Pet Shop Of Horrors Fan Fiction / Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Long Denied ❯ A Weed in my Garden ( Chapter 7 )

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

Petshop of Horrors X-over Fruits Basket
Fruits Basket and Petshop of Horrors do not belong to me. I wish. If they did, I'd have Leon and D... nevermind. I'll keep this relatively clean for any innocents who might be reading.

This chapter's a tiny bit gory, so be warned.
Those of you who don't like Ren might like this chapter. I hope so.




Long Denied
Chapter 7: A Weed in My Garden


Akito-


The nightmare he had was vague and indistinct, like fog that kept circling around him. It was a terrifying fog, but Akito couldn't say why, exactly. There was something hidden just beyond his sight in that terrible fog, something that would hurt him and make him cry. It lurked out there, watching him and waiting while Akito was helpless to do anything but stand there and wait for it to claim him.

"Akito." The voice came to him from beyond the fog and Akito tried to focus on it. The voice sounded familiar and comforting. Most children had a special stuffed toy or worn old blanket that gave them comfort, but not Akito. He, instead, fixated on voices and smells. "Akito, can you hear me?" There was a faint smell that was growing stronger and stronger, something concrete that Akito could grab a hold of in the midst of his nightmare. The smell of peppermint. Yes, that scent matched so well with Hatori's voice.

Akito wanted to yell that he could hear Hatori, but his mouth couldn't move. He couldn't even blink to shut out the terrible fog, let alone run to Hatori's voice or answer it. Thankfully, whatever was in the fog didn't like the voice that called out for Akito. It whirled angrily around for a moment before vanishing.

The nightmare ended.

"Akito?" Akito woke to Hatori looking down at him. "Akito? How are you feeling?" Hatori's narrow eyes looked down at him with concern. "No, don't try to get up. You've taken an awful fall. You hit your head on the floor, but I think you'll be all right."

Akito said nothing, but he let Hatori press a cold cloth onto his forehead. Hatori always smelled like peppermint. As he lay there and let Hatori take care of him, Akito's mind went back to what his last memory, Yahiko. "Yahiko..."

"He died." Hatori replied coolly. There was little emotion on his face as he said that, but Akito was used to that with Hatori. Hatori was always so cold and distant. Then, Hatori's eyes softened slightly. "Ren's not here. Euiko and Sho are having a 'talk' with her. Shigure found you, he was just walking by when he looked in your window and saw everything, but the door was locked. He had to climb in the window to get to you and Yahiko." Hatori's hands were soft when they took Akito's hand. "How are you feeling?" It was a seriously asked question, but asked in such an awkward way. Hatori wasn't used to being so...personal.

"My head hurts." The nightmare had been real, Akito realized just at that moment. There was something within the tormenting fog that was coming for him. It was the same thing that had come to claim Yahiko. Death. It was coming and it wouldn't stop until it had every member of his family. One-by-one, Akito was going to lose them all.

"That's expected. You have a big lump. Anything else?"

Akito thought for a moment. How did he really feel? Did he want Hatori to know how afraid he was? That fear was simmering quietly inside him? No. He was the head of the family, he was supposed to be strong. It was his job to take care of everyone and keep them safe. Shigure had once told Akito that when Hatori was younger, he was very sad. He'd been so sad that he made those awful scars on his arms and tried to kill himself. Akito looked at Hatori's hand that still held his. He traced his fingers up Hatori's wrist and skimmed the tips of his fingers over the lumpy scars. 'I have to protect them. I can't let anything hurt them. Not even death.' Akito's mind went back to Yahiko reaching out to him as he died, as if Akito could do something special to save him. 'I should have been able to do something. I'm God. God can do anything, so why couldn't I save Yahiko?'

"You're crying."

Akito looked sharply up at Hatori's unusually compassionate words and wiped the tears away, quickly. He didn't want Hatori to think that he was weak, after all. Hatori said nothing more about the tears and simply sat there watching Akito. Hatori waited longer than anyone else would have, he was amazingly patient, waiting for Akito's answer. Hatori could and would wait forever until the other person came to him.

"I'm okay." Akito said at last. It was a lie.

Hatori's expression didn't change, but he said, "You shouldn't lie to me, Akito. I can tell when you do. Shigure tries to lie all the time, but it's a bad habit. Having someone die in front of you is hard and scary. My dad died right in front of me, so I kind of know how you feel."

"Only kind of?" Akito asked, still following the scars on Hatori's wrists with his fingers. As Hatori had been speaking, Akito let his eyes slide around. He was still in his bedroom, but Yahiko was gone and he realized that someone must have removed him. That meant there would have to be another funeral. Akito swallowed hard. There seemed to be an awful lot of funerals lately.

"You liked Yahiko. I didn't like my dad." It was a simple answer and yet it was exactly the sort of thing one should expect from Hatori. He didn't go into details much, didn't see the use of it.

"Where's Shigure?"

"He's spying on Ren. I think he's a bit upset."

It was more than Akito had expected Hatori to say, but not enough. He was happy enough to know that Shigure was angry with Ren, but he wanted to know exactly what was going on. Were they going to make Ren go away? How could they, she was family. Was Ren going to hurt everyone?

"You must try to keep warm, Akito." Hatori said, as he pulled up the blankets closer to Akito's chin. "This cold weather really isn't good for you, so you mustn't ask for the windows to be opened again. It might have been that which helped bring on your seizure, along with the shock."

"Seizure?"

Hatori didn't answer for a moment, it looked like he was thinking about his answer. "Your body...stopped working right. Just for a minute, but that's all it takes. Seizures are dangerous, so you'll have to be extra careful to take care of yourself from now on."

"I want to talk to Shigure." Akito replied. He loved Hatori, that was natural, but he didn't know Hatori as well as he knew Shigure. Shigure was always there, always around, but Hatori only came to the house when he had to or when Shigure brought him for some reason. If Akito was going to burst into tears, as he so desperately wanted to, it was going to be with Shigure. He didn't want Hatori to know how deeply Yahiko's death hurt.

Hatori nodded and left without another word, supposedly to find Shigure.

After Hatori had left, Akito turned to look out his window and he saw Kureno. It seemed odd to see Kureno no longer dressed in the fancy robes Akito had seen him in only the previous night. Instead, Kureno had on very plain brown trousers and a brown shirt. He looked like any other boy Akito had ever seen, except that there was something strange in the way he walked.

'I wanted to talk to him!' Akito suddenly thought, sitting up. He watched at Kureno slowly made his way to the front gate of the estate. 'I told him I wanted to talk to him and now he's leaving?'

Without a thought to his health, only that he felt somehow insulted that Kureno hadn't listened to him, Akito stepped out of bed. He knew that he'd have to be fast. Akito put on his warmest clothes, mindful of what Hatori had said about keeping warm. Unfortunately, since he rarely went out, Akito didn't have much warm to wear. He put on his slippers and his heaviest robes, but that was all he had. Ren had never bought him a pair of real shoes, since he was so rarely allowed outside and almost never in the winter.

