Pet Shop Of Horrors Fan Fiction / Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Long Denied ❯ My Baby...My Monster ( Chapter 8 )

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

Petshop of Horrors X-over Fruits Basket
A/N: In this chapter Hatori is referred to as Hatori-sensei. Sensei doesn't only mean teacher, as many people think. It can mean any professional and is also used for doctor. He isn't technically a doctor, yet, but he is the only person in the family even remotely capable of giving any kind of medical treatment, so they give him the respect he deserves.



Long Denied
Chapter 8: My baby...my monster

Year: 1995

Akito: 12

Ayame: 17
Shigure: 18
Hatori: 17
Yuki: 6
Momiji: 5
Hatsuharu: 5
Kureno: 18
Kagura: 8
Rin: 8
Ritsu: 8
Hiro: 3
Kisa: 3

Kyou: 6

Leon Orcot: 13




Momiji-


"Momiji, mama is very, very sick. But, if she were to forget about you, they say she might get better. I know this is painful for you, too, Momiji, but papa will love you twice as much to make up for her love. If you love mama like I do, Momiji, help us save her."

Momiji stood still as his papa hugged him. He knew mama was sick, but...she wanted to forget him?

"But papa, what will we do when she forgets me?" Momiji didn't try to pull away from his papa, but he wanted to cry. Didn't mama love him? If mama didn't love him, did that mean papa didn't love him? "She'll see me all day."

The hug tightened, but his papa wouldn't look at Momiji. "No, Momiji, she won't. Mama and I are going to move into the city. Somewhere closer to my work."

"You...and mama? What about me?"

"You're going to stay on the estate. You'll have everything you could want and a good home, Akito's promised me he'll find you a good family. Somewhere that you can be safe and happy. I'll still love you, I always will. You can come to visit me at my work, so long as you don't let your mama see you." He tried to smile at Momiji, but it was a weak. "I'll call you when I can."

So papa was just going to leave him? Momiji felt something start to break inside of him. Call? Visit him at work? "Papa, why doesn't mama love me?"

"Mama's scared, Momiji. She can't help it."

"Papa, why don't you love me?"

Momiji's papa looked surprised and hurt. "Oh, Momiji, I...I do love you."

In papa's words, Momiji could hear the lie. In papa's eyes, Momiji could see the fear. It made him want to cry, but he didn't. He'd never noticed before, but his papa was afraid. He was even to afraid to admit it, though. He wanted to take mama and go far away, leaving Momiji with someone else.

Very slowly, Momiji put his arms around his papa's neck and held him tightly, cuddling into his papa. "Please, papa, don't forget me. I promise I'll always love you. I love you and mama so much, please don't forget me. I'll do anything you want. I'll let mama forget me. I won't cry when you and mama move far away and I'll always be good. When you and mama are strong enough to love me, I'll be waiting for you." Momiji gave his papa a kiss on the cheek and then stepped away from him and managed a smile.

"Momiji..."

"Don't cry, papa." Momiji skipped away. "If you cry, you'll make mama sad. I'm going to Haru's house." Momiji skipped away from his papa and tried to ignore the thing inside him that was hurting so much. His papa really didn't want him. 'I have to keep smiling. If I don't smile, I'm sure I'll cry.'


Kyou-


Kyou lived in darkness. At least, that's what it seemed like, sometimes.

The rare times Kyou was allowed to see the sunlight were like brief visits to heaven to him, but, for the most part, life was darkness. His mom would, of course, let him wander around the house, but Kyou was never allowed to see the light. The shades were always securely tied down and the back yard was forbidden. So Kyou spent most of his early life wandering the quiet halls of his small house and wanting to get out. He never said anything, whenever he asked to go out it would upset his mom so much. Kyou's mom wasn't home very much, but Kyou tried not to be angry with her. She loved him, after all, so it was all right if she wasn't always around. It was all right that she didn't want anyone else to see him, because she loved him so much. His mom had told him that.

"I don't want any of the other mother's to see you because you're so cute. I want to keep you all to myself."

Kyou's privileges to wander the house weren't absolute, but he didn't mind, much. Most of the time, Kyou stayed in his room. Kyou had lots of books to help him pass the time. He was only six, but his mom was always telling him how smart he was because he could read. There wasn't much else to do and Kyou liked the books his cousin Shigure brought him. His favorites were the ones about faeries and elves, with brave knights that went to rescue the fair lady and kings had magic swords. Kyou spent hours daydreaming that he was in those strange worlds of beautiful magic and grand adventure.

He didn't mind, not really. Well...maybe he did mind, but just a little. He didn't mind that his mom had used duct tape to seal the windows closed or the stifling heat in the summer that it caused. He didn't mind the implication that his mom didn't trust him, so she locked him in his bedroom. He didn't even mind that he wasn't allowed to watch television.

"It's not good for your eyes, Kyou. I don't want you to ruin your eyes."

Kyou knew his mom watch the television, because he could hear it and her when he was locked in his room. He honestly didn't understand why he couldn't watch with her, but it was a rule and Kyou wanted to make his mom happy, so he always did what she told him to. What Kyou really didn't like...what he hated...was the darkness.

He wasn't entirely sure why there was no light in his room, but his mama had said that it was important. Kyou thought he might know the answer, but he didn't like to dwell on it. Sometimes, when it was very late at night, Kyou would stare into the blackness of the night and the answer would appear to him. 'She doesn't want to look at me. She hates me. That's why she makes me stay in the dark.' At times like this, Kyou would shake his head and try to make the traitorous thoughts vanish. 'The only time she lets me out of my bedroom is when she's going out. She doesn't have to look at me, that way.'

One day, Kyou sat in the darkness of his bedroom, his back against his bed while he sat on the floor, and blindly ran his fingers over the bracelet on his left wrist. He let his fingers slide over the alternating smooth and rough beads, over and over and over. He practiced counting with the beads, going higher and higher until he lost count and started over. Kyou was very careful to be quiet. Mom didn't like it when he made a lot of noise.

"Hiroko? May I come in?" Kyou's head shot up at the voice. It was a familiar voice and Kyou wondered if he'd have to have shots again. Hatori-sensei always wanted to give him shots.

