the pieces are on the table how on earth will this story untangle itself?! To answer this question, may I present:
GONE…?
Chapter 18- The Birds and the Blasphemy
The dawn was breaking swiftly, a crimson glow tingeing the golden sky as the silver haired boy jogged down the lane. He had avoided the video cameras and security guards, having made sure to note the positions of each every time he had come to visit. Yuki panted softly as he dashed out onto the main road and quickly integrated himself into the thickening crowd of people. It was now nearly eight o'clock in the morning, the morning rush to work had begun. As he dodged through crowds and past alleyways, Yuki tried to think of where he might find Tohru. He didn't have much time! And once he did find her, how would he contact her without alerting Akito to his own whereabouts? As he puzzled over this, Yuki only just caught himself from running full on into a middle school girl. He apologized swiftly to the girl, whose only response was to gaze at him in awe and fascination of his natural good looks. As he took off once again, Yuki suddenly made a connection. There was school today. With any luck, Tohru would be leaving for school right now. If he was quick, Yuki would be able to head her off before she entered the building. He changed course and immediately began to sprint toward the school.
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Hatori and Shigure sauntered into the hallway before Akito's chambers just as a panting Kagura stepped through the door behind them. She looked rather disheveled, though they all seemed to look that way lately, Hatori thought to himself as he nodded to her. She swallowed nervously and nodded back. Together the trio entered the room. The rest of the Zodiac, or rather what was left of it, kneeled on cushions before a gloomy dais. Kagura nestled herself between a downcast Momiji and the ever defiant Rin. Hatsuharu lazily sat cross legged nearby. Hatori and Shigure joined an oddly solemn Ayame, his golden eyes asking a swift question from Hatori, but met with the slightest of headshakes. Ritsu cowered behind Ayame, afraid of what the gathering could mean, but too worried to apologize unnecessarily. Kureno sat the closest to the dais, his back straight and his eyes gleaming with a mild curiosity and a fierce loyalty. Hiro and Kisa huddled in the center of the room between the adults and the teenagers, trying to avoid body and eye contact so as not to upset the god. All eyes focused on the small dais.
Akito prowled quietly around the chair that stood in the center of the dais, pulling at the already tender nerves of the Juunishi. As they waited apprehensively for "God" to speak, Momiji took a hesitant glance around. He softly nudged Kagura's fingertips with his own, but as he opened his mouth to whisper something, Akito stopped. The god's eyes scanned the crowd, digging deeply into the souls of the congregation. The gaze rooted them to the spot and gave the sensation of being horribly exposed. Kagura shuddered involuntarily as Akito's eyes locked with hers for the briefest instant. When they all believed that they would not last another minute under the pressure, Akito's voice broke the unbearable silence. "Where is Yuki?" The voice was soft, but it cut sharply through the heavy atmosphere. Several of the Juunishi jumped slightly, others glanced around as though they might find Yuki behind the tapestry or something. When no one spoke, Akito spoke again, a more demanding tone, "Where is Yuki?"
It was Hatori who replied, his voice calm and even, "He was with us several minutes ago, but he told us there was something he had to do before he came to visit you, Akito."
"He would dare to be late when I call for my Juunishi?" Akito demanded, frustration evident. The females in the group tensed slightly at the anger they heard. "The Rat is always the first to God's side. How dare he skip out on my meeting? Find him! And bring him here at once!" The last part was shouted to the servants that stood in the shadow of the doorway. They bowed and immediately exited in search of the boy.
After several minutes of silence, the Zodiac members glanced anxiously at one another. Where had Yuki gotten to? What was so important that he had to deny Akito? He was sure to get himself hurt if he so obviously ignored the head of the Sohmas. Only Hatori and Shigure sat stock still, waiting for the inevitable response which came all too soon. The two servants returned to their posts and bowed respectfully to Akito and the others. "Forgive us Akito-sama, Yuki-san is nowhere on the grounds of the estate. We have searched everywhere and he is not to be found."