At first, as he went to go after Kureno, Akito went to the door of his room, but came to a sudden stop when he thought better of it. Someone would probably be outside until either Shigure or Ren got back. They wouldn't let him go after Kureno.

'But I'm the head of the family!' Akito thought to himself. 'I can do what I please.' He stood there for a moment, tapping his foot irritably on the floor. 'I don't have to ask for permission to go outside. Ren's not here to stop me.' It was then that Akito looked out the window just in time to see Kureno walk around the corner of a house and vanish from sight. 'He said he was going back to that boarding school today. If I don't catch him soon, he'll leave and I won't see him until next year.' Akito rushed up to the window and peered outside, his hands pressed against the cold glass. Then, it hit him. 'Shigure climbs in and out of windows.' A smile spread across Akito's face as he pulled the window open and was hit in the face with a cold blast of air.

Akito climbed out the window and landed in the bushes just below his window. It wasn't a long fall, but he felt a very pleasant buzz with the fact that he'd just done something he wasn't supposed to do and no one had yet yelled at him for it. 'See, I'm not weak. I can do anything Shigure can do.'

So Akito took off after Kureno, hoping that no one would see him and make him go back to bed. He followed Kureno at a distance until the rooster came to the gates of the estate and walked out without hesitation. Akito, panting for breath after running half-way across the estate, did stop at the still open gates. He'd never been outside before and it suddenly seemed terrifyingly close.

Outside the gates, Akito saw everything that Shigure had ever told him about. He saw cars buzzing down the street faster than he'd ever seen them before. In the estate they only went very slowly. There were so many people walking down the sidewalks and noise...there was so much noise! Noise from cars and people talking. No one even bothered to glance at Akito as he stood in the gateway and stared out with wide, disbelieving eyes. He balked. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

Akito almost lost his courage. There was just so much that was...different. It was nothing like the peaceful life inside the walls of the estate. 'I never knew all this was out here.' Akito thought in wonderment. He bit his lip, wondering if he were doing the smart thing, when he heard someone, it sounded like Shigure, call his name from behind. They'd already started looking for him.

With determination, Akito stepped over the threshold of the main gates and, for the first time, went into the world. He didn't give himself time to be afraid, just ran as fast as he could after where he'd seen Kureno go. Akito ran and ran, pausing only to work out how to cross the frightening street. It hadn't taken him long to figure out that everyone crossed the street in a group at the flashing lights that stood on almost every street corner. Cautiously, Akito approached one of the small groups of people and stood nearby. They all watched the light on the opposite corner, waiting impatiently with a lot of grumbling and Akito wondered what they were waiting for. Walking willingly into the busy street wasn't something Akito really wanted to do, but he could still see Kureno walking away, down the opposite side of the street.

'At this rate, I'll never catch him.' Akito thought, trying to keep his eyes on Kureno, even as the older boy began to fade into the growing crowds of people. The day was wearing on and the sidewalks were beginning to fill up and Akito's anxiety was starting to mount. He was still close enough to go home, back to the estate. All he'd have to do was turn around, he wouldn't have to risk the busy street and he could let Kureno go on his way undisturbed.

"Come on, kid." A voice at Akito's side drew his attention and he looked up to find some middle-aged man smiling down at him. "It's time to cross. Ya don't want to have to wait for the light again, do ya?" He gave Akito a prod in the back to get him moving and Akito did as he was told, shocked. Few people dared to touch him so casually. Akito suddenly realized he was no long at the edge of the group of people waiting to cross the street, he had somehow gotten right in the middle of them all and was being pushed along with them as they crossed the street. The big man who'd spoken to Akito smiled down at him again as they calmly walked to the middle of the street and Akito felt his heart start to beat faster and faster.

'Those cars,' His eyes went to the paused cars which, Akito hoped, would wait until they'd crossed before they started moving again. 'Those cars could start moving again any time.' Akito didn't want to go out into that street, but when he tried to escape the middle aged man grabbed his shoulder in an almost painful grip.

"Where do you think ya going, son?" The man asked, sounding angry. "Ya can't go running off into the traffic like that, ya'll get yourself killed!" With his hand still on Akito's shoulder, the older man steered Akito to the other side of the street and then stopped and looked down at him when they were safely on the sidewalk. "What were ya thinking? Don't ya know ya'd get run over when the lights changed?" In the street, the cars roared to life again and sped off to wherever they were headed.

"Run over?" Akito repeated, sounding stupid, even to himself, as he watched the cars.

"Yes, run over. Did ya want to be killed?" He frowned and Akito shrank away from the man who looked at him closely.

Akito shook his head slowly, he was used to being scrutinized, but not by strangers. This man was, in fact, the first stranger who'd ever spoken to him. Normally, Ren would speak with visitors to the estate. "Of course not." Akito tried to keep his voice as steady as possible, but how could he when he was so afraid? All he'd wanted to do was talk with Kureno for a few minutes and now here was a stranger and he wasn't sure he'd be able to find Kureno again and now he was starting to get cold.

The man must have seen Akito pull his robes a little closer to himself, because he asked, "What's wrong, kid? You cold?" He shook his head and smiled bitterly. "That'll teach ya to go out without a coat on, huh? Your ma's gonna be mad when ya go home with a cold." With that, the man slipped his coat off and hung it on Akito's shoulders. "You're a little bit of a thing, aren't ya? Look at ya, yer turning blue with cold. Where do ya live, kid? I'll take ya home."

Akito opened his mouth to answer, but just then, he saw Kureno, again. Kureno turned another corner and disappeared again. "Kureno!" Akito yelled, desperately. "Kureno, wait!" Without further thought to the man or his question, Akito let the coat fall off his shoulders and started running down the crowded street to where he'd last seen Kureno.

"Kid!" The man shouted, but he was to late to catch Akito and Akito didn't want to hear him, anyway. He had to get to Kureno. Part of Akito told him that it was because he was now further from home than he'd ever dared to go and he was afraid. If he could just get to Kureno, Kureno could take him back to the estate. That quiet, silken voice, though, whispered traitorously,

(Don't let him get away. He practically ignored you at the banquet and then tried to sneak away when you were asleep. Don't let him run away. Make him come back. If you let him go now, he'll never come back.)

Akito tried to shake off the voice, but it kept whispering to him as he ran down the sidewalk. It wasn't long before Akito's breath was coming in rasping gasps and he had to slow down. He wasn't used to running at all and the cold was starting to feel as if it were seeping into his bones. No matter how much Akito yelled for Kureno to stop, the older boy just kept walking as if he didn't hear. Akito was soon reduced to staggering after Kureno with his arms wrapped around himself for warmth. His chest hurt and his head was starting to feel strange again.