"I'm sorry, Hatori-sensei." Mom's voice answered. "I'm...er...a bit busy right now. Was something wrong with Kyou's last check-up?"

Curious, Kyou put himself on his hands and knees and peered under the door. Under the door shone the light from the hallway and Kyou could only just see mom's feet. She was standing at the door and Hatori-sensei must be on the other side of the door. Kyou wasn't sure if he liked Hatori-sensei or not. He actually saw Hatori-sensei quite a bit, when he came to give Kyou check-ups, but Hatori-sensei always gave Kyou shots and nasty tasting medicine. On the other hand, Hatori-sensei sometimes gave Kyou sweets afterwards for being a good boy.

"Hiroko, I'd like to speak with you for just a moment. If I may?" Hatori-sensei stepped in after a moment, without waiting for an answer or an invitation. "It's not about Kyou. I've come to speak about you, actually." He paused. "Where is Kyou?"

"Kyou's...out. He's playing out back. You know boys, he always wants to run around." She laughed, trying to sound careless, but it sounded hollow, even to Kyou. He wondered why his mom was lying to Hatori-sensei, but Kyou stayed quiet, just like mom had taught him.

"I see." Hatori-sensei didn't sound like he believed mom, either. "In any case, people have been commenting that you're spending to much time on your own, Hiroko. Your neighbors haven't seen you leave the house in more than three weeks, everyone's getting worried."

"There's no reason to worry. I'm fine. Don't I look fine?"

"Outward appearances have little to do with anything, Hiroko."

"I don't see why you're making such a fuss. I've been busy with housework, that's all."

"For three weeks?"

"Look, I'm just fine! I don't see where this is your concern anyway, Hatori, you aren't a doctor, yet. I'm grateful that you look after Kyou, but my health is my own business."

"No, it isn't. Your health and business is the business of the family. I may not be a doctor yet, but I am responsible for everyone. Now, why don't we sit down and..."

"No!" Kyou's mom yelled so suddenly and fiercely that Kyou shut his eyes tight, as if that could block out her angry voice. "You aren't welcomed in this house anymore! Get out! Unless you have a written order from Akito-sama I don't want to see you at my door again!"

There was a long pause.

"Very well." Hatori-sensei turned and started to walk out. "I will be back in two hours with that written order you want. However we do this, Hiroko, I will satisfy myself that you are not sick or depressed. I'll also speak with Kyou...privately." Hatori left and Kyou's mom closed the door behind him.

"That's all I'm good for, isn't it? Taking care of him so the rest of you don't have to worry about him. That's all any of you need me for, isn't it? You just need me as a keeper for the monster." She sniffed loudly and Kyou wondered if she was crying. "My baby...my monster. No! He isn't! I don't care what any of them say, he's not a monster! He's my baby!" Kyou watched his mom's feet turn away from the door and she walked away, muttering under her breath. "Two hours...two hours...that's plenty of time. Plenty."

Then Kyou was alone again, puzzling over the strange conversation. He didn't know why Hatori-sensei would want to talk with him or why he was worried about mom. Mom was the same as she always was. Even the there were no more voices in the hallway, Kyou kept his cheek planted on the floor and stared out at the light. There wasn't much to see, really. Still, he stared.

'But I am a monster. I know I am.' Kyou thought, remembering very clearly his last transformation. The last time the bracelet had slipped off when he wasn't paying attention and there had been such unbearable pain. It felt like his bones were growing and twisting completely out of shape. Everything changed so quickly, so painfully, that Kyou had almost passed out from it. His skin had been so hot and Kyou could smell burning flesh, like bacon cooking, and knew that it was him. He had seen himself in the mirror and seen the monster.

'I shouldn't have left the house, mom was so mad afterwards. But I was scared.' Kyou had been alone in the house when it had happened and when his mom had come home he had run to her, frightened but certain his mom could fix whatever had happened. Instead of helping, mom's eyes had gotten very big and she screamed so loudly. She wouldn't touch him and ran away. 'I wouldn't have hurt her, but she was so scared. She knows I'm a monster, but why won't she see me?'

Even Akito had seen Kyou when he was a monster and he said Kyou was a monster. Kyou had run all over the estate, looking for someone who could help him, when he came across the boy with dark grey hair. He had seen Akito at the previous New Years celebration, but had never spoken to him. Kyou's mom had always told him not to go near Akito. When he'd seen Kyou's monstrous body Akito had said things that hurt Kyou very much, but everything he'd said about Kyou had been the truth. Akito had seen Kyou, even though he hated him and had held his arm up to his face so he wouldn't breathe in Kyou's horrible smell, and Kyou knew that Akito accepted every part of him.

Why couldn't his mom see Kyou? Again, part of Kyou already knew that answer. She couldn't see him, because she didn't want to. She couldn't love that part of him.

The floor creaked again and, as Kyou knew she would, his mom came back. She stood in front of the door for a moment. "Kyou-chan, would you like to come out for a bit?"

"Yes!" Kyou said, careful to keep his voice as quiet as possible. It was always a treat to be allowed out of the room.

There was what seemed like a very loud click and Kyou knew mom was unlocking the door. It started to open, but then halted. "Are you wearing your bracelet, dear?"

"Yes, mom." Kyou didn't have to check. His bracelet was always on. He didn't want to ever go through such terrible pain again and he never wanted to scare his mom again.

"Good boy." The door fully opened and Kyou raised a hand to shade his eyes from the sudden bright light and looked up on his mom's beautiful face. "Why don't you come out and have some tea with me?"




Hatori's house-
Shigure-




Shigure silently thumbed through Ayame's mail looking for something good to read. Yes, it was remarkably rude, but Shigure had discovered something about human nature. If everyone thought you were rude and obnoxious, you could act that way and people would basically ignore your behavior. The problems only came when you hid your bad qualities and then people found out accidentally. Shigure not only didn't hide his bad habits, such as reading other people's mail, but he exaggerated them. Therefore, no one was surprised if they caught him doing things like this.

