Pet Shop Of Horrors Fan Fiction / Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Long Denied ❯ The Rat and the Cat ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Petshop of Horrors X-over Fruits Basket

Long Denied
Chapter 5: The Rat and the Cat



Head of the Family- Akito 5
Dog-Shigure 10
Snake-Ayame 10
Dragon-Hatori 10
Rat-Yuki newborn
Boar-Kagura 2
Horse-Rin 3
Monkey-Ritsu 2

Cat-Kyou newborn



Hatori-




"I had a dream last night." Shigure told them softly.

On a bridge that crossed the tiny river, which meandered through the estate, Hatori spent the evening with his two friends. Shigure shouldn't have been out, Hatori was sure of that. He was still sick from the flu he'd caught just a few days ago, but no matter what Hatori had said, Shigure had insisted on coming to the river only telling Hatori that he wanted to look at the water.

Hatori had always liked looking into the water.

It wasn't a large river, by any stretch of the imagination, but it was just the right size and depth that the water was black at night and Hatori could see his reflection as he leaned over the edge and gazed down himself. His reflection was dark and looked up at him with sadness that seemed so deep that Hatori looked away. 'It's stupid.' He thought. 'I shouldn't be sad. Father died a long time ago, he can't hurt me anymore. I moved into my own house last month and mother can't hurt me anymore. Everything's looking up, so...why do I still feel sad all the time?'

"A dream? What of?" Ayame asked Shigure. Ayame was sitting on the railing of the bridge, swinging his legs almost carelessly on one side of Hatori while Shigure sat on the bridge at Hatori's feet. Shigure, like Hatori, was looking down at the water, though he seemed to want a closer look. When he spoke, Shigure was holding onto one of Hatori's legs and leaning out as far out over the water as he could get, staring into the black depths.

"The one I love the most."

Hatori and Ayame both turned to look at Shigure, surprised by the confession and Shigure's serious tone. Shigure was the type of person who threw the word love around a lot, but he sounded so serious this time and he didn't laugh when he said it. He just kept staring at his own reflection and Hatori wondered what Shigure was thinking about. What did he see when he looked at himself?

Sometimes, Hatori was afraid he was losing touch with Shigure and that frightened him. Hatori didn't like the thought that his friend was growing away from him, but there were times that Hatori would look at Shigure and he could see something odd and untouchable in Shigure's eyes. It was as if Shigure was thinking about something that Hatori couldn't even imagine, something that was so vastly beyond Hatori's conception that Shigure didn't even bother to mention it to him. Shigure would smile when he noticed Hatori looking at him, a smile that was meant to reassure Hatori that all was right and nothing had changed between them.

Hatori knew better.

Something had changed. Shigure was less moody that he was before and less prone to depression. Before Toma's dead, almost a year ago, Shigure had been prone to crying and fits of anger, like many of the cursed Souma's. He was a child and he acted like one. Since Toma and Junko's deaths, though, Shigure had very suddenly become happier. At least, on the outside. He laughed and played pranks with Ayame at school, he never said a harsh word to anyone, but Hatori could see it. Shigure was hiding something.

"'Gure, since when did you fall in love?" Ayame asked with a teasing tone, without a hint that he'd seen anything odd in Shigure's confession. He put one arm over Hatori's shoulder and turned enough that he could look at Shigure over Hatori's back. "Who is it? You never said a word to either of us, I know, because if you'd said anything to 'Tori, he'd have told me."

Shigure's reflection smiled, but it was a sad smile. "It doesn't matter. Nothing will come of it."

"I don't want to talk about dreams." Hatori said softly, not really thinking that Shigure would listen to him. Shigure was as stubborn as Aya, but he was also smarter, which made dealing with him harder. "I want you to go back to bed." He wanted so much to believe that all this was just Shigure's fever talking, but he couldn't quite convince himself.

Hatori could see the stars in the water along with Ayame's back and his long hair blowing softly in the wind. Ayame didn't like looking at the water at night. He said he saw to much of himself in his reflection. One might not guess it, but Ayame hated mirrors. He hated looking at himself.

Shigure leaned his cheek against Hatori's bare leg and chuckled weakly. "I'll go back soon, I promise, Hari." Hatori was worried, he could feel Shigure's feverishly warm skin against his leg and Shigure was still so weak. "I just wanted to look. I...I really have to make a hard choice and I wanted you two to help me decide."

"Help with what?" Hatori asked.

"Tell me what you dream." It wasn't exactly a question, but Shigure didn't look up at them, he seemed so fascinated with his own reflection in the water.

It was an odd request, but Shigure was hard to deny. Hatori looked at Ayame, wishing that Ayame would be the first, but Ayame, too, looked uncomfortable with the question.

"I dreamed," Hatori started, softly, "Of a place...filled with water." He paused, waiting to see if either of his friends would laugh at him, but neither did. The silence stretched until Hatori continued, blushing now that he realized how foolish his dream was and how stupid he must sound to be telling it. "It was...warm. Warm all around me. I liked it. There wasn't anything cold or hard; it was like floating in a giant tub of warm water. I felt so safe."

Shigure was quiet for a moment, either not paying attention or thinking very deeply about what Hatori had said. "What about you, Aya?" Shigure asked. "What do you dream about?"

Ayame looked away, unable to meet Shigure's eyes. "I dreamed of a person, just like you did. But I didn't like my dream."

"Did they try to hurt you?" Hatori asked, worried that Ayame might have had a nightmare.

"No." Ayame closed his eyes and looked down at his feet. "They didn't even see me. No matter what I did, no matter how loud I yelled or how stupid I acted, this person couldn't see me. I hated it. I did everything I could do to get his attention, but he just looked right through me. I started to think that maybe I wasn't even there. Maybe I was a ghost and maybe I had died and didn't even know it. Maybe I'd never been and was just apart of someone's imagination." Ayame's hand crept over until it landed on Hatori's hand, clasping it tightly. "I didn't like that dream. I didn't like it at all." Then he shook his head and smiled at Shigure who still stared at his reflection. "So?"

"So?" Shigiure finally looked up and gave Ayame a puzzled look. "So, what?"

"So, aren't you going to tell us? Who is this mysterious person you've fallen in love with? People don't just dream about each other without a good reason, you know."

Shigure smiled back. "I'll tell you if you tell Hatori who you dreamed about."

"Nevermind." Ayame blushed and looked away again. How strange to see him so shy. "I'm not all that curious."

Shigure tightened his arm around Hatori's legs and leaned down a little further to the water "Do you know what I want?" Shigure, once again, abruptly shifted subjects as he lowered his hand to the water until his fingertips skimmed the surface of the water and sent ripples out in all directions. Shigure laughed softly. "Look, Hari! My ripples touched you!"