'My pills. I didn't take my pills when Hatori woke me up.' The thought drifted across Akito's mind and it was enough to make him slow down his pursuit. How many hours had he been asleep? He was supposed to take the pills every few hours and he hadn't taken them during the banquet, it was against tradition to do so. 'Maybe I should go home, now.' Akito rarely went without his pills and he wasn't quite sure what would happen to him without them. Everyone always said that the pills would help keep Akito healthy, but no one ever told him how sick he would get without them. Maybe this was it, the running out of breath and strange feeling in his head. 'I...I should go home. I have to get the pills.' It was only then that Akito turned to go back to the estate did he notice his surroundings.

The buildings were dark and there weren't nearly so many people around. In fact, the street was practically deserted. The buildings were tall, but looked run down and there was quite a bit of rubbish in the street. Akito walked back a ways, but he realized, after a very short time, that he had no idea of where he was. If he didn't know where he was, how would he get home?

(Stupid boy. Ren was right, you're not smart enough to be let out alone. You should have a keeper, someone to keep you out of trouble. Never should have left the safety of the estate, huh, idiot?) The whispered voice mocked as Akito stood alone on the now quiet sidewalk and tried to think of what he should do.

He didn't know where he was, how to get home, or how to find help. So Akito, as any seven-year-old would do, sat down on the sidewalk and burst into tears.

He had never felt so completely helpless in all his life. There was no chance of Shigure popping out of nowhere to help him now. He was completely alone. With his hands pressed over his eyes and bawling hysterically, Akito didn't see the man walk up behind him.

"Are you lost?"

Akito looked up sharply at the new voice and wiped the tears off his face. The man looked very...ordinary. He wore a white T-shirt and had short cut hair. There was, in fact, nothing remarkable about him at all. He wasn't very short, nor was he tall. He wasn't fat, nor was he thin. The man smiled, and Akito didn't like the smile.

"Poor lost lamb." The man chuckled as he crouched down next to Akito.

'Lamb? I'm not the lamb, I'm god.' That was what everyone told him, anyway. Akito wiped his eyes with one of his sleeves and wondered if he should say anything to the man. "I need to get home."

"Yes, I expect you do." The man reached out and rubbed a hand down the length of Akito's arm. "Such a fine fabric, you look like you wandered into the wrong part of town. You'd be from the better part of the city, wouldn't you? It's a pity, a pretty little thing like you being out in this part of town. It's dangerous out here, you know." He smiled again and his hand tightened slight on Akito's frail wrist. "You shouldn't be alone. I'll take care of you."

Akito moved his arm away from the man's offensive touch. Akito was normally a very tactile person. He liked touching and being touched. It always made him feel better to have a friendly hand to hold or just having someone sit next to him. Usually, those things came from Shigure. However, Akito didn't want this man touching him. This man was a stranger and there was something frightening about his smile.

"Get away from him." A soft voice spoke just loudly enough to be heard.

Akito and the strange man turned and there was Kureno standing with his arms hanging loosely at his sides. His black eyes were narrowed as he looked at the man in what was almost a glare. Again, Akito found himself staring at Kureno. Just the way he stood seemed strange, tense almost. Kureno's hair wasn't as long as even Shigure's, let alone Ayame's, and it was very fair. His hair was somewhere between gold and red, a trait that only served to make his black eyes stand out even more prominently.

"What's he to you?" The man demanded, defensively, as he stood to face Kureno. It was as if he thought he had some kind of claim on Akito and needed to assert that claim. "I found him first."

It was absurd, of course. There was no one who could claim Akito. It was Akito who owned people, not the other way around. Akito wrinkled his nose at the stranger, but the stranger wasn't watching Akito. Instead, the stranger kept his eyes on Kureno and tensed up when Kureno started walking closer.

Kureno walked up to the man and stared up at him without an ounce of fear. "He's my lover."

Akito wasn't sure what a lover was, but he had some idea that it was a very close friend. He'd overheard people talking about such things and he knew, for example, that Kureno's mom and Ritsu's father were lovers. Akito just stared at Kureno, wondering why Kureno was telling such a blatant lie. He hardly knew Kureno, so how could they be such good friends?

The other man opened his mouth to say something, but Kureno stopped him by simply reaching to his belt. "Are you sure you want to fight me for him? I've seen you in the audience at the Pit. You know what I can do."

"The Pit? So...you really are Kureno. I thought you looked familiar. You can have him." The man paled as he spoke, but without another word as he turned and walked away.


Kureno-


Of course it was a lie. Kureno had never had a lover in his entire life and he had no intention of taking one any time soon, let alone a child like Akito. Heck, Kureno was only twelve himself, he had no interest in sex and didn't know why the older boys seemed to obsessed with it. It was a necessary lie, though, and the fasted way to get rid of Takeo. Kureno knew that the people who hung around this part of the city would believe the lie and no one who knew Kureno's reputation would be stupid enough to interfere with Kureno if he claimed someone.

It wasn't uncommon for the children of the Pits to have lovers, even at their young ages. Many of the children who weren't strong enough to fight were used as sex toys for the patrons who wanted more than a show. Many of the children, as they grew up into teenagers, grew accustomed to sex and saw nothing wrong with indulging in it, though that often had disastrous consequences. Kureno had once known a little girl who was barely ten who'd had an abortion, thought it wasn't of her own choice. She probably would have died in childbirth if she hadn't had the abortion as Kureno was perfectly aware that the owners would never allow the girl to be taken to the hospital. It would raise to many questions when the doctors started asking why a ten-year-old had gotten pregnant.

She had died during the abortion when a man who claimed to be a doctor was hired to do it. Kureno had watched, in fact, as the man went into the frightened girl's room and he'd listened to her terrified screaming for what seemed like a very long time. Then, very suddenly, the screaming stopped. The man came out, taking blood soaked gloves off, but said not a word to the dozens of children who waited outside the girl's room. The girl never came out.

Kureno tried not to think about that girl. It had been almost a year ago and it would only hurt to think about her now. Yukina...that was her name. Yukina had been weak. In the Pits, the weak were prey and the strong were the predators. That was why she'd died. Yukina had been given the choice to either fight and possibly die in the arena or be a toy for the owner to hand out as he pleased. She chose to be a toy. It must have seemed safer, at the time.

Kureno was neither weak nor strong, at least, not in his own opinion. He was simply a survivor.

Takeo, the man Kureno had seen with Akito, was a predator and, apparently, he'd seen Akito as the perfect prey.

Why Akito was sitting on the sidewalk in the slums, Kureno had no idea. It was bad enough that the head of the family was here at all, but the fact that he was alone and looked so vulnerable, Kureno knew he couldn't just leave Akito out here alone. Akito looked so pitiful as he sat there shivering and with reddened, puffy eyes and his skin turning terribly pale. He was a perfect target for any number of thieves and pickpockets who lurked out here.