He wasn't at all surprised to find that Ayame was still living with Hatori, since he knew how much Ayame hated being alone. Though he did have his own house, the house of the Snake, Ayame was rarely there. He even had his mail delivered to Hatori's house and had his own bedroom in Hatori's house. It just showed how much Ayame cared for Hatori and how kind Hatori was.

Shigure had his own key to Hatori's house, not that Hatori knew that little fact. In fact, Shigure had keys to almost every building on the Souma estate. Shigure had only just arrived at the estate only a few hours ago and, when no one answered the door of Hatori's house, he had taken the liberty of letting himself in. Hatori wouldn't mind, probably.

It was, of course, New Years again and the whole family had gathered at the estate to celebrate. In fact, this was the first time in six months that Shigure had been home at all. Oh, he'd been at HIS home, his own little house about a half mile from the estate, but he hadn't really been home. As any good Souma would, Shigure came to the estate whenever Akito called for him, or whenever there was family duty to perform, but other than that, he stayed away.

It wasn't easy to stay away. Shigure knew things were getting harder within the inner circle of the family, due to Akito's deteriorating mental health. It hadn't happened all at once, but Shigure could see the steady decline in Akito's thinking, even if he wasn't around all the time. After all, Hatori gave him pretty accurate reports and Ayame always was a good source of useful family gossip.

Shigure had an overwhelming urge to grovel for Akito's forgiveness and return to his house on the estate. He didn't do it. Shigure knew that Ren was gone, out of Akito's life and unable to touch him now that Kureno had taken the position of Akito's bodyguard and personal companion. Still...Shigure held onto his dream. One day, he'd make the family healthy and whole. One day, he would see Akito healthy and to do that, Shigure knew he had to separate himself from the family. Distancing himself from the family gave Shigure a more objective view of them. Besides, Shigure didn't think he could stand watching Akito slowly go insane. That would hurt to much.

Unfortunately, that meant Shigure had to live in his own house. When he'd bought the large house in the forest, it had, naturally, been joined to the Souma estate. It's large property meant that Shigure could go running in the forest when he pleased and there was no chance of any noise to interrupt his writing. Still, there were times that Shigure missed noise.

Shigure really didn't like his house very much. It was far to empty. All he did was sit alone in his empty house and write. He had filled out his pages in the seemingly endless family diary long ago, but Shigure had discovered, while doing his duty to family history, that he enjoyed writing. He liked it so well that he had managed to finish writing his first novel and sold it.

The novel was a romance and had been surprisingly easy to write. In fact, Shigure had found himself writing about Ayame. A different name, of course, but it was Ayame. The book had ended up a terrible love story, filled with grief and pain. Shigure was pleased that the book had made him so much money, it already had hit the best seller's list, but he didn't like the story.

'Stupid.' Shigure berated himself. 'I wrote the book, but the ending was so terrible. I should have made the main character win the love of his life. I should have written a happy ending.' Strangely, no matter how Shigure had worked at it, he hadn't been able to write a happy ending to Ayame's story. Not that he'd done any better with his other novel.

'That one didn't even get finished. It was my own story, too.' That book was also meant to be a romance, but Shigure couldn't bear to write the end. He was fairly certain how his own story would end and he didn't like that ending anymore than he'd like the end of Ayame's story. That particular manuscript still sat in Shigure's writing room, under a heap on this and that, hidden from view. Every now and again, he tried to finish it, but he never got very far.

"You shouldn't be doing that." Hatori's voice interrupted Shigure's thoughts when he strode into the room. "You know Ayame doesn't like it." Hatori sat down hard on his couch, almost immediately slumping down as he loosened the tie around his neck. "How did you get my house, anyway?"

"You look tired. To much studying will do that to you." Shigure commented as he still rifled through Ayame's mail. Besides distracting Hatori, he really was concerned. Hatori tended to work himself to hard. Going through Ayame's mail was a good way to make sure Ayame wasn't in any trouble. Shigure paused a moment when he came to a letter marked with childish handwriting and a United States of America post mark. 'America? Who does Ayame know in America? Leon Orcot?' Shigure put down the stack of letters, but kept the mysterious American one. He moved to stand behind Hatori, knowing that what he was about to do would upset Hatori.

"As if you'd know." Hatori said with dully. "You dropped out, remember?" It was one of Hatori's great irritations in life that Shigure had dropped out of high school and never looked back. However, as the years had passed, Hatori had grown almost tired to trying to convince Shigure to go back to high school and he almost never mentioned the idea of Shigure going to college.

"Yes, yes, Ha-san." Shigure patted Hatori on the shoulder as he continued to examine the envelope in his hand. It couldn't be from some kind of business, not with the sloppy handwriting. "You always make such a big deal out of it. I'm doing fine on my own and I don't need lessons to write."

Hatori grunted, but didn't open his eyes. "I've got to see Helga in a few minutes."

"Oh? I heard she wasn't feeling well." Shigure turned the envelope over and found that it was already opened and fought a smile. He could just peek and have a little read. After all, he didn't want dear Ayame to be associating with someone who might be some kind of pervert. He pulled the letter out carefully, hoping that Hatori wouldn't decide to open his eyes all of a sudden and spoil the fun. There was precious little fun in Shigure's life, so he took it wherever he could. The letter was written in English, not Shigure's forte, but he could manage. It was apparently from someone named Leon Orcot and there was a picture enclosed. He was a young boy, maybe thirteen years old, with shaggy blonde hair and a bright smile.

"You should visit more often." Hatori said, bitterly. It was enough to make Shigure look at him. Hatori didn't usually speak so harshly. "Helga's losing her mind."

Now that caught Shigure's attention. He folded the letter back up as he'd found and slid it into the pile of letters before going to Hatori and putting both hands on his shoulders. "Are you sure?" Insanity wasn't an uncommon tragedy in the Souma family and it was a problem that could be dealt with. The family was certainly wealthy enough to afford the best care, even if that meant hospitalization, medications, or long term private care. The family could afford it, so long as the family members were closely monitored and they weren't pregnant. Junikyu family members...well, they weren't allowed that kind of long term care and had to make do with what could be arranged within the family.

Hatori slowly opened his eyes and glared at Shigure. "Am I sure?" He echoed. "Do I look like I've gone stupid since the last time you saw me? Of course I'm sure!" His eyes were narrowed dangerously when he finally turned to look up at Shigure, but Shigure didn't flinch. Hatori rarely yelled, so Shigure knew this was important.