Akito looked absolutely livid. "Why?" Akito whispered, clutching the arm of the chair as though it were a lifeline. "WHY DO YOU ALL ABANDON ME?! Here I sit day after day, bearing the brunt of your curse… I AM DYING BECAUSE OF YOU AND YET YOU ALL DESPISE ME AND LEAVE ME!! Why do I deserve this? I thought I was special! You couldn't exist without me! But here you are all leaving me one by one. Well no more. I will NOT be ignored! You will give me the respect and attention that I deserve!" Akito's eyes were wild and the god's small chest was heaving frantically. Those wild eyes fixed on the man kneeling closest to him. "Kureno!" As the young man looked up at him questioningly, only the slightest glimpse of fear, Akito's words softened. "My little bird," the god almost cooed. "My faithful pet. Your wings have been clipped for far too long. You must have been so lonely, not truly being a part of us, fluttering uselessly on the Outside. Let me fix that."
Kureno's eyes widened as he realized the hidden meaning behind Akito's words. He tried to utter a protest, but before he could even see what Akito had done, he felt the tears pour down his face as his body and mind welcomed the return of a long departed spirit. The Curse had been placed upon him once more. All the other Zodiac felt the presence of the Bird as well. Their hearts called out their greetings to him. They felt the great sadness of Kureno, their cousin and comrade who had been freed and was now trapped in their confinement once more. Yet their spirits rejoiced at being reunited with their long lost friend.
"At last we are together again," Akito intoned. "With the Zodiac complete, perhaps the bond between us will be stronger." As the Juunishi composed themselves and Kureno silently grappled with the new thoughts and feelings of his spirit animal, Akito told them of what had passed. The Cat had been kidnapped in the middle of the night. Tohru Honda was obviously the one behind it since she wished to defy the Sohmas. She was a spiteful, evil girl and must be stopped immediately. She had even dragged their own Rat into her web of deception now. If any of them were to see her, they were to report to Akito. "I want this girl brought to me," Akito ordered. "Since I obviously didn't make myself clear the first time, I will make it now. Hatori, when I find her, you are to erase her memories immediately and without hesitation. She is a threat to this family!"
An imperceptible sigh escaped Kagura's lips as Tohru was convicted of the crime that Kagura herself had committed. She had been so afraid that Akito would know who the real criminal was. Akito seemed to always find out the truth, but this time, the head of house was so obsessed with Tohru Honda's "evil" nature that truth had been obscured. At the same time, a new fear came to Kagura's heart. She was free from shame at the price of Tohru Honda. If something were to happen to Tohru, Kagura would be the one to blame. A moment more brought Kagura to a sudden realization: Yuki had gone after Tohru. He probably knew that Akito would start a manhunt for the poor girl and had run to her side to protect her. After the quick surge of emotions, Kagura then calmed once more. If Yuki was with Tohru, everything would be all right. Yuki was truly the strongest one of the Juunishi whether others wished to agree or not. Kagura only hoped that Tohru and Yuki had found each other and were safe. When Kagura returned her attention to Akito, a sinister prescence had overtaken the dais. "The rest of you are not to leave the estate for any reason without my express permission, under the severest punishment. If I find out that someone in this family has been helping Tohru Honda or the Cat, they will answer to me." Though Akito did not explain further, the look the Zodiac found in their master's eyes was enough to scare away all hopes for freedom and half-baked plans of escape.
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He caught sight of the girl at the same moment that he registered the suspicious man trailing her. The school was just around the corner and if Yuki didn't act quickly, there would inevitably be a lot of questions he was not prepared to answer. Swiftly, Yuki caught up to the man that was following Tohru and Arisa Uotani. Without a sound, the man fell to the cement, unconscious. Lightly, Yuki crept up behind the girls and lay his hand gently on Tohru's shoulder. The girl jumped nearly a mile high and Uo had turned around with a menacing glare before the two realized who had snuck up on them. "Yu… Yu-Yu-Yuki-kun!" Tohru stuttered, red in the face and looking like she had seen a ghost. "What? What are you doing here?"
"Saving you," he whispered, afraid of bugging devices or any other way Akito could identify them. "Honda-san, I think Akito has finally lost his mind. I think he wants to kill you."
Aha! Yuki and Tohru have been reunited, the Zodiac is complete, and now the fun really begins! I apologize for the short chapter, but there will be more coming shortly. The writers block I had before is dissipating so perhaps I will have another chapter in the next two weeks if all goes well! Please review for me and let me know how I am doing or if I left anything out!