With a sigh, Kureno held out his hand to Akito. "You should come with me." He wasn't quite sure what he was going to do with Akito, but he couldn't just leave him out here.

"Where?" Akito asked as he took the hand without hesitation and Kureno was shocked at the unquestioning trust. Would Akito have taken the hand of just anyone who offered it to him? Would he have gone with Takeo, the man he'd seen pawing at Akito only moments ago? Of course Kureno knew Takeo. Takeo was a regular patron at the Pits, a man notorious for his preference of little children to people his own age. Little Akito must have seemed like a tempting target, just sitting there so pathetically.

"I have to go somewhere and I can't be late. I'll get in trouble if I'm late. I don't have time to take you back to the estate, so you'll have to come with me for a while." Kureno told him. "I'll give someone a call at the estate to come and get you." Kureno couldn't help but feel awkward as they walked hand-in-hand together further into the depths of the city, a place most people with sense didn't go. There were few police officers brave enough to dare walking a beat down here, though there were a few who had earned themselves punishments and had been sent down to this part of the city to serve out that punishment.

They walked in silence for a long while, passing by buildings that were, by now, very familiar to Kureno. He'd lived here for many years now. So long that he wasn't in any danger by walking down these streets and alleys. He knew where the gangs held their regular meetings and the popular hang-out spots for the drug dealers. He knew which prostitutes were harmless and which were sharks with lipstick. He knew which pimps carried guns and which had knives.

"I wanna go home, Kureno." Akito muttered, keeping his small, cold hand nearly glued to Kureno's. "I don't like this place."

"You shouldn't have come here in the first place." Kureno told him calmly. "You don't have to be afraid, I won't let you get hurt." It occurred to Kureno that his mother was going to be terribly angry when she found out that Akito had found out where he was all this time. Of course, Kureno knew his mother told everyone that he was away at boarding school. It was a lie, but one that Kureno didn't care to unveil.

There was no reason to make everyone unhappy, just because his mother didn't care enough to keep him at home. He knew that his mother had adopted the new little rat, Yuki, though he wasn't sure why his mother would prefer having the rat as a son rather than the rooster. Why was Yuki so much better than Kureno? What made him more special? Perhaps it was just pity. Little Yuki didn't look as if he'd live long, so perhaps it was decided that they would spoil him for as long as he lived. Then again, maybe she would sell him into the Pits like she did Kureno. That would be a terrible thing for someone so weak as little Yuki.

Kureno understood that it was better for him to be away from his mother and father. Neither cared to keep him, so he was better off keeping his life at the Pits where he knew the rules. In fact, Kureno hardly knew his family, he'd been sent away when he was very young. He could still remember the day that his mother had sold him to the man who owned the Pits and how he'd been led wordlessly away. He was old enough to understand that the money was more important to his mother than her freak son.

The last thing that Kureno's mother had told him, before the stranger had taken his hand and led him away, was that he must always come back at New Years without fail. No matter where he was or what he was doing, he must return for New Years. She never wanted to see him again, but if he didn't come back for New Years, then he would be in terrible trouble. Apparently, Kureno's mother was afraid to have the family find out that she'd sold him. So far, Kureno had obeyed that order, though it wasn't because his mother had told him to. He was drawn back to the estate, back to Akito, at New Years, though he couldn't explain why.

The Pits.

It was an appropriate name. A large building, bigger than most warehouses, with a huge room in the center of the building that was built like an arena. There was nothing about the building that made it look like anything other than an old warehouse, but Kureno knew better. This place had been his home for several years now, after all. Outside the building, the only thing that marked it as out of place was the unusual amount of young people. Boys and girls from the ages of about seven up to teen-agers; all of them hung around the building and Kureno knew there would be more of them inside.

As Kureno approached, the subdued talking and occasional laughter died away to be replaced by an ominous silence and Kureno distantly wondered what Akito thought of it. Not that it mattered. What Akito thought about all this wouldn't change anything. They all disliked Kureno or were afraid of him. He was to good, to untouchable. Kureno had a reputation that not a single person could rival and they hated him for being so good.

Kureno led Akito into the warehouse and into one of the dimly lit hallways. The further into the warehouse they went, the closer Akito tried to press himself into Kureno's side. "Where...where are we?" Akito asked, looking around at the shadowy place and Kureno knew it must be frightening for Akito who, supposedly, never left the estate.

"This is the Pits." No one questioned them, not that Kureno had expected them to. There were occasional adults here and there, the people who saw to it that the children were fed and relatively healthy. Most of the time, their job was to keep outsiders, like Akito, out of the Pits. But, seeing as Kureno had a firm grip on Akito's hand, no one looked twice at them. It was one of the perks to being the best. Who he chose to bring to his 'room' was his own business. "I live here." Kureno said. "In here." He stopped and opened a door to show Akito into his room.

Room was a generous word to use, though it was better than what most of the other children had. He'd earned his privileges and this room was one of them. All of the rest of the children were allotted even smaller spaces to sleep in with little or no privacy. Most of them slept two or three to a room that was little more than a glorified closet and the only place to wash was a communal shower that was shared by girls and boys alike. Kureno had to share that shower, too, he couldn't escape that indignity, but he did have the luxury of having a room to him self.

Kureno's room was big enough for a single cot, but it had little else. Kureno needed nothing else, after all. On the bed, Kureno had put his regular clothes, the ones he wore when he was fighting in the arena, and an extra T-shirt. They were his only clothes. The nice clothes he wore to the estate were only for when he had to go to the estate, there was no point in wearing them around here.

Akito closed the door behind them and took Akito to the bed. "Sit down and rest." Without waiting to see if Akito did as he was told, Kureno started to change his clothes. Modesty was something he'd long ago learned to live without. So having Akito see him without clothes didn't bother him. He had to get out of his good clothes and into something more practical. He'd only barely made it back to the Pit in time for his match, thanks to Akito wanting him to stay the night at the estate, and now he'd have little time to waste. When he was finished changing clothes, Kureno carefully folded his good clothes and slid them under the cot where they'd be safe. "I'll go call someone from the estate to come get you." He was going to leave, but Akito looked at him pitifully and shivered.

"Don't leave me." Akito's face was, as usual, pale and his dark eyes were very wide, shining as if he would burst into tears at any moment. "I don't feel good, Kureno. I forgot to take my pills today." He wrapped his thin arms around himself. "Please, don't leave me."

So, Kureno sighed and sat on the bed next to Akito. There was really nothing he could do to help Akito now. He couldn't go back to the estate for the pills, he was supposed to fight soon. He didn't even know what kind of pills Akito was taking to keep him healthy. Kureno pulled up the blanket on his bed, badly in need of a wash, and covered Akito's shoulders with it. "The heating isn't working today, but I'll try to get you warmed up, if I can."