"Tell me." It wasn't exactly a request as Shigure leaned down and wrapped his arms around Hatori's neck. He knew Hatori didn't like such close contact, but sometimes it was good for people to be close. It was healthy to let yourself lean on other people once in a while, Shigure believed.

"It's Momiji. She can't accept him."

Shigure's expression didn't change, not that Hatori would see it from where he was sitting. "Momiji? But he's six already. I thought if there were going to be problems, she'd have shown it before now. I thought it was going well with them." Shigure had heard all the rumors about Helga and didn't really need Hatori to tell him what was going on. It was good for Hatori to have someone to vent to.

"She tried." Hatori sighed, sounding very tired. "She really tried to love him. Lately, there are rumors that she beat him. Her temper's getting shorter and shorter and it's usually focused on Momiji." Hatori pulled out of Shigure's arms only long enough to get himself a cigarette, but then he leaned back again and let Shigure's arms enfold him. "It came on slowly, but if we don't get her away from him, she's going to lose herself. I'm afraid for Momiji, too. He had a terrible bruise on his face a few weeks ago. It's faded now, but he never would tell how he got it."

"What does Momiji's father say about all this?"

"You know Takano. He's always away on business. Akito even gave him one of the Tokyo businesses, to keep him closer to home, but he stays there working most of the time and rarely hardly ever comes home. I believe he's rejecting Momiji, too, but more quietly. He's dealing with it by avoiding Momiji. It's a pity. If Takano were with his family, they might be able to cope."

Shigure closed his eyes and wondered what would become of Momiji. Momiji was still so young, but he was plenty old enough to remember what was going to happen to him. They would be separated, there was no doubt of that. Shigure, himself, didn't remember his parents or sisters, but Momiji would always remember. Actually, most parents in the family were doing well, lately. Hatsuharu's mother and father both loved him dearly, despite his unpredictably violent mood swings. Kisa was doted on by her mother, who was raising Hiro, too. The only reason Hiro didn't live with his parents was that they both traveled for business reasons; they did love him very much. "So, what's going to happen?"

"I'll speak with her," Hatori said. "But Akito's pretty much decided that they're going to be separated. He won't let Momiji be hurt. He's Junikyu, after all. Helga's asked to have her memory erased and Takano agrees that it's for the best. He even got little Momiji to agree, if you can believe that. That child's only five and he comes to me with a big smile saying that he wants his mother to forget him!" Hatori scowled at the memory. "He's to young to really understand what's going on. I guess Takano wants to make sure I do this. Take Momiji firmly out of their lives."

"Have pity." Shigure urged, leaning his cheek against Hatori's. "Perhaps this is all for the best."

"How can you say that? You of all people should know what Momiji's going to go through without his parents."

"It'll hurt Momiji to be taken from him mother and father, but would it really be better for him to stay with them? His father's never at home and his mother's becoming abusive. That can't be good for him. How would you have turned out if you'd been taken away from your mother and father when you were Momiji's age instead of ten? Wouldn't you have been happier away from them?"

Hatori was quiet for a while. "You play dirty, Shigure."

"Yes. I know." Sensing that Hatori needed time to think about this problem, Shigure abruptly changed the subject. He moved away from Hatori only long enough to sit by him on the sofa. "So, how is every little thing, Ha-San?

"About the same." Hatori shrugged. "I'm passing my classes."

"Ah, but I knew you would. I mean, how's the family. Is there anything I should know about?"

"If you came back home, you wouldn't have to ask."

"Are you trying to persuade me to come back?"

"No." Hatori shook his head. "No, I know better than to try to get you to change your mind. You're the most stubborn person I've ever met."

"Good. Now, you told me about Momiji's family, what about Yuki and Kyou? How are they holding up? Yuki's health still bad?"

"Actually, Yuki's growing out of his bad health and, I think, given a good environment, he'll grow out of the breathing problems all together. As for Kyou, your guess is as good as mine. Physically he's perfectly fine, but I'm worried about his emotional growth. He's almost never allowed to play outside and I don't think he's ever played with the other children. I went to see Hiroko just now, but...she's having problems. I think I'll have to take Kyou away from her, for her sake as well as Kyou's. I hate to do it, Kyou's going to have enough problems in his life, this might break him."

"He's a Souma, Hari." Shigure reminded Hatori with a sad smile. "He's strong and he'll survive. So, I presume Hiroko still keep him locked in the house?" Shigure couldn't help but think what a pity that was. Among the many unpleasant Souma clan traditions was that the cat was always locked up once they became an adult. At age eighteen, or high school graduation, they were secluded in the cat's house. Shigure remembered Touma and how his old friend had almost never left his house. What a lonely doom. It was one of the reasons that Shigure made an effort to bring Kyou books every time he visited. This time, he brought one of those fantasy books he knew Kyou loved. He really was quite a little genius when it came to learning to read.

"Yes, but it's getting worse. Hiroko's stopped going out herself, lately. I'm going back after I see Momiji and his mother. I don't think I can safely wait much longer. I'll make my decision then. If she's to far gone, I'll find somewhere else for Kyou to live, even if I have to ask Akito for the cat's house early. I'm starting to think that it would be better for Kyou to live alone than with his mother. If she's abusing him or she's losing control of herself, then I'll take him from her."

"You think she'll complain to Akito?"

"I'm not sure. She always says she's very proud of him and loves him, but she acts completely differently. I'll talk with Kyou, he'll tell me what's going on, I think. He's a very honest boy." Hatori shook his head. "She might fight to keep him or let him go very easily. There's no way to tell. I'm not even sure she really knows what she wants."

"Hari," Shigure said, coming to a firm decision. "If no one else will have Kyou, let me know. I'll have him."

"You?" Hatori looked at him, surprised. "I didn't think you liked children."

"I've got a big house and it might do him good to be away from the estate. It'll give him breathing room."

"Perhaps you're right. I'm worried about Yuki, also. I know I'm not really a doctor, yet, but Akito does insist I look after the child. He's so...quiet. He rarely ever speaks. There's also a look a terrible despair in his eyes, a child his age shouldn't have that kind of look on his face. I wish I could get Aya to visit him more."