It was true. The ripples Shigure made spread over the water and broke up the image of Hatori's face. Not only did the ripples disrupt Hatori's face, but also they kept moving outwards, away from Shigure, breaking up the images of Ayame's back, the trees, the few houses that were close enough to the water to be reflected, and even the moon. The ripples went on and on, until Shigure dipped his fingers into the water again and started more ripples. The ripples bumped into each other, reflecting off one another and Shigure seemed entranced by what he'd done.

"I want to make waves." Shigure whispered. "I want to shake our world and make everyone see how stupid it all is. It's ALL stupid. Not a single thing is right in our world. It's not how it should be."

"If you make waves," Ayame said. "Then you'll get noticed. "Everyone will look at you."

"Isn't that what you like, Aya?" Shigure asked. "Don't you like it when everyone looks at you?"

Ayame shrugged. "They like to admire my face. They like to laugh at me when they think I can't hear them. I don't mind. I like it when people smile, it's so much better than the sour faces that we usually see around here. But...you always want to change things, 'Gure. Change isn't always good."

"It's not always bad, either, Aya. I have a dream that would change everything. I don't know if I can make my dream come true, but I'm going to try."

Hatori was very confused. He forgot sometimes that Shigure was smarter than he was, it was easy to forget when Shigure acted like a fool so much of the time. Hatori was the one who always got the perfect marks in school and the one who never got in trouble. But there was something about Shigure, an inborn wisdom that had nothing to do with all the school's textbooks and more to do with the faery tales Shigure liked to read. It was times like this, when Shigure started talking about dreams and what might be, that Hatori became lost. "You said you had something you wanted us to help you decide." Hatori reminded Shigure, hoping to bring the conversation around to something more concrete. He didn't like all this talk of things that weren't real.

Shigure seemed to feel Hatori's discomfort and he laughed affectionately. "Poor Hari. Don't worry, one day you'll know what I'm talking about. One day, you'll have dreams you want to make real. As for the decision, I need to know...will you forgive me no matter what I do?"

Hatori and Ayame exchanged a puzzled look. "Shigure," Ayame said. "Maybe 'Tori's right and you should get back to bed. I'll stay the night with you, if you like."

"I'm fine. I need to know, though. Can you try?" Tears suddenly sprang to Shigure's eyes, though he wiped them away quickly with the back of his hand. Shigure hated crying in front of people. "I feel like I'm crying all the time, but I can't let anyone see. It's supposed to be a secret, but I want to tell you. I suppose I can blame it on the fever, though, so it's all right for just tonight. Promise you'll forgive me, please?"

Ayame was the first to answer, "Of course we will! What kind of friends would we be if we didn't?!" One of Ayame's greatest qualities was that he was fiercely loyal. Once he decided to be friends with someone, he would fight to keep that friend.

Hatori, though, was more cautious. Shigure was smart, but he was also ruthless, something Ayame didn't understand. Ayame was such a good person that he really couldn't understand how anyone could be secretive or willing to do anything to get what they wanted. Shigure was both of those things. "What are you planning, Shigure?"

Shigure kept his eyes on the ripples he's made which still spread out over the still river. "I want to make Akito healthy."

Hatori was struck dumb. How could Shigure even think such a thing? Akito was the head of the family; he was never going to be well. According to all the family records, Akito would follow in the footsteps of all the other heads of the family and would slowly get weaker and weaker until he died. Akito would probably lose his mind and then the real pain would start again. Hatori shuddered, thinking about how his father had been...and Akito was going to be just like his father. To make Akito healthy and strong, it was unthinkable. Impossible.

"I want to take Akito to the park and teach him to fly a kite." Shigure went on with passion. "I want him to go to school with us and I want him to go to karate lessons with Kazuma and us. Ren doesn't let him do anything, she just keeps him locked up in that house and hardly even lets him go into the garden! At least Junko used to take Akito out for walks around the estate. She took him to the park a couple of times. Don't you see?" He looked up with his cheeks wet with tears and burning eyes. "Our family is how Akito is. Akito is sick, so our family is sick. If Akito is well, then our family will be healthy again. I...I have to find a way to make Akito healthy." Shigure hugged himself tighter to Hatori's leg. "I'm sure of it. I just know that's the answer to our problems."

"I understand." Hatori answered.

Shigure's expression showed his disbelief and Hatori was slightly hurt by it. "I don't think you do. Not really."

"If I could have made my father healthy, I would have." Hatori replied, his voice colder than he'd meant it to be. "You think I wouldn't have given anything for him to love me? I know I was nothing but some vague attempt for him to lead a normal life! In the end, he didn't care about anything except holding onto his power for as long as he could. He cared about me about as much as he did for his shoes." Hatori felt his own eyes start to burn with tears he hadn't wanted to shed. He hadn't even cried at his father's death and had thought he was over it. Thinking about it now, though...it hurt so much. "If he kicked his old shoes around a few times, who cares?! If he had just one, just ONE moment to look at me like I was a real person instead of something he owned, I'd have cried for joy!" Hatori looked down at Shigure and glared. "You're not the only one who's suffered because of the family, why should you be the only one who dreams of curing our curse?"

"Curing the curse?" Shigure blinked at him, almost stupidly.

"Of course. How else could we make Akito healthy?" Hatori crossed his arms and leaned down far enough that he could set his chin on his folded arms. He was angry, at himself more than anything. He wanted to cry and he didn't seem to be able to stop himself. 'I feel like such an idiot, I'm such a baby! Crying in front of everyone because of a man who didn't like me, let alone love me, who died years ago. Stupid, stupid, stupid!'

Shigure got that faraway look in his eyes again, the one that showed he was thinking of other things he wasn't willing to talk about. "I'm not sure we are cursed."

"What are you talking about?" Ayame demanded. "Of course we're cursed! Do you think it's a blessing that we turn into animals?! My mother's pregnant and you know what she said? She's sure my new sibling's going to be the next rat!" the distress in Ayame's voice made Hatori look at him out of the corner of his eye. "Do you know what that means? Akito's been making such a fuss over who's going to be the next rat and I know, I just know, mother's going to milk this one to death! She said she's going to use my little brother or sister to get a higher position in the family!" Ayame was nearly livid, he was so angry and he kept his voice a vehement hiss. "Was that all I was for? My father left us when I was little, so who's she been sleeping with? She got herself knocked up just for a chance to have a better child than me! Was the only reason I was born because she wanted a child to elevate her in Akira's eyes?" By now, Ayame was crying, too, and Hatori felt his heart go out to his gentle friend. Ayame slumped, wilting like a flower without water. "If the curse were cured, my little brother or sister wouldn't have to know they were only born to give mother a better life! She's hoping for a new house and servants, and...and..." Ayame couldn't go on any longer and he dissolved into helpless tears.

Hatori found himself angry at Shigure, something that didn't happen often. He didn't like it when Ayame got upset. "It's okay." Hatori knelt down and put his arms around Ayame. Being a very tactile person, Ayame got the most comfort by being touched and hugged, so he was the only person Hatori would willingly get close to. "Don't worry, we'll just have to take care of whoever your new brother and sister is." Hatori, like most of the Souma family, had known for a very long time that Ayame's mother was pregnant again, but little mention was made of the fact that she had no husband and presented no father when she'd announced the news to Akito.