They sat together, on Kureno's bed, leaning back against the cement wall. After a few moments, Akito ended up cuddling against Kureno's side as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"You shouldn't be here." Kureno whispered, yet again. "It's dangerous." He was more than a little disturbed at being so close to another person. Kureno had spent a good deal of his life trying to keep people away, but Akito wasn't going to have any part of that. In the end, Kureno leaned back and relaxed as best as he could and they sat in silence for a while. He knew, of course, that Akito was god. He wasn't sure how or why, but he'd been taught the same legend as the rest of the Junikyu. He wondered if the black robed priests had ever cuddled against their god like this. He wondered if anyone else in the world was able to feel their god's cold skin or the beat of his heart against their hand.

When Akito spoke, his voice was strangely distant. "I'll be all right. I'm just tired and I get dizzy. Shigure tells me all about the outside world, but he's never told me about anything like this."

"Shigure doesn't live in my world. It's different here." But Kureno didn't want to go into details. He knew Akito wouldn't understand, even if he had tried to explain.

"Why? Why are you here?" Akito asked. He looked around at the dingy walls and picked at the grimy blanket. "Why don't you live at the estate, like everyone else?"

Kureno didn't answer. There was no point in upsetting Akito with the truth. Instead, Kureno shifted slightly so he could hold Akito closer. At least the small child had stopped shivering uncontrollably.

"It's dirty here." Akito continued with a grimace. His nose twitched at the smell of filth Kureno had long since gotten used to. The blankets weren't washed very often and, in fact, had it not been for the Banquet, Kureno wouldn't have been allowed a bath for another four days. All the children shared communal showers, boys and girls, to save on water. "Where are we? What is this place? Your mother said you were going back to boarding school."

"Yes, she did." Kureno had never been to school before. He couldn't even read.

"Kureno, get ready, your on..." The man who poked his head into the tiny room saw Akito and scowled. "Who's the brat?"

This man was, Chen, one of Kureno's bosses, but he wasn't the man who owned the Pit. Whoever owned the Pit and everyone in it, Kureno didn't know. He only knew the faces of the men and women who oversaw the operations of the fights and the half a dozen burly men who kept a close eye on all the children. Not that many tried to escape. Everyone knew that away from the Pits they would probably starve to death on the streets or something. All of them were orphans or abandoned and not a single one of them had any schooling, except for Ping, who went to first grade and could read a little.
This would be tricky.

Kureno didn't want Chen to get any ideas about Akito being available. The story about Akito being Kureno's lover was a good enough lie to tell Takeo, but Chen might spread rumors that Kureno was keeping a boy in his room. It wasn't against any kind of rules, but it might give people ideas that they could try something with Akito the minute Kureno's back was turned.

"He got lost and wandered in here by accident." Kureno answered softly. "He said his uncle brought him to watch the fights, but he got separated. I was just going to try and find his uncle."

"Ah. Well, get him back to the audience and then hurry. You're on in ten minutes."


A few minutes later-


"Whatever you do," Kureno warned as he led Akito to a front seat of the stadium. "Don't talk to anyone and don't go anywhere with anyone. If someone tries to take you away, you tell them that your full name and they'll leave you alone. The Souma name's pretty well known, even in this part of the city." The audience seats were rapidly filling up, but Kureno was lucky enough to find a spot where he could keep a relatively close eye on Akito, right in the front row. The audience's seating was raised up above the square area where the fighting would be taking place. It was done that way so all the patrons would get a better look at the fighting.

That was the business of the Pit, illegal fighting.

Basically, a man once bought this whole warehouse and converted it into a fighting ring. The advantage to having it in a warehouse was that he could house all his fighters, the children.

Akito looked up at Kureno with wide, frightened eyes and Kureno hastened to reassure him. "I'll be right back. This won't take long." He left Akito there, trusting that his public appearance with Akito would keep him relatively safe. As soon as he found the nearest phone, Kureno dialed the number for the Main House. There was no answer, so Kureno decided he'd just take Akito home later, himself.


Akito-


Akito didn't like waiting for Kureno. The seat Kureno had put him in was dirty and there were to many people all around, pressing in closely. Still, he waited patiently and tried to ignore the growing noise. He hated noise. It was like static and blocked out everything. Akito swallowed hard and focused on the sandy floor of the arena in the slightly lowered fighting area. His vision was starting to go funny, and every now and again he saw double. Aside from Kureno, Akito hadn't liked anyone he'd met outside the walls of the estate. This outside world was proving to be a vast disappointment.

"May I have your attention!" A voice from some person speaking into a microphone echoed through the large room and Akito tried to focus on that person, even as he covered his ears with his hands. The voice was to loud, it rang though his head painfully. His legs felt very weak, like they were filled with water instead of muscle and bone. He wasn't sure if he could stand even if he had to. "For our first match, here's our prized boy!" He swept his arm and directed everyone's attention to a door on one side of the arena. The door swung open and Kureno strode out.

Akito watched as Kureno entered the arena. Kureno wore nothing but a pair of loose shorts that went all the way to his knees. He wasn't thin, but he did look wiry and Kureno was wearing those kind of white gloves with the fingers cut off. Strangely, Kureno also had something strapped to the back of his feet. They looked like two shining spikes a couple of inches long on both of his feet.

As he entered the pit, Kureno stopped by a barrel of water. He dipped one hand in and brought a handful of water to his mouth, drinking the water. Then he put both hands on the sides of the barrel and dunked his head. He stayed down for a moment before he pulled his head up again and threw his hair back.

"There you are, ladies and gentlemen!" The announcer nearly screamed into his microphone as Kureno took to the center of the arena. "One of our star attractions, Kureno, the Fighting Cock!"

From the audience around him, Akito heard mutters of approval almost overshadowed by the hoots of laughter and the wild catcalls. Akito cringed at all the noise and, not for the first time, Akito found himself missing his silent home and his warm bed. All this noise was quickly bringing on a headache and he was confused. What was going on? Why did Kureno tell everyone he was the rooster?!

"Ah, yes!" The announcer continued. "I think our little big man has a few fans, hasn't he? Kureno has never once been defeated; not even by boys twice his age and size! Come on, folks, show your support for the most feared fighter this arena has ever seen!"

The cheers and hooting grew louder and louder until Akito covered his ears to block it out. Two men beside Akito, though, couldn't be blocked out.

"That boy's the reason I keep coming." One man told another, almost proudly. "I've wagered on him again, but he won't make me much. He's to good, no one's stupid enough to bet against him."

"So, how much did you wager on him?"

"Two thousand."

"That little?"