"He won't?" That surprised Shigure. "If nothing else, I thought if you'd asked him..."

"Oh, it's not that Aya doesn't want to, he's tried a couple of times."

"Then what's the problem?"

"Yuki's foster parents. They won't allow Ayame to visit. I suppose they're afraid that Aya will try to assert his rights to have Yuki live with him at his house. After all, they are brothers and Akito wouldn't have a problem giving Yuki to Aya. Ayame does have a better claim, especially after he turns eighteen. Therefore, Yuki's foster parents want to create as much distance between him and Aya. Now that Aya's started his own business, it'll be doubly hard for them to see each other. Aya can't help but feel awkward around Yuki and Yuki doesn't even know Aya. Aya keeps thinking about his mother whenever he looks at Yuki, so he doesn't want to look at Yuki at all."

Shigure thought on that problem. "That doesn't seem right. Akito agrees to what they're doing?" It was odd, to say the very least, for Akito to side with a normal family member rather than one of his Junikyu. "I'm a bit surprised that he doesn't order Ayame to take Yuki in. If anything, it would be easier for him to control Yuki if he were living with Ayame, what with them both being Junikyu."

"Akito's been changing, Shigure. He's not thinking straight."

"Changing? How?"

"It's his health, you know that." Hatori shifted uncomfortably and Shigure was worried. Hatori never fidgeted, he thought it was undignified. "He's...he's starting to go like Akira. It's worse than before. He's very susceptible to suggestions and Yuki's foster parents have convinced him that they'll always make sure Yuki is with him."

Shigure wasn't surprised about Akito's deteriorating health. He'd had a long time to get used to the idea. The rumors he'd heard that Akito abusing his own family was probably true, too. Shigure hated that thought, hated it with a passion. "Yuki's foster mother, she's Ren's sister, isn't she?"

"Yes. She's got Ren's way of thinking, too. She's using Yuki to get into Akito's good favor. Ren's left though, so she's no longer a danger. You know, I never did find out why she left so suddenly."

"Do you think Yuki's in danger?" Personally, Shigure had his doubts about whether Ren was gone for good. She was, after all, family and Souma's were always taught that family is more important than anything. It wouldn't have been difficult for her to convince a distant family member to let her stay with them. She could be somewhere now, plotting to return. Ren had been practically a queen in the Souma family for several years and it wasn't likely that someone with her ambition would give up that power so easily.

"I'm not sure. Yuki hardly speaks to me when I visit him. I think his foster parents have scared him to much to trust anyone. He hasn't told me that they are hurting him, but he hasn't denied it, either. I've never seen any suspicious injuries, but they could just not be calling me and keeping Yuki hidden away until any injuries are healed." He looked at Shigure seriously. "What I do know is, they're forcing Yuki to be with Akito. Ayame saw it. Yuki's foster mother was dragging him to Akito's house, kicking and fighting the whole way. Akito's giving them all kinds of privileges, though they're subtler than Ren was and apparently aren't trying to take over the family, they are still using him. He's given them a larger house and almost anything else they want."

"What does Kureno say about this?" Kureno had become an unexpected ally in the mess that was the Souma family. It could honestly be said that, with Shigure gone, Kureno was the person closest to Akito. Though Kureno had rarely spoken about his past, Shigure had done a bit of research and had a pretty good idea of what his younger cousin had gone though before Akito's marvelous rescue. As a result, Kureno felt that he owed Akito everything. He paid off this debt by being Akito's self-appointed bodyguard. Kureno was also smart enough to feed information to Hatori when he thought it was important.

"He doesn't know much, but he doesn't like Yuki's foster parents. He says they're taking advantage of Akito and Yuki, using them both to get what they want. He won't betray Akito, but he's hinting that Akito might be hurting Yuki. He also said that he hasn't been allowed to meet Yuki and that Akito always sees Yuki in private. The problem with Yuki is that I can't just take Yuki away from the person who's hurting him. Akito won't agree to it, he thinks he won't be able to see Yuki if I take him away from his foster parents and he certainly won't allow me to NOT let Yuki visit him."

"He's fixated on Yuki." Shigure said out loud. "He still thinks Yuki is Junko and believes that Yuki should love him more than anyone else. If Yuki doesn't, Akito's going to make him. Damn."

The doorbell rang and Hatori sighed as he stood up. "That's Momiji and his parents. You might want to leave. This is going to be unpleasant."





Of course, Shigure didn't leave. He stepped out of view, so Momiji's parents wouldn't see him, but stayed outside Hatori's office. At least, it was the room Hatori planned to use as his office as soon as he became a real doctor. He could hear everything, but didn't peek into the room.

Takano brought his wife in, carrying her, and he set her up in the chair that Hatori indicated. "You should leave, Takano. Make yourself comfortable in my living room, please. This won't take a moment." Hatori's voice no longer sounded so tired and weak. Now, he was strong, cold, and professional. "Where's Momiji?"

"I left him at home." Takano said. "I didn't think he should see this."

"I see."

"You'll get him when this is all over? If he's there when I take Helga home..."

"Don't concern yourself about it. I'll take care of Momiji. If you'd brought him here, it might have made things easier, though."

"Helga can't stand the sight of him, Hatori-sensei. She won't be in the same room with him anymore. It's killing her." From his voice, Shigure knew Takano was almost in tears. "Please, help her."

Hatori wasted no time. "Go. I'll be done shortly." Shigure heard the sound of footsteps and there was a moment of silence before Hatori continued speaking. In that moment of silence Shigure found someone standing next to him. Momiji was only looked at Shigure for a moment before he crept to the edge of the door and peeked around into Hatori's office.

'He must have snuck in.' Shigure realized, surprised that Momiji had managed it. He thought about taking Momiji away, but decided against it. The next few moments were going to be a huge factor in the boy's life, it was only fair that he be there. Shigure absently put a hand on Momiji's shoulder, but the boy didn't acknowledge the touch. He was far to involved in what was going on in the office.

"Helga, do you know why you're here?" Hatori asked, making his voice softer than it had been when he spoke with Takano.