Ayame sniffled and said, bitterly, "I hope my new brother or sister is the next cat! It has to be easier than being the rat."

Shigure had been silent all this time and Hatori looked at him now, hoping to put an end to the painful discussion. "Naturally, we'd all love to cure the curse, but we aren't going to be able to. We're just not strong enough."

"If you could, would you?" Shigure asked, still looking at his reflection. "Do we all share the same dream of making our family healthy and happy?" Shigure didn't wait for an answer, the tears of his friends seemed enough for him. "I'm glad you said that. You can't imagine how glad I am. Heh. Don't listen to me. I'm babbling again, I guess."

Hatori wasn't entirely willing to believe that. Shigure had been acting so secretive lately and he rarely babbled about anything unless he was trying to hide something. It sounded as if Shigure knew something about the curse, but what and why wouldn't he tell them?

Shigure went on almost without stopping. "Do you know why I like looking at myself in the water? Because I can see me. I can see the real me. I'm not sure I like what I see, but at least I can see the truth. I've made up my mind." Shigure smiled up at them with tears still on his face. "Will you both forgive me for what I'm going to do?"

"What are you going to do?" Ayame asked, his voice soft and subdued with worry.

"I'm going to make our family strong." Shigure said with a gentle smile. "One child at a time, I'm going to make us stronger and better. I don't care who I hurt. But...I'm afraid...I'm afraid I won't be able to forgive myself. I think I'm going to do something awful."

"Shigure..." Hatori started.

"So," Shigure acted as if he hadn't heard Hatori. "I need you two to forgive me, then I won't feel so badly." Shigure interrupted. "Don't worry, Hari. I've given myself all the warnings I know you'd have given me. I've thought about all the dangers of what I'm going to do. I'm going to do it anyway. I'm going to do anything I can to heal us and make us a real family...the way we're meant to be."

"Ayame-kun! Ayame-kun!"

All three of them looked up at the shout and they saw someone, a distant cousin, waving at them from across the little river. Ayame wiped his tears carefully away before he stood up and answered in his normal, light, "Yes?"

"Come quickly! You're mother's gone into labor. Akito says for you to come, too, Hatori-kun, Shigure-kun!"

"Shigure can't come!" Hatori argued. "He's sick." He hadn't forgotten Shigure's flu and wanted Shigure safely in bed and asleep before it got worse.

"Akito says all of you!" The man told him sharply and the message was quite clear. No one disobeyed the head of the family.

"It's all right." Shigure sighed, tiredly and started to pull himself up slowly. "I'll be okay." When they saw what trouble he was having, Hatori and Ayame went to help him to his feet. "Just need to sleep in tomorrow. I guess I'll be missing school again." He didn't sound very unhappy about that, Hatori noticed.



Akito-





Ren combed his hair carefully as Akito sat very still, his legs tucked under him and his eyes looking out the window. He could see Shigure sitting on the bridge with Hatori and Ayame and wished he could be with them. "Are you excited about the new babies, Akito-sama?" Ren drew Akito's attention away from the three older boys, putting a finger under his chin and pulling his face back to looking at her stern face, which looked as if her skin was pulled to tight.

Akito wished she wouldn't call him that, he hated being called 'sama'. "Yes." He answered shortly. Akito shifted his eyes to look back at the boys outside, lit only by the moonlight, and didn't move his head again. Ren hadn't been taking care of him for very long, but she sure was different than Junko. Akito remembered the sweet time he'd been with Junko, her soft hands and laughing violet eyes. Ren's hands were hard and her eyes were cold.

Ren moved, kneeling behind him and running the fine toothed comb through his thin hair. Akito didn't like having his hair combed and he didn't like Ren. He'd told her that the comb felt to sharp and hurt his head, but she never listened to him. He wished more than anything that he could call Shigure back to bite her again. "I want to get my hair cut." He announced, blowing a strand of grey hair out of his eyes. "Shigure and Hatori have short hair, I want mine like theirs."

Ren laughed. "Don't be silly, Akito-sama. Long hair is much more becoming. It covers your scrawny neck, after all." Akito's hair was, in fact, longer than Ayame's, falling right down his back. It irritated Akito to no end, always getting in his eyes and, if nothing else, it would mean that Ren would stop combing his hair.

"I don't like it, I look like a girl."

"You don't really get much of a say in it, Akito-sama. Maybe when you get older, you can get your hair cut, but right now I decide what happens to you and I've decided you'll have long hair." She leaned in closely and Akito wanted to run away. She had a dreadful voice and he could feel her breath on his cheek when she leaned in close to him. "I like your pretty looks."

"I'll ask Hatori to do it for me." Akito said stubbornly. "He'll cut my hair if I ask him."

This time, Ren gave him an astonished look and threw her head back, roaring with laughter. "Akito-sama, you can't be serious!"

"Why not?" Akito turned to glare at her. "Hatori likes me, he'll do it if I ask him to."

"Likes you? Akito-sama, Hatori can't possibly like you. He's an animal. Animals don't like their masters. It isn't as if he's a real person, after all. Now, hold up your arms, so I can put your kimono on."

Akito didn't move for a long time. Hatori wasn't an animal, Akito was sure of that. He might turn into one for a while, but he was still a person. Akito's eyes narrowed at Ren as she stood and went to one of his closets and pulled out one of his kimono's.

"Shigure said I'm old enough to dress myself." Akito said, remembering when Shigure had happened to walk in when Ren was dressing Akito and had laughed. Shigure said that it was silly for someone Akito's age to be 'dressed' like he was a baby.

"Shigure isn't a real person, either. Haven't you realized that by now? Shigure is just an animal. He doesn't care about you, not like I do." Ren came to stand before Akito and repeated the order, "Arms up." She pulled the robe over his shoulders and started to tie all the strings. "Shigure only cares if you are alive and healthy, the same as the rest of them. Haven't you realized it, yet?" She came to face him and looked him directly in the face. "You are the only reason they can stay alive, you are their god. They don't care if you're happy or sad or if you even like them. If you die, then they'll all die. You can't think of them as real people, they'll only hurt you in the end. I'm the only person you can trust, I'll always tell you exactly how I feel because you don't hold any power over me, like you do with the Junikyu. They have to lie to you, to keep you happy." Ren took a step away from him and examined him carefully before she smiled. "There, I think we're ready to go see the new babies. Stay here while I get my coat."

Akito frowned, still confused by everything she'd said, but he stayed sitting. He was sure she was lying, but Junko had been the one who told him he would always be sick because all of the Junikyu depended on him and Junko had never lied to him. What if Ren was right and everyone just wanted to keep him alive so they'd live? Ren, like all of the Souma's, called him Akito-sama, it was his title, but he felt sure she didn't mean it. Ren didn't treat him like Shigure and the rest of the Junikyu did.