"Well, like I said, no one's going to bet against him. Betting really isn't the reason I come though, though, if you know what I mean." He gave a guttural laugh and nudged the other man in the ribs. "For a twelve year old, he's got a lovely face." There was something in his voice that Akito didn't like at all.

"Aren't you getting ambitious? I've heard that he won't let himself be touched, not by anyone. He's got those knives, you know."

"I wouldn't want an easy lay, you know me. A boy like that doesn't need to be seduced, he needs to be just taken. He's a fighting cock? Well, I'd like to see how much fighting his cock does when I get him in my bed." The man's hands clenched on the armrests of his chair. "I'm going to buy him."

"What?"

"You heard me. I've been watching that boy for almost two years and he's only getting stronger. They don't put him up to fight much, because he's so good. The other kids don't want to fight him and there's little challenge in it for him. If I don't snatch him up now, someone else is going to buy him and..."

That was it!

Akito turned abruptly to glare at the two men. "You can't buy Kureno! He belongs to me! I won't let you have him!" It would have been much more effective if Akito could focus on the men he was trying to yell at.

The men blinked at Akito, surprised. "Who the Hell are you, kid?"

Akito opened his mouth to answer, but the announcer spoke again and Akito turned his attention back to the pit where Kureno was standing as still as a statue.

"The challenger, Murakai!" From out of the other side of the pit, the opposite side from where Kureno had come, came a young man carrying a steel pipe about three feet long. He was a bit older than Kureno and had long hair tied into a tight braid hanging down his back. "Murakai came to us as little more than four weeks ago and since then he's worked hard for his keep. He's a tough punk, but is he ready to face the Fighting Cock? We'll see. Here we go!" A loud bell ran and both boys turned to face each other.

The fight lasted only a moment, but in that moment Kureno was magnificent. To Akito's eyes, Kureno seemed to be dancing as he spun and jumped, hitting his opponent with everything he had. In the end, Murakai fell, landing face down on the sawdust floor and the audience roared with approval for Kureno. Kureno didn't pause for the adulation's, he simply turned and started to walk back to the door he'd come in through.

"Winner...The Fighting Cock!"

'Wow.' Akito thought, truly awed. 'He hardly even tried. I've never seen anyone fight like him.' Indeed, Akito had, a few times, watched Shigure and Ayame as they spared against each other and he'd thought they were good. Once, he'd been lucky enough to see Kuzuma fight and that was the only thing he could compare Kureno to. Akito thought that if Kuzuma and Kureno fought, despite their age differences, that they would be evenly matched.

Akito's admiring thoughts were cut short when he looked over at the fallen Murakai and saw him starting to get up. There was a terrible look of fury on Murakai's face and, when Kureno's back was turned, he jumped angrily to his feet. Akito shouted a warning, but there was to much noise for his voice to be heard. Murakai grabbed the steel pipe he'd dropped during the fight and was nearly about to bash Kureno's head.

To bad Kureno was faster. With a lightening fast move, Kureno spun and suddenly had a long, narrow knife buried in Murakai's stomach.

Murakai stared at Kureno's blood splattered hand and then looked up to meet his eyes. There was no emotion on Kureno's face, nothing but a blank look of almost boredom. Very slowly, Murakai's hand opened and the steel pipe fell uselessly to the ground as Murakai staggered away, clutching his stomach with both hands, as if that would stop the flow of blood. He only took about two steps, a blossoming flower of blood spreading across his shirt, when Kureno savagely kicked Murakai across the throat with the back of his foot. Of course, now Akito saw the reason for those spikes on Kureno's feet. The spike slashed across Murakai's throat causing blood to erupt, splattering across Kureno's chest and face. Murakai fell instantly to the sandy floor, dead.

The entire audience, for the first time, watched in stunned silence as Kureno calmly wiped the blade of his stiletto on his shorts and then slipped it down the waistband.

"And that's why you all pay the big money, folks!" The announcer nearly shouted into his microphone. "No rules, only survival! Kureno's gracious enough to let most of his opponents leave alive, but if you don't stay down when he puts you down, he's not shy about spilling a little blood." His voice became almost proud. "Our Fighting Cock's taken the lives of six fighters to date, including poor Murakai, who wasn't smart enough to back down!"

"You see," The man next to Akito whispered to his friend in a breathless voice. "That's why I want him. God's! I've never seen such a boy! I have to have him!"

The announcer, a short, balding man with a very brightly colored shirt, walked out to the center of the pit and took Kureno by the arm before he could leave. "Before you all leave for the evening," The announcer said. "We have a special event tonight. Our little Fighting Cock will be bought tonight. One of you out there has been so impressed, that you're willing to pay a thousand for him." All around Akito heard the surprised mutters. "So, I'm afraid this is the last night we'll see the Fighting Cock in our arena, unless his new owner wishes to show him off once in a while, in which case, he's always welcomed back. The management has approved the selling of Fighting Cock, but," He paused dramatically. "We're going have an auction for him!"

The man next to Akito swore vilely under his breath. "An auction? Since when did they start auctioning off the kids?"

"Since this one's so popular. I think you're going to empty your checkbook for this one, everyone wants him." The man's companion told him, amused. Indeed, all around him, Akito saw people suddenly reaching for their wallets and pulling out cell phones and calling their banks.

The bidding went quickly, from one thousand to ten thousand up to one hundred thousand. It seemed that there were a lot of rich people willing to spend money for Kureno. Kureno, still silent and still in the pit, with his eyes focused on his bare feet, looked pale to Akito's eyes. He made no sign of being happy or unhappy about what was happening to him, but Akito felt such black rage.

"One million!" Akito shouted as loudly as he could. Again, the whole audience went silent. Then, the laughter started and Akito felt his cheeks flush. "Does anyone beat my offer?"

"Boy," The announcer said with a soft chuckle at Akito's expense. "How do you intend to pay?"

"I am Souma Akito, head of the Souma House. I assure you I have more than enough to pay for him." How dare anyone try to buy what belonged to Akito?! The only place Kureno should be going was home, back to the estate. "You'll have your money as soon as the banks open. Kureno's going home with me!"

In the arena, Kureno slowly looked up and he met Akito's eyes with an expression Akito was almost shocked to see. For just a moment, Kureno wasn't the strong savior who'd rescued Akito from the frightening streets or the stotic boy who had been so stone still at the New Year's Banquet. Instead, Kureno's eyes were wide with disbelief. He stared up at Akito with something akin to the worship.

Akito smiled.

That was how all the Junikyu looked at Akito, with worshipping, devoted eyes. That was how Kureno should be looking at him.



Later, Kureno sat with Akito as they waited for a representative from the family to arrive with the money. In the manager's office, Akito sat with Kureno at his side and kept his hand firmly on Kureno's shoulder. He hated these people, these creatures who dared to try to sell one of his family. Kureno had said very little since he'd climbed up into the audience to stand by Akito, but it was clear that he was grateful and Akito wondered how frightening it must have been to think you might be sold. What if that strange man who'd sat next to Akito in the audience had bought Kureno? Akito didn't like that thought at all.