"I...I don't want him."

"Don't want who?"

"The boy. That...that animal. That thing. I don't want him. Make him go away." Her voice was barely a whisper, but there was a terrible hate behind her words.

"I can do that." There was a creak of Hatori's old chair as he sat down. "I can make you forget him. I can take him away and make sure you never have to worry about him again, but you must be sure."

"Please. Please. I don't want to be a mother anymore. I'd rather die than see him. He's a demon." As she kept speaking, her voice grew more and more frantic. "I just want him to go away."

"Is this what you want? Do you really want to forget about your only child? Are you sure you won't regret it?"

"Right now, my greatest regret is that that THING ever came from my body!"

Shigure kept his eyes closely on Momiji while this was all going on. The boy was perfectly still and it was a mystery to Shigure how he could watch and hear all this and not start crying. Momiji's face was a blank mask, but he did look a bit paler than usual. He wondered if Momiji really understood what was happening.

The creak of the chair told Shigure that Hatori was standing up. This was the end. The only indication Shigure had of what was going on in the room was Momiji's reaction. The boy tensed and closed his eyes.

A soft thump hit the floor and Shigure guessed that it was Helga. She would have fainted after Hatori's treatment, everyone always did.

"Shigure? Where are you?" Hatori's voice sounded weak.

Shigure started to go to Hatori, but stopped himself when he looked down at Momiji. Instead of going to Hatori or trying to comfort Momiji, Shigure began to inch away. A brilliant thought had just occurred to him and he decided that it would be best for Momiji if Hatori were to find him there alone.

"Shigure, I need you."

Still, Shigure kept quietly backing away from Momiji and where Hatori would be expecting him to be until he had rounded another corner and ended up in Hatori's kitchen. This time, though, he did spy on them. Momiji stayed still as a statue even as Hatori staggered out of his office. Hatori looked exhausted and, not for the first time, Shigure pondered what, exactly, Hatori did when he erased a person's memories. Hatori had never been able to explain it. He had once told Shigure that it was like an instinct, just something he was born with and that he didn't really understand it any better than Shigure understood how a heart kept beating. Oh, Shigure knew that it involved electrical impulses, but he really didn't understand it.

Hatori was pale and shaking and, when he finally saw Momiji, blinked down at him. "Momiji? You shouldn't be here." He sounded as if he hadn't slept in days and Shigure was glad that this whole thing about erasing people's memories was getting easier on Hatori as the years passed. It was still tiring for him, but no longer gave him splitting headaches that lasted for days on end.

Very slowly, Momiji looked up at Hatori. "Mama? Has she forgotten me?"

Shigure saw Hatori's shoulders slump. He nodded. "Yes. I made her forget you. I'm sorry." He meant that apology, Shigure knew. Hatori hated what he did, even though he knew it was sometimes necessary. He always wished there were a better way to solve the family problems.

Momiji threw his arms around Hatori's waist and hugged him. "Thank you, Hatori-sensei. Thank you for helping mama."

Reluctantly at first, Hatori returned the hug. It was gradual, at first, but soon Hatori was hugging Momiji back as tightly as the child was holding him. Neither said a word or made a noise, but Shigure smiled from where he watched. He was a very good judge of character and knew that he'd made the right decision to let these to find each other. Hatori would adopt, or at the very least, foster Momiji. Momiji would have the loving, attentive father he needed and Hatori would be forced to open himself up a little more. It would be a good arrangement for both of them.



After leaving Hatori and Momiji alone, Shigure began to make his way to Akito's house. It was time he paid his God a visit and have a little discussion about giving Momiji to Hatori and where to put Kyou, should he be taken from his mother.

-Bang!-

Shigure heard it and turned abruptly, shocked by the sound of a gunshot. He knew that was what the sound had been, he heard hunters in the forest often enough to recognize the sound. On the estate, however, why would anyone be firing a gun?

Curiosity brought out a good many of the family and Shigure found most of them surrounding Hiroko's house. "What's going on?" Shigure asked when he worked his way into the crowd. Everyone knew he was one of the inner circle, even if they didn't exactly know what the inner circle was, and gave way to him. It was at times like these that Shigure was glad about the curse. It did give one a few small advantages.

"That noise came from Hiroko's house, Shigure." One man said, pointing needlessly. "We can't get in, her door's locked. It's always locked these days. I don't know what she has to be afraid of on the estate, though."

Shigure motioned for everyone to move away from the door before he tried it. The man had been right, it was very firmly locked and again, Shigure was glad for the spare keys he had made. It took him a moment to find the right key, but when he unlocked the door, Shigure looked over his shoulder at the crowd. "Everyone, stay outside. Someone run and tell Hatori we might need him." Shigure hated to interrupt the little private time Hatori and Momiji were no doubt having. He didn't wait to see that his order was obeyed, but started into the house and closed the door very firmly behind him. The moment he'd opened the door, his fine sense of smell had found the scent of blood.

"Hiroko?" Shigure called out. "Are you home?" It was a foolish question, he could see her shoes right there in the hallway, so of course she was home. Still, he had hoped to get an answer. The house remained silent and Shigure followed the scent of blood, dreading what he would find. The scent was to strong for just a small injury.

He found what he was looking for in the kitchen. A teakettle was on the stove, whistling merrily, and two teacups were set on the neat table. Hiroko was on the floor in a puddle of blood.

She was very obviously dead, but Shigure knelt down to check for a pulse, anyway. Nothing. Her body was still warm, though, and Shigure knew Hiroko had shot herself in the head. The suicide weapon, a small handgun, was laying where it had fallen on the floor, just a few feet from her hands, and there was a large hole in Hiroko's forehead. There was no sign of Kyou, but Shigure could find Kyou's scent amidst the blood in the air.

"Kyou!" Shigure shouted, turning away from Hiroko's body. He couldn't worry about Hiroko now, she was dead. Kyou was still alive, or so Shigure hoped. There was a very real chance that Hiroko might have killed Kyou before she took her own life. It had happened before. "Kyou, where are you! Answer me!" There was no answer as Shigure tore through the halls of the house, following the scent. 'He must have seen it all. No wonder he ran.' Shigure only hoped that Kyou was still in the house. It would be a lot more difficult to find him if he got out and ran into the city.