"We? You can't come, Ren. This is just for just me and the Junikyu (twelve signs)." He was sure of that, at least. Yahiko had explained that to him very carefully.

"We'll see about that." She took his hand and pulled him to his feet.

"Not so hard!" Akito protested, wincing in pain. "You're hurting me!" And it was true. Akito was sickly enough that even slight bumps would cause terrible bruises and, he was told, he had to be careful of his weak bones would break easily.

Ren let out a gust of breath, showing how aggravated she was. "Don't you start ordering me about, Akito-sama!" She looked at him over her shoulder as she pulled him to the door of the house, tugging his arm much harder than necessary. "I'm not one of your little pets, I'm not afraid that you'll die." Ren stopped suddenly and bent down low to look him in the eye. "Just you remember, Akito-sama, if you die, all your little animals will die, too. I won't. I could care less if you live or die."

Akito was furious and his body tensed, he wanted to fight to hurt her...to do anything.

Ren smirked at him. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you. Put one hand on me again and I'll wring your scrawny neck, brat! Don't you think I've forgotten what you made those freaks do to me when Junko died! Shigure bit me! I won't stand for that, I'll kill you and then your pets will die, too!"

'She...she'll kill me? Kill Shigure?' Akito forced his body to relax and he swallowed hard, trying to calm himself. 'Junko said I have to live for the family, I can't let anyone hurt my family.'

With a terrible wrench, Ren pulled Akito again and this time he went without comment, but knowing his shoulder and wrist would be bruised in the morning. "And if you even think of mentioning this to your little guard dog, I'll make you regret it. You belong to me, brat." There was a note of self-satisfaction in her voice. "Just like those animals belong to you and think you're some kind of god, you belong to me. It's the law, you know. If I don't have custody of you, the law will come along and take you away. They'll lock you up in a hospital and you'll never be allowed to leave again."

Ren's hand felt so cold, not at all like Shigure's. But...what if she was right? What if none of them really liked him and they only took care of him because he was...Akito struggled with what Ren had said. She said he was their god. He didn't feel like a god, he felt weak and helpless without the Junikyu around. No. No, she had to be wrong. Shigure really liked him, he'd brought Akito the bird. But...what if...

"Now." Ren's whole attitude change the moment she opened the front door and a sweet smile flashed onto her face. "You won't mention our little conversation to the rest of the family, now will you?"

"No, Ren." Akito didn't think he had much of a choice, really. He couldn't make her angry. She was a grown-up and she'd hurt everyone...no...it was best to do what Ren said, for now.

They walked though the darkness of the Souma estate to where the births would take place, a small house in the center of the estate. Akito hated walking at night, there were to many things to trip over, and he had to trust Ren not to let him fall. Frankly, Akito would have rather had Hatori with him, Hatori never let him fall. 'But isn't that what Ren said? She said they only care that I'm healthy and alive, not about me.' Akito wished he could understand what was going on, but he got so confused sometimes.

Akito didn't think to ask Ren any questions, he'd been looking forward to this night for a long time and not just because his beloved rat was going to be reborn. No matter what she said, Akito knew that the Junikyu wouldn't let her stay. They were a secretive group of people and he had the strange feeling that they would kill Ren before they allowed her into their group. Yes, tonight he'd finally get away from her for the first time since Junko had died.

In all honesty, Ren frightened Akito. Of everyone Akito had met in his sheltered life, confined within the walls of the Souma estate, Akito had never been afraid of anyone before he'd met Ren.



Shigure-




Shigure felt dreadful. Really, he hadn't felt this bad since...well, since never. Being sick was bad enough, but being sick and not being allowed to go to bed was just torment. Hatori was really very sweet, trying to get Shigure back to bed, but they both knew it was impossible. Tradition couldn't be broken, not for something like this. Just as for funerals, births required that everyone be together.

So, supported by his friends on either side, Shigure sat on the steps that led up to the infirmary with his head on Ayame's shoulder. It had been seven months after the deaths of Toma and Junko, and now the only two pregnant women in the Souma family had gone into premature labor. It was the timing that made everyone believe that these two children would be curses as everyone knew that those cursed by the Zodiac were always born two months premature, though no one knew why. Now every member of the Zodiac family waited silently for their new family members outside the small house that had only ever been used as an infirmary for the Zodiac members of the family. The tension in the air was almost tangible and not one of the adults spoke. He was trying not to fall asleep, but it was such a nice, warm night and there was a cool breeze. Shigure couldn't help it when he drifted off to sleep.

He dreamed again of that person...the one he loved more than anyone else. It was the same dream as before. They sat together in a garden, just looking at the flowers. Neither of them spoke, but Shigure felt so happy just being with him.

The night passed without change and when dawn came, all of the cursed were still outside the infirmary, waiting. The littlest children, Rin, Kagura, and Kureno. Shigure had taken another short nap on Ayame's shoulder, but he woke in time to see the sun rising.

That day turned out to be bright and sunny, but one wouldn't guess it from the dismal cloud that hung over the gathered family. They all knew to well that they were about to welcome two more innocent children into their cursed lives. No one had been invited to this waiting, except for the 11 people who were directly affected. The rest of the family had been excluded, as always, there was no need to attract any more attention to this than was necessary. Especially since it was very likely one of the newborns would be the cat.

Outside the steps of the infirmary, Shigure sat with his arms wrapped over his knees and he stared out at his family. He was so tired and he still felt terribly sick, but he knew he couldn't leave. Other thoughts than his health plagued Shigure though, as he watched his family.

'I wish I could tell them what I know.' Shigure he wasn't sure what to do with all that knowledge the book had given him now that he had it. For months it had been eating away at him and Shigure had come so close to telling Hatori and Ayame, but he hadn't. Part of him desperately wanted to tell someone older than himself. He was sure that one of the older Zodiac members would be smarter than he was and would be able make some use out of the horrible information. 'But...I guess I can see why no one else is supposed to know. It would be dangerous. What if someone in the family went looking for that guy and he found us again? We'd lose our freedom, we'd be taken away from our home. I know our lives aren't especially enviable, but I'd rather be unhappy here than locked away in some Kami's house and drugged.' Shigure shivered at that thought. Freedom was everything.

Akito appeared just then, walking slowly towards them from his house with something clutched in his left hand and his right hand being held by his guardian. Akito's guardian was one of their aunts, the same woman who'd tried to assert her control over Akito back when Junko had died. Shigure growled softly when he saw her. He wasn't sure why, but he really didn't like her. Maybe it was the way Akito always seemed so ill at ease around her.

Thankfully, Yahiko stopped her as she and Akito drew closer to the infirmary. "You aren't permitted to come closer, Ren-san. This is a time for the cursed only." Yahiko reached for Akito's hand. "Our master is allowed to be with us, but you aren't one of us. You're not welcome." Apparently, Shigure wasn't the only one to disliked Ren and Yahiko wasn't one who wasted words.

