Alas, I have outrun my deadline once again. My sincerest apologies. I have a legitimate excuse this time though: My computer died and I had to send it to California to get it fixed. Damn Toshiba laptops. Don't ever buy one. They fall apart. Anyway, here is the third to last chapter! Please enjoy!
GONE…?
Chapter 22- Release Me
The scene was becoming rather familiar to Uo who now stood, shivering with anticipation outside the formidable walls of the Sohma compound. Yuki was squatting on the ground near the bushes with a stick in his hand. He was mapping out the plan for the umpteenth time, making sure everyone knew their part. "Ok, so Haru will meet us on the inside. He is going to take Hana-san and me to Hatori's house. He will also be keeping watch for us. Uo-san, you will follow Honda-san to the main house where she will see Akito. Do not go inside unless absolutely necessary. Kyo, you need to find the rest of the Zodiac and discreetly bring them to the banquet hall. Hatori, Hana-san and I will meet you there. Honda-san, please be careful. Remember, we are going to need some time to get this to work… if it's going to work…." he trailed off ominously, afraid to hope that this foolish plan might actually succeed.
Everyone nodded. They clasped hands briefly and Tohru said softly, "Everyone do your best ok?" She smiled sweetly and they all smiled a little in spite of their situation.
"We'll meet in the banquet hall in twenty minutes," Yuki concluded before crawling through the bushes to the interior of the Sohma Estate. They all followed suit after they heard a soft whistle that meant all clear.
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The young maid saw them emerge on the Inside before they saw her and she immediately turned and rushed to find Shigure, thankful that she would be done with the horrible task that he had set for her.
She discovered Shigure in his rooms with the masters Hatori and Ayame. Their lively chatter died off as she bowed politely before them. "P-pardon the intrusion. I came to ask if Master Shigure would care for some green tea?" She felt silly asking only Shigure, but he had invented the codeword, not her. She saw the man stiffen slightly before he relaxed and said, "No, I believe I'll pass. Gentlemen?" Hatori shook his head solemnly and then stood, "I really should be getting back to my place anyway."
"What? You're leaving me Tori-san?" Shigure asked in a playfully hurt voice.
"Never fear, Gure-san!" shouted his silver-haired cousin. "I shall always remain at your side!"
"Oh Aaya, I knew I could always count on you!" Shigure replied joyfully, as he went to embrace Ayame.
The maid looked rather stunned at their antics. She didn't know whether that was her cue to leave or if she should stay for further orders. Hatori merely shook his head in embarrassment. "You two are idiots."
The maid took this as her dismissal and bowed again before turning tail and leaving as quickly as her serving kimono would allow. Shigure had not forgotten her, though. His mind raced quickly about how to intercept Tohru in time.
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Tohru's heart beat quickly as she ascended the steps of the main house. She knew what she was about to do, and her choice stood firm. She had not told the Sohma's everything. She had been afraid to. They certainly would not approve, but there was no time for second guessing. She would go through with it. To save her family.
The halls were quiet. Uo paced alongside her silently. When they reached the wide doors of Akito's rooms unscathed, Uo paused. She glanced at Tohru with concern as the smaller girl braced herself. Tohru hugged her quietly and then motioned for her to stay outside. Uo's frown deepened, but she took her position by the door, tapping her watch as if to say, "Remember they need time." As quietly as she could muster, Tohru carefully slid the door open. Not surprisingly, Akito was awake and was sitting, back turned, on the sleeping mat. Nothing but a small lamp lit the large room, and Tohru had to squint to make out the shadowy figure.
Yet, Akito heard her. As the girl paced closer, a wide smile graced the lips of the head of the Sohmas. Akito had known that the girl could not stay away from Sohma property for long. Quietly, long slender fingers, shakily tugged a dagger from plush robes. Despite the longing to end the wretched girl's life, Akito did not want to be shown as a murderer. Instead the god whispered calmly, lazily almost, "Good evening Tohru Honda." Let her believe she was a guest a little while longer. She would not leave the room alive.
Tohru started slightly as Akito's soft voice carried through the empty room. She knelt several paces away from where the god sat motionless and bowed her head to the floor. Begging her voice not to tremble she responded, "It is good to see you again Akito-san."
Akito chuckled darkly. "I'm sure. I thought I made it quite clear at our last meeting Honda, that you were not to appear before me or any of my family again. And yet here you are sneaking into my chambers without even requesting an audience in the middle of the night. I have tried to be fair, but you are trying my patience. I will give you five minutes of my time. What do you want?"
Tohru took a deep breath. "I understand the consequences of my actions Akito-san and I am willing to pay the price no matter what it may be. I am sorry that I entered your home uninvited and I am sorry that I am disturbing you. Akito-san… I know that you hate me. I know that you wish me nothing but ill, and for a long time I could not understand why, but then I understood. You are afraid of me aren't you, Akito-san? You think that I am going to take your family away from you. Being alone is scary and I would never wish it upon anyone else, not even you Akito-san. I don't want you to be alone. Akito-san, the Juunishi are frightened and confused. You are so afraid to let them go that you unintentionally are suffocating them. Let them go, please Akito-san I beg of you. Let them go and find their own paths and take me in their place. I will be your constant companion and do anything you ask of me. Please accept my proposal, I beg of you!"