He found little Kyou hiding in the hall closet, his knees pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around his head. He was perfectly still, except for slight trembling.

"Kyou?" Shigure got down on his knees and spoke softly. "Kyou-chan? Have you been hurt? Did she hurt you?" He looked Kyou over, at least what he could see of the boy, and didn't see any obvious injuries. No physical ones, anyway.

Kyou just bundled himself up tighter in a ball, keeping his face firmly hidden under his arms. "Don't touch me." Kyou whispered. "Don't look at me. I wasn't bad."

"I know you weren't, Kyou-chan." Shigure felt as much pity for Kyou as he did for Momiji. They'd both lost their mother's in terrible ways. "Don't be afraid, Kyou-chan. Come with me." But the moment Shigure reached out for Kyou, Kyou bolted, dodging easily under Shigure's outstretched arms and shooting down the hallway. "Kyou!"

Kyou ran as fast as he could, but Shigure was faster. He caught Kyou easily and brought him to the ground, but Kyou fought back. "Leave me alone! I didn't do it! I didn't!"

Kyou fought just like a cat, biting, spitting, and scratching every chance he got and Shigure was at a disadvantage that he had to be careful not to accidentally rip off Kyou's bracelet. In the end, Shigure had to almost lay down on Kyou, putting his full weight on the boy just to hold him down and hope that Kyou would started to run out of strength soon. Left on his own, Shigure wasn't sure that Kyou wouldn't try to hurt himself. He waited Kyou out, grateful that Kyou was still so young. In a few years it would have been a lot harder to restrain him. Soon, Kyou was reduced from fighting to sobbing and Shigure gratefully started to get up. He did so slowly, mindful that Kyou could bolt again, but he didn't. Kyou just lay there, flat on his stomach, and cried into the floor.

Panting for breath, Shigure put his hands on Kyou's back and then in his hair. "Shhhh...it'll be okay." He avoided mentioning what Kyou had obviously seen, but he was curious to know if Kyou had gone to see what all the noise was about after his mother had killed herself or if he'd actually seen it. There had been two teacups on the table, Shigure remembered. Shigure patted Kyou's pumpkin orange hair and already envisioned Kyou's lonely future that lay before him. Shigure remembered what he'd said to Hatori. He would take Kyou, for surely no one else who knew of the curse would want Kyou. "I promise it'll be all right...somehow."



Shigure didn't have to be worried about Kyou, it turned out. He kept Kyou at his house on the estate through New Years and his mother's funeral. All the time, Shigure kept a very close eye on Kyou as he got the feeling that Kyou was on the brink of an explosion. For the three days of New Years Kyou would wander around listlessly and Shigure tried to give the boy enough space to grieve. He watched Kyou from a safe distance where he could easily intervene if Kyou tried to do something stupid.

Fortunately, Kyou behaved himself for the three days of New Years. In fact, he behaved almost to well. Shigure hadn't had much experience with small children, he had never planned to be a father and, lately, didn't have much opportunity to be around his little cousins. He was pretty sure, though, that most children who saw their mother commit suicide should have some kind of therapy. He had expected Kyou to be angry or crying all the time. Instead, Kyou sat in the room that Shigure had given him and didn't make a sound. When Shigure tried to make Kyou go out to play, Kyou would sullenly do as Shigure told him, but he wouldn't play with the other children. Of course, the other children didn't want to play with Kyou, either.

It was the third day of New Years that worried Shigure, most. He wouldn't be able to keep an eye on Kyou, since he would be at the banquet, and he couldn't bring Kyou with him. There wasn't anyone he trusted enough to leave Kyou with who wasn't Junikyu. Everyone else despised Kyou because he was the outcast and they certainly wouldn't be interested enough in him to keep him safe. Shigure thought about this problem as he watch Kyou listlessly watch the snow begin to fall. He had forced Kyou to go out and play, again, but Kyou just sat on the ground.

"Shigure, it's been a while."

Shigure turned and smile at the longhaired man. "Good afternoon, Kazuma. How are you?"

Kazuma's face held something like pain and Shigure thought it odd that his older cousin would feel any such thing. "I...I heard about Kyou. The rumors are flying like wild."

"Kazuma, I know it's a lot to ask, but I have to be at the banquet, soon. Would you keep an eye on Kyou while I'm gone? He doesn't require much attention, he's pretty well able to take care of himself, but I don't like him being alone. He hasn't cried for his mother yet, and I'm afraid he'll explode once I take my eyes off him."

Kazuma watched Kyou for a moment, his face not betraying any emotion. "Yes, I'll look after him."



Shigure wasn't sure what had happened between the two while he was at the banquet, but whatever it was must have been something important. When he emerged from the banquet, Kazuma had been waiting for both him and Akito. Kyou was with Kazuma, with more life in his eyes than Shigure had seen in all the time he'd spent with Kyou. There was fire in those amber eyes, now, even as he hung onto Kazuma's arm.

"Akito-sama," Kazuma bowed respectfully to Akito, who leaned on Kureno's arm. "I'd like to take Kyou. I have plenty of room at my dojo and it would be nice to have a child around."

Shigure was stunned by the request. He knew how afraid Kazuma had been of his grandfather and he had been the last person Shigure would have thought of to take Kyou. Apparently, Shigure wasn't the only one who was surprised. Akito's eyes widened for a moment. "You want HIM?" He gave little Kyou a look of pure disgust.

"Yes, Akito-sama." Kazuma said simply. "Unless you know of someone else who wants him."

Of course, there was no one else. Akito gave his permission, as if there was any doubt. Kazuma's dojo was a fair distance from the estate, so that would mean Akito wouldn't have to look at the cat, and he could trust Kazuma to keep Kyou safe. Cat or not, outcast or not, Kyou was a Souma and Akito took his responsibilities to his family very seriously. No one was allowed to hurt them...except Akito, of course.