Ren wasn't about to just hand over Akito, though, and kept a firm grip on his hand. "Akito-sama isn't well tonight, I don't want to leave him alone. I will stay with him or he won't stay."

Everyone's eyes were on Ren and no one was happy about her order. This wasn't the first time that Ren had tried to overstep her authority as Akito's guardian and interfere with the affairs of the cursed. Many of the older Junikyu were starting to speak against her, ready to have Hatori erase her memory and replace her with someone less...power hungry as Akito's guardian. The silence was suddenly filled with muttered complaints and dark looks, neither of which seemed to bother the very smug looking Ren who still held onto Akito as if he were a ticket to get anything she wanted.

Akito said nothing and kept his eyes on his feet, which was strange in itself.

Yahiko snorted indelicately. "Alone? Did you forget so soon who we are? What we are? Akito is never safer than when he's with us." This time, Yahiko grabbed Ren's arm and pulled her in close to him. "Don't fight me, Ren." He warned, coldly. "Do you really want to make me angry? You're place in our family is tenuous, at the moment. We don't need you." He kept her there, staring into her eyes without blinking, until Ren let go of Akito's hand. "Good choice." Yahiko complimented mildly as he took Akito's hand and started to lead him away.

Shigure watched Ren for a moment, taking note distantly of her furious eyes staring at Yahiko's back. "I'll speak with you later, Yahiko."

"Whatever." Yahiko didn't even bother to look at Ren. "Just go back to your house. The estate has a curfew tonight and you're breaking it. Don't leave your house until daybreak."

She glared, but didn't say another word as she left.

Akito hadn't gotten much better in the past few months, though now Shigure knew why Akito was sick, thanks to the book. How sad...the reason for Akito's illness was that man's fault, too. What was his name again? D. They'd called him Count D. It was his fault that that the whole family was sick. Maybe they weren't physically sick, like Akito, but even Shigure could see there was something wrong with his family, just like Junko had said.

Even now, everyone always seemed unhappy. Some of them were nervously pacing and others holding onto each other right now, it was a stressful time. When both women went into labor two months premature, everyone had known that the children would be cursed and not a one of them would wish their curse on any other living creature. It was just a question of who would be the rat and who would be the cat.

Akito left Yahiko's side and pulled himself up the stairs to Shigure. Shigure moved slightly to the right, making way for little Akito to join them, but putting himself between Akito and his two cousins. Akito said nothing, but just sat there. He was the head of the family, so he was welcomed everywhere, just as Yahiko had said. "I don't think Ren's happy." Shigure whispered.

"Ren is...rarely happy when I go out of the house." Akito answered in a strangely subdued voice. Akito started to cough, putting his small hand over his mouth, but his eyes were wide open. Now that Ren was gone, Akito seemed much happier. He was clearly excited as he had been since the moment he'd heard about his pregnant family. Most everyone thought it was the simple excitement most children had to seeing someone born for the first time, but Shigure knew it was far worse. No matter how much he'd tried to tell Akito that the new rat wouldn't be Junko, Akito refused to believe him.

"How are you feeling?" Shigure asked, looking at Akito through his bangs that partially covered his eyes.

Akito just smiled back. "I get my Junko back tonight, Shigure. So I'm happy."

Shigure sighed and decided it was useless to contradict Akito anymore. He just wouldn't believe. Shigure suddenly found something in his lap and he looked at Akito who'd tossed it there. The bracelet. Toma's bracelet.

"You put it on the cat." Akito ordered, not looking at Shigure. "I don't want to touch it. I don't even want to look at it."

Shigure picked up the bracelet and held it carefully in the palm of one hand, but looked at Akito out of the corner of his eye. 'He's afraid. Seeing Toma as a monster...it really scared him.' Shigure foresaw problems for the next cat of the Souma family, but he said nothing. It wouldn't make any difference if he did or not. No one could know the truth about the cat.

Ayame and Hatori were close to each other, as they always were, both sitting next to Shigure on the steps leading into the infirmary. Ayame was, perhaps, the most nervous person at this small gathering and he had the most reason. After all, one of the two women giving birth was his mother.

"Will it be much longer, Hari?" Ayame asked in a whispered voice. Hatori sat between Ayame's knees with his hands neatly folded on his lap even as Ayame played with Hatori's short hair. "They've been in there for hours. Do you think something's wrong?"

Hatori petted Ayame's knee. "Relax. These things take time. Or so I've read." But even Hatori's voice was a little tenser than usual, which was to be expected. He was going to have to erase not one, but the memories of two people, probably very agitated people. It wasn't something he enjoyed doing.

There were no doctors allowed within the confidence of the Zodiac members of the Souma family. They couldn't be trusted. There was to much of a risk that someone like a doctor, most of whom were either ambitious or greedy. If a doctor were to learn of the Zodiac curse then the Souma family would be in great danger. The threat of being locked in a cage to be studied by some team of white-coated scientists was enough to make the Souma family keep its healthy problems to itself.
Today the two women giving birth without the benefits of a hospital were in luck. They were allowed a doctor and a nurse to help them and all because of Hatori. Today, Hatori would erase the memories of the doctor and the two nurses who'd been paid to make this very special house call.

No doctor's was a dangerous tradition, one that had cost many previous Zodiac family members their lives. Simple illness had been neglected because the dragon had been, for one reason or another, unable to serve his function and erase the memories of a doctor. Those simple illnesses had developed into something far worse and taken the lives of many people. Injuries that never received proper treatment were left to fester and those who survived the injuries were left to carry terrible scars for the rest of their lives. Like Hatori.

Shigure knew that was one big reason why Hatori had never joined the family's dojo, like Shigure and Ayame had. While Hatori was perhaps the most gentle person alive and wouldn't want to fight even if his life were in danger, the fact was that he couldn't fight. Hatori's left leg was stiff, and he walked with a barely noticeable limp. From a beating his father, Akira, had once given him, Hatori's back and arms were laced with terrible scars. None of this was life threatening, now, but at the time, Hatori had suffered from long lasting infections and he'd almost died because of blood loss. Now, the old wounds made his body to stiff for the moves needed in martial arts that Ayame and Shigure enjoyed so much. Hatori generally left fighting to Ayame who was better suited for it. He also seemed to have a natural talent for it.

In fact, Ayame was perhaps the best fighter in the Souma family and woe to anyone who underestimated him. It was Kazuma who'd talked Ayame into martial arts, in the first place. He'd guessed long ago that with Ayame's personality and sense of style, Ayame would need a way of defending himself when he got into high school.

Shigure liked fighting, but he just wasn't as good at it as Ayame was. Actually, Shigure had only started the martial arts lessons after he'd read the book Toma had given him. That was when he'd learned what his position in the family was supposed to be and Shigure knew he'd need to know how to fight. He was supposed to protect the family.