So they sat together and Akito leaned up against Kureno for support. He was getting tired again, but he knew he had to stay awake until they got back to the estate.

'He's mine, now.' Akito thought possessively as he took one of Kureno's callused hands and stroked it fondly. 'No one will ever hurt him. I won't let the world even touch him. He'll stay with me forever and I'll protect him.'

It turned out to be Ren who came for Akito. He wasn't exactly thrilled to see her walk through the door and she glared at him once before handing over a leather brief case to the Pit's manager. "This is half." She said crisply. "The other half will be delivered tomorrow morning at ten a.m. when we're certain the merchandise we've purchased is undamaged." She gave the manager not a moment to speak before she abruptly turned on her heel and strode out of the office. "Come along, Akito-sama. The car's waiting."

"No, thank you." Akito stood up, but kept his hand on Kureno's. "Kureno and I will walk home."

Again, Ren's glare promised retribution, but she didn't argue, as Akito knew she wouldn't. She wouldn't risk public scandal by letting outsiders think the family was at all divided. Akito was coming to understand more and more about Ren and the more he found out, the less he liked her.

"Very well, Akito-sama. Do be careful. I'd like to speak with you once you get home."


Back at the estate-


Kureno was obedient to a fault. He never questioned, never argued, and did exactly as Akito asked him to. He bowed deeply to Akito and spoke with reverence when he spoke to his new 'master'. All the way back to the estate, Kureno walked protectively close to Akito and explained what had happened. Kureno was a slave. Now that Akito had bought him and was his master, Kureno would literally do anything Akito wished of him.

Shigure and Ayame met them in the city, both looking very relieved to find Akito safe. Shigure had given Akito a piggy back ride when Akito told him that he wasn't feeling well and Ayame chatted incessantly with the silent Kureno. Shigure berated Akito for going out alone, even if he was sad about Yahiko, and told him that next time he should wait for someone to go walking with him.

Still, Akito was pleased. He had lost Yahiko, but had gained Kureno. It was a sad trade off, but it helped to stop some of the grief. Shigure and Ayame reluctantly left them as soon as Shigure dropped Akito off at his house. Shigure had wanted to stay longer, but Akito knew Ren wouldn't allow it so he sent both his cousins away. Kureno, Akito kept with him.



"How dare you spend so much money?!" Ren yelled, not bothering to lower her voice at all. Apparently, Ren wasn't so much upset at the news that Kureno would be living with Akito from now on, as she was at Kureno's price tag. "Do you know what you've done? You've just put our family in the middle of an illegal-fighting ring, that's what you've done! If the media gets a hold of this, it could ruin our family!"

"They were going to sell Kureno! He belongs to me, no one's allowed to have him, but me!" Akito yelled back. It was the first time he'd dared to raise his voice to Ren. "You said they belong to me and I can do whatever I like with them! I bought him and the family's money is my money, I can spend it however I please!"

"You brat! This is MY family and I will run it as I see fit! That money is my money! You're nothing more than a goddamned figure-head and in a very short while you'll be dead. Go, play with your pets, the freaks. The monsters of our family are well suited for you. Don't you ever, DARE make the mistake of challenging me, Akito! If you ever do anything like this again, I'll take them away from you. Then what will you be? A weak, dying little boy locked away forever, alone."

Akito glared up at Ren. "They won't leave me. I don't care what you say, they'll never leave me!"

"I'm the legal head of this family, Akito. They will do what I tell them to do. I'll ship Shigure off to boarding school in Europe. Would you like that? He'll be so far away that he'll forget all about you in a week. I'll send Hatori and Ayame to military school. Do you think Ayame would look nice with that beautiful silver hair all shaved off? How about Hatori? Gentle Hatori wouldn't do well with so many people always yelling at him and having to do all that physical work."

"You can't!" Akito yelled. "I won't let you!"

"Won't let me? How are you going to stop me? Are you going to kill me like you did Yahiko?"

"No! No! I didn't kill him!" Akito slapped his hands over his ears to stop her words. It didn't work as she only started yelling louder. He'd almost driven Yahiko's death from his mind, with all the excitement about Kureno. Almost. The pain was still there, though, lurking inside of Akito.

"Why do you keep denying the truth? We both know you did it. What are you going to do if I tell everyone the truth? What if I tell them I know you killed Yahiko? Do you think your precious pets will still follow you anywhere? I won't have to do a thing, they'll abandon you all on their own."

Through it all, Kureno had watched impassively from where he was standing near Akito's bed. His hands were clasped in front of him, just like he'd stood at the banquet. Though his eyes kept shifting from Ren to Akito, depending on who was speaking, he made no effort to involve himself in the conversation. Kureno took his roll in life very seriously and wouldn't act or speak until Akito called for him.

"Be silent!" Akito glared at Ren hatefully. "Close your fat mouth!" It was something Akito would never have dared to say before, but now he didn't seem to be able to stop. "I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I didn't kill Yahiko!"

With fury in her eyes, Ren reared back and smacked Akito across the face, hurling him to the floor. Just when Akito looked up, someone grey flew over his head and tackled Ren to the floor. It was Shigure in his plain grey kimono and Akito realized that Shigure must have been listening at the door the whole time. Akito was frightened to see Shigure enraged.

Shigure had Ren pinned to the floor, his teeth bared and a deep growl coming from his throat. Ren struggled, of course, but Shigure was far stronger than he looked and he'd had a lot of training in fighting from Kazuma.

"Don't you ever put your hands on Akito!" Shigure raged furiously. Shigure's hands slid up from Ren's shoulders and wrap around her throat. Shigure's enraged face only became angrier when he started to squeeze.

Akito had never seen Shigure so angry before. It was as if his ever-cheerful manner was nothing but a mask and, for the first time, that mask had slipped off. Akito stared helplessly for a moment, his mouth hanging wide open as he saw Shigure in a way he'd never imagined him before. Shigure was actually...scary.

Then, all of a sudden, Akito remembered what Ren had said. If he let the Junikyu hurt her, she'd hurt everyone else. She'd find a way to hurt them.

"Shigure! Stop!" Akito cried out, pulling himself to his feet. "Stop it now!"

Shigure did stop, immediately. He jumped off Ren as if he'd suddenly realized he was sitting in a pit of red hot coals and looked at Akito, amazed. Shigure said nothing as he knelt on the floor between Ren and Akito, keeping his eyes on Akito and what he was thinking, Akito couldn't guess.