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Saki Hanajima slid gracefully along behind Yuki and his cousin. She admired Hatsuharu's dark clothes and fashionable pendants when the boy was walking next to her. Though Hana was a rather ominous person by nature, she had a deep appreciation for fashion, preferably when the clothes came in black. When they reached a small house in the corner of the estate, Haru stepped forward and knocked on the door. There was no answer. He next tried the door, but it was locked. "Damn it all Hatori," Haru muttered as he scratched the back of his head trying to decide where to look next.
Yet before the teens could decide on the next course of action, a voice behind them said, "What are you kids doing here?" They turned to find two security guards that usually patrolled the perimeters of the estate. One of them grabbed Hana roughly by the shoulder and told her in a controlled tone, "No one except the Sohma family and authorized employees are allowed in this estate."
The other guard glanced the boys over sternly. He, of course, recognized them both. "Yuki Sohma-san, I had word that you had left the premises. We are to inform Akito-sama of your arrival and you are to follow us. I'm giving you the choice to comply or leave the grounds at once." Yuki paled at the idea of following them to Akito's den but he also had no intention of leaving. As he tried to come up with a way out of this situation that didn't end in both men being unconscious, a third voice entered the discussion.
"That won't be necessary gentlemen." The security guards whipped around to find a tall and stern looking Hatori behind them. "I was just about to escort Yuki and his friends to Akito personally. Your attendance is not required." The guards seemed to wish to argue the point, but thought better of it when they looked Hatori in the eye. They nodded grudgingly and let the four of them pass.
When they had walked out of earshot, Hatori turned to his cousins and demanded, "What are you doing here? Are you trying to get yourselves locked away for a couple years?"
It was Haru who answered. "Hatori, we have ten minutes before we plan on breaking the Curse. Tohru is here and Kyo. All of the Juunishi are going to meet us in the banquet hall in that time."
"You have been listening to Shigure's wild stories for too long," Hatori returned harshly. "There is no way to break the Curse. Only God can do that and I have no doubt that Akito plans on keeping us until we die, so what makes you think you can change that?"
Hana gazed serenely at the doctor as she said, "You are going to help us. Your power heals while mine rends. You will guide me in separating the souls of the damned."
Hatori blinked in astonishment at the clarity and conviction in the young girl's voice. "I'm going to do what?!?"
Yuki was glancing around nervously for any other nosy guards or maids that may be on duty at this hour. "Hatori we'll explain on the way, but right now we have seven minutes, maybe less before we need to meet up with everyone." And so the four of them hurried past the quiet buildings and on to the banquet.
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Once Shigure had finally disentangled himself from Ayame, the Dog ran around the main house, ensuring that all the serving staff were abed and all the security guards had been sufficiently paid off to ignore any commotion that may occur in the house. As he bustled back in to the main house he heard hushed voices in the lighted banquet hall. They sounded angry, and even in his human form, Shigure could smell the stench of fear. He wrenched open one of the rice paper doors causing all the family members that had been standing there to scramble put pf the way like a flock of startled pigeons. They all let out a sigh of relief to find it was only him and not the person they had all been dreading would find them. "Shigure!" a couple of them said in surprise and exasperation. He merely nodded and walked to the center of the room where he was surprised to see Yuki and Kyo back to back, trying to calm people down.
"Shut the door you, dumb mutt!" Kyo growled as he tried to get everyone's attention again. Only when he complied did the explanation continue. "Look, I know this sounds ridiculous and we have no proof that it will work for sure, but the psychic said that she can separate our minds from the zodiac spirits. If she can separate the two then we may not transform. Even if we can't be free from Akito, we can move around in normal society without fear of crowds or the opposite sex. It's worth a shot right?"
The rest of the family didn't seem convinced. "I'm not letting some witch play with my mind on a maybe, Cat," Rin told him straight up.
"Even if we can go Outside again," Momiji offered, "Akito won't let us will he?"
Yuki's face softened at the concern of his young cousin. "Well you see, Tohru had a great idea. She said that if we can trick Akito into believing he has no power over us, he will give up and let us go."
At the mention of Tohru's name the mood in the room lightened considerably. "Is Tohru-san here?" Ritsu asked hopefully. Yuki nodded. "She is with Akito."
Kyo nodded his resolve to Hana and Hatori as he turned his back to his family. "The Cat has always been the least liked member of this family anyway. If you need a test subject, I'll do it. I'd rather be dead than stay a monster for the rest of my life."
He knelt before them and as Hana placed a gentle hand on Kyo's forhead, he whispered only so she could hear, "If this doesn't work, get her out of here. Don't let him hurt her." Hana closed her eyes in consent. "I have already sworn on my life that I will protect her."
With that Hatori put his hand on Kyo's head and the two of them began. Hana saw images of doors being flung open and brief sensations of falling, of pain, of joy, and of sadness. She followed Hatori's beckoning through the labyrinth that was Kyo's conscious mind. Suddenly they came to an open space and Hana became very frightened, an emotion she was not very familiar with. There before her, in a cage made of red and white beads, was the most hideous creature she had ever seen. Her first instinct was to flee, but Hatori's sheer force of will made her stay. She heard distant voices as though the doctor was speaking to the beast. Suddenly, it turned and looked right at her. She felt a flurry of emotions cascade upon her and in them she heard a singular phrase: "Release me!"
And so all the pieces are now in place. Will Akito accept Tohru's offer? What is Shigure's plan for Tohru? Can Hana release the monster within Kyo? Find out soon, and in the mean time, review!!! I will post the next chapter quickly if I get lots of reviews!