A scream from inside the little house made everyone look at the still closed doors and made Ayame jump, frightened. "That was mom." Ayame whispered to himself. His fingers still played absently in Hatori's hair, as if he needed something, anything, to do. The scream was short lived though, so they all knew the cat hadn't been born yet.

"It hurts to have a baby." Hatori reassured Ayame. "I'll bet your mom screamed just as loud when you were born. It'll be over soon."

Shigure watched as Ayame put his head down on top of Hatori's and his arms around Hatori's neck, drawing the two of them close together. "I hope you're right." Ayame whispered back.

They sat there for such a long time with no one saying a word and Shigure sure that everyone was trying to imagine how these two soon to be born infants would change their lives.

Shigure felt so strange, like his head was filled with air and about to float away. He giggled. "Airhead." He whispered to himself. Shigure waited as silently as everyone else, but his fingers ran up and down the beaded bracelet in his hand. He wondered if the next cat would be like Toma, kind and gentle, or if it would be like the original cat and try to kill anyone.

~It's not my fault.~

Shigure looked up and saw a strange woman standing in front of him. She wasn't a member of the Zodiac, he was sure of that because he'd never seen her before, so she shouldn't be there. She looked terribly angry.

~You'd be angry, too, if you were in my place.~ The woman said, running a hand through her orange curls. ~Everyone always blames me. How was I supposed to know it wasn't Nezumi's fault? You have no idea what the Count did to me all those years, all the things he told me.~

"I didn't read it in the book."

She laughed coarsely. ~I never told anyone. I don't need pity or forgiveness. I did what I had to do. Not my fault I'm trapped in this body. Not my fault I'm a monster.~

"Inu didn't think you were a monster. Neither did Nezumi."

~What did they know? They weren't trapped inside this body.~




Hatori-



Hatori really started to worry about Shigure when Shigure started to talk to himself. In fact, in the dead silence outside the infirmary, everyone heard Shigure and was now staring at him. Shigure spoke in whispered mumbles, his eyes half-closed, but he definitely acted as if he were talking to someone. 'Hallucinations.' Hatori thought, worriedly. 'This is bad. I should have tried harder to get him to stay at home.' He moved out of Ayame's arms and put a hand on Shigure's arm. "Shigure? Why don't you come lay down?" He tried to pull Shigure up to the top of the porch where he could lay down and at least be more comfortable, but Shigure resisted.

"Just a minute, Hari. I need to talk to her." Shigure smiled lazily at Hatori and gestured to a spot in front of him where there was no one. "I have to ask her something important."

Akito frowned at Shigure. "Her? What are you talking about?"

"Can you wait till after you've slept a bit?" Hatori suggested hopefully. "I'm worried about your fever."

Shigure laughed. "You worry to much, Hari." Then he looked at the spot where no one was standing, where he thought he saw someone. "Should I tell them? Should I warn them about him? I don't want to be locked up like you were." He waited a moment. "Okay. I get it. It's going to be hard, but I'll do it."

Hatori gave Shigure's arm another tug and this time Shigure let himself be pulled up to the top of the porch. He didn't quite stand up, but Hatori didn't mind that. In the state Shigure was in, Hatori was afraid Shigure would fall and hurt himself if he tried to stand. So he pushed Shigure into laying down and made him as comfortable as possible. "Try to go to sleep, Shigure."

Still focused on the spot where he thought he saw someone, Shigure didn't answer Hatori. "I want to take care of him, but I don't think he'll let me." Pause. "Yeah, I don't think I'll say anything. It wouldn't do any good," Yawn. "Anyway." Shigure's eyes finally closed and he fell instantly into a deep sleep. Ayame come up beside Hatori and took off the long green outer coat he habitually wore before using it to cover Shigure, like a blanket.

"What's wrong with him?" Akito asked. He was looking carefully at Shigure.

"He's sick." Hatori answered. "He'll get better soon..."

Suddenly, the door of the infirmary slammed open and a worried-looking doctor looked out at them. "Call an ambulance!" He shouted to no one in particular. "The first baby needs to go to the hospital!" Then he disappeared inside the small building again, his white coat flapping as he rushed about.

Everyone's eyes went to Akito, waiting for a signal as to what they should do. Akito stood up and walked calmly into the infirmary, but he said nothing about an ambulance.

Hatori knew that this was where Shigure probably would have taken matters into his own hands and called for an ambulance himself, but Shigure was in no shape to do anything at the moment. The doctor's shouting hadn't even roused Shigure from his fevered sleep. 'It's up to me then.' Hatori thought, worriedly. He was the first to follow Akito into the infirmary, but he didn't go to the rooms where the two expectant mothers were. Instead, Hatori went down the hall to the only phone in the building and called for the ambulance.


Ayame-



"Come on, Ayame, this could be your new brother or sister." One of the adults took Ayame's hand and pulled him into the little house with a smile. Ayame wasn't sure he wanted to go in, this new child was the one his mother was going to use for advancement within the family and this was the child their mother would be giving all her attention to.

The room the came to had Ayame's mother laying in bed and the doctor trying to argue with Akito who wanted to see the little baby. "I want to see him!" Akito insisted.

"You really must go, young man!" The doctor told Akito firmly, mistaken in the belief that he could get Akito to do anything he didn't want to do. "I need to concentrate on this baby." On a small table, just beside the bed where Ayame's mother was laying, now exhausted and covered in sweat, the doctor had laid a baby that was no bigger than Ayame's arm from wrist to elbow. It was so tiny it looked like a doll. Ayame realized after a moment, that the baby was a strange bluish color and wasn't moving. He felt guilty when he thought to himself, 'Maybe it'll die. Then it won't have to be cursed, right?' But death was better than being cursed, wasn't it?

"What's wrong with it?" Ayame asked as he went to his mother's side. The two of them had been having problems lately, but Ayame still adored his mother and was so grateful that she seemed to have made it out of all this perfectly well. As was a nervous habit of his, Ayame started to lick his lips. It was kind of like the habit Shigure had of whining when he was afraid, just something uncontrollable. He tasted something in the air. It was unpleasant and tasted like...like metal, almost. Ayame took a couple more licks of the air, running his tongue over his lips, trying to identify what he was tasting, but he just couldn't figure it out.

"His lungs aren't working quite right." The doctor explained in a distracted manner. "Premature babies often have this trouble, we'll have to get him on a ventilator right away. I don't know why you folks refused to bring these ladies to a hospital, especially since it's so early. You can't be so primitive in these kind of situations, the hospital is the best place for them. These children could both die."

Akito, though, said, "I only care about one of them. The other doesn't matter, it can die. Let his mother hold him." He was getting impatient and angry with the doctor, even Ayame could tell and he bit his cheek, hoping this wouldn't come to violence. Akito seemed to be resorting to violence more and more often, lately.

"Not right now." The doctor said, not taking Akito's orders seriously enough. "Really, child, you must get out from underfoot!"