Shigure-


'He made me stop. He won't let me protect him.' Shigure was stunned. He'd finally seen with his own eyes how badly Ren was secretly treating Akito when he was just passing by Akito's bedroom and happened to look in. He finally had all the evidence he needed to do his duty and protect his family, but Akito wouldn't let him? He couldn't disobey Akito's order to leave Ren be, but he couldn't watch Akito be hurt, either.

Very slowly, Shigure rose to his feet. If he couldn't protect Akito, then Shigure would leave. He...he just couldn't stay here knowing that Akito was being treated so badly. Even worse was the knowledge that Akito apparently didn't trust Shigure enough to let Shigure take care of him. That hurt.

Shigure opened his mouth a couple of times, but no sound came out. Finally, he managed to rasp out, "I'm leaving. When you need me, I'll come back. I just...I just can't stay right now." Shigure left, hardly focused on anything around him. He wasn't sure where he would go or what he would do. For now, though, he just had to get away.

"Shigure, wait! Shigure!"

As if from a great distance, Shigure heard Akito calling from him to come back, but he ignored it. For the first time in his life, even when his life had been ruled by Akira, Shigure fought the urge to obey his god. His heart and soul were screaming at him to go back and do as Akito wished, but Shigure kept walking. He walked until he came to the estate gates and just kept walking. He would go...somewhere. Somewhere that he didn't have to watch his family being hurt while he sat helplessly by.


Akito-


(She made him go away! She chased Shigure away! Kill her! Make her suffer!)

Akito turned slowly to Ren. "You did this." His voice was deathly calm and Akito wanted nothing more than to strangle her with his own bare hands. "You made Shigure go away." He felt strong. All of a sudden, his vision cleared and became very stable and Akito felt as if he were the strongest person in the world.

Ren gave him a contemptuous look and crossed her arms over her chest. "So what? He'll go back to his little house and cry for a bit and then he'll come back and beg for forgiveness. He's a dog. He'll come running the moment his master whistles." The venom in her voice didn't make Akito cringe, as it usually did. It made him angry.

"You made Shigure leave me." Akito echoed himself, infuriated. He knew that Shigure wouldn't do as Ren predicted. He knew Shigure wasn't coming back this time. Shigure would leave the estate, but what he would do in the dangerous, dark, outside world, Akito had no idea. "How dare you?"

"Get over yourself, Akito." Ren turned away from him. "Haven't you forgotten? You can't touch me. I'm your guardian, you'll do as I say."

Akito reached down and felt his fingers brush across the cold surface of the mirror that lay on his bedside table. 'Can't do anything? They're my family! They belong to me!' "Don't get in my way, Ren." Akito snarled. "You'll never touch my family again!"

(Yes...yes, hurt her. She hurt Shigure and made him sad. Punish her. She deserves to die for what she did to your dog.)

Just as Ren started to turn towards Akito again and just as she opened her mouth to say something, Akito swung the mirror and smashed it into the side of her face. She screamed and went down with both of her hands to her face. There was a lot of blood and Akito stood over the wailing woman with the broken mirror still clenched in his hand. There was no pity for her, no remorse.

"Get up, Ren."

Ren didn't move. She stayed on her knees and was crying at the top of her lungs. "My face! My face!"

Akito didn't move to help her. "Get up! I don't want you in my bedroom anymore."

"You brat! You horrible monster!" Ren struggled to her feet and brought her hands away from her face, only to sob again as she stared at her own hands.

"Kureno," Akito sat back down on his bed and held out his hand to Kureno.

Obediently, Kureno went to Akito and took the offered hand. Kureno sat on the floor beside Akito and let Akito pet his hair. As usual, Kureno made no sign that he liked or disliked the touch, but he allowed it. "Yes, Akito?"

"If Ren ever comes near my home again, kill her."

"Yes, Akito." Kureno didn't take his eyes from Ren as he spoke to Akito and even she saw something terrible, terribly dangerous in those black eyes.

"If Ren comes near me without my permission, kill her."

"Yes, Akito."

"If Ren ever lays a finger on any of my Junikyu, kill her."

"Yes, Akito."

Ren had gone quite white during all this and she stood before Akito, looking quite lost for a moment, as she peeked out between her fingers at Akito. She was shaking and blood was dripping down the front of her shirt. "You...you can't do that, Akito-sama. I'm your guardian."

"I don't care."

Akito went to walk passed her and Ren, still not quite believing Akito and his newfound companion, Kureno, went to grab Akito's arm with one bloody hand as he passed by her. She stopped, however, when Kureno was suddenly next to her and had a dagger pressed into her ribs. Her fingers were bare inches from Akito's arm and she froze. Slowly, Ren shifted her eyes to look at Kureno. He hadn't a bit of expression on his face and regarded her calmly, apparently waiting to see if she would go so far as to touch Akito.

Akito smirked and turned his head only enough to look at Ren out of the corner of his eyes. "I will have him kill you, Ren. It won't hurt him at all, he's very good at it."

Quickly, Ren drew her hand back and put it back up to her face. She glared at Akito hard between her fingers.

"Don't ever forget, Ren, this is my family. You are nothing but a weed in my beautiful garden."


Ayame-


Ayame watched as Shigure left, but didn't try to stop his friend. He'd always known that Shigure would leave one day. Shigure really cared to much about the family that everyone knew would destroy itself. Shigure wanted desperately to save them, but there was no saving. There would never be a rescue from their cursed lives.

'So, the pressure was finally to much for him. That's what happens when you try to save everyone. You just end up hurting yourself.' Ayame had no doubt that Shigure would contact him later, when he'd calmed down, and he was willing to wait.

As he sat in the branches on one of the estate trees, Ayame held a letter tightly in his hands. He, like Shigure, wanted things to change, but he wasn't strong enough to accomplish anything. Ayame would settle for someone to talk to. He wanted to talk to someone, someone who wouldn't look at him strangely and someone who wouldn't judge him because of the way he talked or dressed. Someone who'd take him seriously.

That was the whole reason for the envelope in Ayame's hands with the American address on the front. All he wanted was someone to talk to. He hadn't told anyone in the family about this little hobby of his, not even Hatori. Ayame was sure he could do this without giving away family secrets, even thought the other members of his family might not be so trusting of him. Ayame had, though school, gotten in touch with a pen-pal organization that had connected him with this person. Hopefully, it would be a friendship where Ayame didn't have to be so careful as he was with people he saw every day.

So, as he sat in the privacy of the tree branches, Ayame turned his attention away from Shigure was now ran down the street to the envelope. Shigure would be all right. If nothing else, Shigure was a survivor, he'd do just fine no matter where he went or what he did. He certainly didn't need Ayame's help.

Out of the envelope, Ayame pulled a letter written in English with the shaky hand of a child.

~Hello, my name's Leon Orcot and I'm seven years old. What's your name?~




To be continued...



Author's note: Ta Da! And here you have it! Finally, after seven chapters, we've found Leon! Took long enough, huh?