Akito's eyes narrowed dangerously and he spoke louder. "Yahiko!"

Yahiko stepped forward. "I don't think you heard him properly." Yahiko stepped up beside the doctor and pushed him roughly aside. "Let his mother hold him." Then he looked at Ayame's mother, who was growing paler by the moment, and asked. "What have you named your son, cousin?" Very gently and carefully, Yahiko picked up the tiny baby.

"Yuki." She answered in a sleepy voice. "His name's Yuki. Let me hold him, I have to know. I can't stand the waiting any longer." She held out her arms weakly for the tiny baby, smiling at Ayame. "Come here, Ayame-chan, meet your brother."

Ayame stepped nervously closer and looked down at the baby as it still rested in Yahiko's arms. He didn't look terribly impressed with what he saw, but he still smiled when he looked back at his mother. "He's very...small."

"So were you, little one, but you grew." The moment the baby was placed in her arms, there was a small explosion and a great puff of smoke. When it cleared, Ayame's mother was holding an infant rat, no bigger than a marble in the palm of one hand. It was pink and hairless, rolled up in a little ball. She laughed and tears of happiness ran down her face. She'd finally gotten her wish.

One look at Akito showed that he, too, was pleased with the result. "I want to hold him." Akito said with something like greed in his voice.

The new mother balked for a moment, but handed the baby rat to Akito, who held it in the palm of his hand. "You've come back to me." Akito whispered softly as he stroked the baby rats back with one finger. "I've been waiting for you. I'm so glad you're back. Don't worry, you'll always be my favorite." He handed the baby rat to Yahiko and announced in a louder voice, "All right," Akito said finally, smiling at the newborn. "He can go to the hospital, but Yahiko and Hatori must stay with him all the time. Make sure no women touch him. Understand?"

Yahiko nodded mutely.

Hatori entered the room silently and Ayame saw him walk up behind the stupefied doctor who'd watched the cursed transformation with his mouth hanging open. It was obviously to much for him. "How...how did that...I don't..."

"I can explain." Hatori said loudly, causing the doctor to turn around. As most adults tend to do when talking to children, the doctor bent down so he was eye level with Hatori. Of course this worked perfectly for Hatori who quickly slipped his hand over the doctor's eyes and erased the memories of the transformation. The doctor slumped limply to the floor, unconscious.

A scream reminded everyone that there was another birth in progress and if Yuki was the rat that meant that this next one would be...



Hatori-




"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!" The scream ripped through the air and Hatori was the first one to throw open the door that led to the next room. The first thing Hatori saw was the nurse, she's fallen to the floor and was staring at something in horror as her mouth was opened wide and no sound coming out. Seeing the other people, the woman raised a shaking hand and Hatori followed with his eyes until he saw what she was so afraid of, laying helplessly on the floor.

No wonder there had been screaming. Hatori remembered what Toma had turned into the night Akito had taken off the magic bracelet, the monstrous insect thing and he remembered the dreadful smell. If anything, this was worse. It was moving and squalling with a terrible sounding wail that could never be human. Still covered in the shining liquid and blood of birth, smelled even worse than Toma had, dead.

Hatori had been afraid of Toma, after all, if Toma could turn into something like that, then what if the rest of them also could turn into monsters? His fear of Toma had been nothing compared to the disgust Hatori felt at seeing this new baby. It was revolting, truly horrible.

"M-m-monster." The nurse gibbered, her eyes a little to wide for her to be thinking clearly. "It's a monster."

"No." Hatori ignored the growing headache he was getting from erasing the doctor's memory and he went to the nurse who couldn't take her eyes off the infant cat. "It's just a nightmare." He slid his hand over her eyes and took away the memories. The nurse slumped to the floor and Hatori knew she'd be perfectly fine when she woke up in a few hours.

Then Hatori turned his attention to the new mother, his cousin Hiroko. She looked confused and frightened. "Hatori-chan, what's going on? They started screaming. Where's my baby? What's happening?"

Hatori realized that the baby must have been born and the nurse had dropped it without its mother being able to see it even for a moment. Hiroko was to weak to get up and look for herself. Hatori looked over his shoulder and found the rest of his family still in the other room with Ayame and Akito, all trying to get a good look at the new rat and talking and chattering about something. No help from them.

Gathering his courage, and knowing what had to be done, Hatori went to the alien-like monster and picked it up, holding his breath so he wouldn't have to breathe the foul scent of the cat. He was surprised at how big and heavy it was compared to little Yuki. "Here it is, Hiroko. I'm not sure if it's a girl or boy, yet."

Her expression was blank for a long time as she stared at what she'd given birth to. It howled hungrily and Hatori saw his aunt's fingers tighten on her bedclothes. "My...my..."

"Yes. It's your baby."

"No." She shook her head and tears sprang to her eyes. "No, it can't be. This is...this is wrong."

Hatori felt sick. How horrible. Not only had she given birth to the cat, but no one had warned her of what might have happened. That was just cruel. "It's your baby, Hiroko." Hatori insisted, bringing it closer so she could get a closer look, even though she shied away from it. "It won't hurt you, it's just a baby. It's a cat."

"Cat?" She echoed. Her breath was quick and sharp, as if she couldn't get enough to breathe. "No, that's not a cat. It's not."

Hatori tried to give the cat to its mother, but she was very reluctant in taking it. Eventually, Hiroko was convinced to stretch out her arms and take the baby. Hatori was ready to snatch it away at a moment's notice. She looked as if she's start screaming hysterically at any moment. Her fear wasn't hard to understand, even if she hadn't given birth to the cat. Hiroko was only fifteen, after all.

"You forgot the bracelet." Shigure staggered into the room, holding the black and white bracelet tightly in one hand. Still pale and shaking with fever, Shigure smiled at his cousin. "He has to wear his bracelet, cousin." Shigure barely managed to slide the bracelet onto the baby's arm before Akito walked in and saw the cat in its true form. The baby cat turned almost instantly into a human baby with orange strands on hair on his head.

"My baby." Hiroko held the now human baby a little closer to her breast and the wild look in her eyes calmed a bit. "Yes, he's my baby. My baby." It was as if she were trying to convince herself. "I love him. I do. His name's Kyou, I've always liked that name."

"'TORI!" Ayame screamed at the top of his lungs, bringing Hatori storming out of one room and into the room filled with people. Everyone backed away so Hatori could get a better look at Ayame who was on his knees at his mother's bedside, tears flowing freely down his face. "'Tori! Help me!" He screamed.

At once, Hatori saw what was wrong. Yahiko pulled the covers of her bed over the face of Ayame's mother. She was dead. Ayame cried like his heart had broken, wailing with his head thrown back and tears running down his face. Ayame was a small person and he looked smaller the way he was all hunched up on himself and rocking back and forth. Hatori went to Ayame and hugged him tightly, but it didn't seem to help much. Ayame clutched Hatori's shirt and wept onto his shoulder. "I hate him." Ayame whispered. "He killed my mom."

"That's not true." Hatori said quietly. "Yuki couldn't have done anything different, he's a baby."

"He killed my mom."

In the distance, Hatori heard ambulance sirens. "We have to take Yuki to the hospital." Hatori whispered. "We don't want him to die, too, right?" But Ayame didn't answer right away. "Aya? Aya, I have to go. Will you take care of Shigure for me?"

Ayame sniffed and nodded wordlessly as he pushed himself away from Hatori. "I'll do my best, 'Tori." Then he went to Shigure who was leaning against the doorway of the second room where the other new mother was. "'Gure, let's go home."

Shigure nodded weakly and let Ayame help him away, through all the adults. The doctor and nurse were trying to wake up and Hatori would have to think up an excuse as to why they'd both fainted. Most of the adult Junikyu left the small house, now that the births were over. It wasn't until Hatori was in the ambulance and riding away with little Yuki and Yahiko, that he remembered Hiroko had been all but forgotten in the little infirmary with her fear and her new baby. He hoped that someone would have the sense to stay with her and explain things.


Later-
Akito-



Ren had confined Akito to bed rest after the ceremony telling him that he'd get sick again if he got to tired, even though Akito was sure it was because Yahiko had made her leave and she was just angry. So Akito lay in his bed and he listened through the thin walls as Ren spoke to someone.

"That arrogant freak!" Ren hissed angrily. "I'll have to get Yahiko out of the way, he's to dangerous, he'll ruin all my plans."

"You have other concerns, too." A second woman's voice said. Akito thought he recognized the voice as Ren's sister, his aunt Yoko. "They'll get rid of you if they find out what you're telling Akito. Now you need to find a guardian for the rat and Ayame. They're orphans, now."

Ren snorted. "Ayame's old enough to live on his own, he's not important. It's the rat, Yuki, we need to think about. That brat, Akito, is so obsessed with the rat that he'll do anything for it."

"Whoever controls Akito controls the family." Yoko said. "The Junikyu will keep Akito occupied and you and I can run the family as we see fit, Ren. Make me Yuki's guardian and I'll make sure Akito gets Yuki all he wants. Akito's going to die soon anyway, the heads of the family always die at a fairly young age. In just a few years he'll be as mad as Akira was."

"What about the Junikyu?" Ren asked. "They always take an interest in Akito. I don't know how they can stand it. First they suffer through Akira and now they pretend that Akito's going to be different."

"They'll pleased if they don't have to deal with him." Yoko said.

"Yes, that's true. Once they realize he's going to be just like Akira, not one of them will want anything to do with him, not even his mutt, Shigure. I can predict it, you know. As soon as they realize Akito's not looking, every one of them will get as far away from him as possible."

"Not the older ones, surely. It's like a religion for them, keeping the head of the family closely guarded."

"Well," Ren said slyly. "That's easily dealt with. I think we may see a few of our older, stronger relatives having sadly fatal accidents. Especially Yahiko. I want him gone."

Both women laughed together and Akito fell asleep, crying. Akito didn't understand what the women were talking about, especially not that part about Yahiko, but he had understood one thing very clearly. Everyone was going to leave him. They were going to leave him all alone with Ren and they would sneak away. They didn't love him.




To be continued...




Author's note: I've recently heard a great deal about a character in Fruits Basket named Ren. No one seems to know who he/she is or their purpose, except that Akito doesn't like this person. I thought I'd add in Ren's character and see what develops.


To those who have reviewed:
A word of thanks. Your comments and questions and praise have encouraged me to write in every free moment I've had.

Crystal- I love Shonen ai and yaoi, too :) Don't know how heavy it'll be, but it's always there, boiling in the background.

Arain Rowan - I actually feel very sorry for Akito, I think he really is one of the most tragic characters in the story. I like to think that he went slowly mad of a period of time, not that he was born insane.

Anne-Nime- Trust me, I know just when and where Count D will be coming into the story. I want the story to have just the right flavor, but he'll be in there, he's got a very important role to play, as well as Leon and Chris.

Zeynel- Don't fret, it'll all come together. I hope you enjoy it.

xxkurenaixx- I'm so glad you like it, Shigure's my favorite so that's why he seems to be the main character, but this whole story really leads up to Kyou. I think you'll like it.

Merai-chan- Thanks for the review! Don't worry, I never write a story I don't intend to finish. Hana or Uo? Hmmm. I hadn't thought of them. Maybe I'll slip them in, I'm not sure. Evil? Yes, I am. Thank you. ~smiles~

Tenshineechan- Your review brightens my day and makes me want to keep writing. I'm glad I've caught your attention and I'll do my best to keep it interesting.

Melchoir- Glad you like it, I hope you keep reading.

Chibi Koi-chan- I'll do my best to keep up the quality of the work. Thanks for taking the time to write.

Pebbled Sky- You'll make my head swell if you keep that up. (Blush) But I'm very glad you like it.

Yue's Lady- I'll get the chapters out as soon as I can, but I want to make them the best possible, so forgive me if they don't come out terribly quickly.

Kireina- I always take care of Shigure, don't be upset. I'm happy you seem to be enjoying it.

Keitorin- My head's swelling, but I'm happy you're enjoying this. Thanks for writing.

The Baka Neko Rinoa- I'll always keep writing, and this story will be finished, I promise.

Caiti- WOW! I'm impressed with your review and flattered by the time you took to write it. It's reviews like yours that encourage me to write not only faster, but better. Hope you enjoy the rest. I've love to chat with you, but I don't have AIM, I'm afraid. Would you like to email me?

Tri- I'm flattered that you think it's the best. That really means a lot to me, considering how many good ones are out there. Petshop of Horrors is my all time favorite manga, I highly suggest it to everyone.

Baki-chan- Please don't die! I'll always update as soon as possible, I promise! (Hee, hee)

Keitorin- Thanks, that's one of the nicest compliments I've ever received. I love crossovers, it's practically all I do. Sorry I made you tired, though.

Kaoru- I liked having Tohru as a pet, that'll have a bigger role later in the story.

Meritite- Glad you're enjoying the story, I'll try to find those typos and fix 'em.

Grrl N- Oh, I highly recommend Petshop of Horrors to anyone, fantastic show, but better manga. Anyway, I'm happy you took the time to review and hope you enjoy the future chapters.

Yuyi- Thanks for the compliment, I'll do my best to live up to it.

Arin Ross- I'm glad you think they're in character, it's hard to do when every character tries to hide who they really are and I have to guess at it. Shigure's my favorite character to do and he's also the hardest. I know most of the time he acts like an idiot, but I don't think that's how he started out. As for D, well, that's a surprise.

Random reader- Er...actually...the count D who did all those horrible things, we'll leave that as a surprise.

Bea-chan- Actually, this fic started out as Kyou's POV, but Shigure kind of took over.

Rene- Don't worry, more is coming.