So, by the end of the third night of New Years, Momiji was formally adopted by Hatori and Kyou was formally adopted by Kazuma. The formal adoptions were to avoid legal trouble in the future. Akito managed to pull enough strings to keep the police and newspapers from looking to closely at the death of Hiroko or why a prominent businessman like Takano would suddenly give up his only son to one of his cousins. 'Keep family business within the family.' Was a highly approved of family motto.




Two years later-
America, Maine-
Leon Orcot, age 15-



Leon grew up dirt poor. His family was so poor that Leon had done without a lot of things as a child, everything from dentist visits to sneakers. He didn't really know he was poor, though, not until after he started going to school and realized how much the other kids had. Leon and his mom lived in a small white clapboard house on the coast of Maine where there was always something to do. Leon spent many happy childhood hours playing in the forest behind the house or walking on the rocky shoreline, looking for things the storms brought in.

Leon's dad used to live with them, before he went to jail and made Leon the man of the house. That had been so long ago that Leon didn't even remember his dad. The house only had two bedrooms and one bigger room that had a kitchen at one end and a living room at the other. The whole house was heated with a single cast iron stove, which Leon spent spring, summer, and fall building a wood pile for. He would come home from school and start chopping wood before he even did any homework.

Leon's mom was everything he wasn't. She was kind, patient, beautiful, and gentle. Leon always got into to much trouble for fighting at school and he lost his temper very easily. Despite the differences, Leon loved his mom more than anything else in the world. He grew up with the idea that he had to take care of her, she was a woman and men were supposed to protect women.

There was no way, however, that Leon could protect his mom when she needed it the most. Because he was so useless and weak, Leon's mom died one cold night during a blizzard.

Leon's mom died when Chris was born, the younger brother Leon had been eagerly awaiting. With the winter gale howling outside like some insane wolf on the hunt, Leon had sat with his mother and waited for an ambulance to come after she'd gone into labor. They didn't have a car and Leon was to young to drive, even if they'd had one. They waited while Leon's mom started to cry from pain. They waited while the storm grew worse and made the windows shake. They waited while Leon's mom sank to the floor and clutched at her distended belly, praying so softly that Leon could barely hear what she was saying.

She started bleeding just after her water broke and Leon didn't know what to do.

He had long since gotten used to being fairly independent, and Leon had always done his best to take care of his mom, but this time Leon was almost soaking with sweat from fear as he held his mom's hand. He didn't feel at all brave and wished for a miracle. He wished that the ambulance would somehow be able to make it through the snow.

Right then, feeling so helpless and weak, Leon hated his dad. Hated him for getting his mom pregnant when he wasn't even going to be around to help. It was his dad's fault that all this was happening. 'He knew he was going to be in jail, why did he have to get her knocked up? There's to much blood. There shouldn't be so much blood just for one baby, should there?' Leon ran one hand through his fair hair while the other held tightly to his mom's hand.

"Leon, sweetheart," Leon's mom looked up at him with tried eyes. "Go get the phone, Leon. Call 911. The baby's not going to wait anymore." She broke off and squeezed her eyes tightly shut, grimacing with pain. "Get the phone!"

Leon quickly did as he was told. The operator did her best and tried to coach Leon to help his mom, but there was very little he could do to help. There was so much blood and Leon couldn't help but feel sick when he had to look at his mom's...privates. It was just weird and icky, even if he was trying to help her. The baby came fast enough, and Leon managed to catch his little brother without dropping him. He even managed to not throw up when the afterbirth came out of his mom and landed in a messy pile on the floor. The 911 operator told Leon how to clear the baby's throat and nose so he could breath and then how to cut the umbilical cord with a pair of scissors. He cleaned the baby off with a clean towel, just like the operator had told him to and looked down at the still reddish baby with a flickering smile.

"Mom," Leon dropped the phone when the baby was finally safe and he smiled down at his mom. "Mom, he's all right. It's a boy." Leon inched his way over to his mom's side and showed her his new brother, proudly.

"Good...good." Leon's mom looked strangely pale by that time, but she smiled back at him. "His name is Chris. You be sure to tell everyone, all right?"

"Sure, mom." Leon finally felt his heart start to beat at a more normal pace, now that all the excitement was over, and he held his brother tightly. Everything was going to be all right.

"Sweetheart," Leon's mom moved herself so she was laying down and she rested her head on the floor. "There's bottles and formula in the kitchen. Why don't you take Chris and get him something to eat. If I know babies, he'll be starving in just a little while. I'm just going to rest for a minute. I'm so tired."

Leon nodded and went off to do as he was told, never guessing that by the time he got back, his mom would be dead.

When Leon came back, her pulse was still and she wasn't breathing. Dead. Leon set Chris down in the big, flowery chair his mom loved, and got back onto the phone with the 911 operator. He told her what had happened and, after the operator muttered, "Dear God," she told him to wait as best as he could. The ambulance was still on its way. The snow was holding it, and all other traffic, up. She promised it would be there as soon as possible, but Leon hung up before she could say anything else.

Dead.

She was really dead.

Chris was crying. Leon turned away from his mom's body, still laying on the floor, just as if she'd fallen asleep like she said she was going to, and picked up Chris. He looked down at Chris and wondered what would happen to them. 'Mom was right, he's hungry.' It was kind of a numb thought, one that floated across Leon's mind and blocked out the horror before him.

After that, everything was a bit fuzzy for Leon. Time seemed to pass very slowly and it seemed like forever until Chris had finished his bottle. By that time, it was dark outside and the cold was starting to seep through the walls. Leon knew he'd have to go out into the storm for some more firewood. "Time for bed, Chris." Leon stood up and walked around his mom without looking at her.

Leon spent the next four hours in his bedroom. He didn't venture back downstairs, for fear of seeing his mom.

With Chris fast asleep in the large basket their mom had put in Leon's room, so the two boys could share the room, Leon sat on his bed and looked out the window. Outside, the night was pitched black, so Leon knew the storm was still raging. There was no moon or stars to light the night and only the distant boom of a lighthouse's foghorn broke the quiet. Leon was grateful for the foghorn. It made everything seem more...normal. Leon's eyes were starting to burn, so he rubbed at them to stop himself from crying. He couldn't cry now. He had to be a grown up, for Chris. Chris was depending on him.

To distract himself, Leon picked up the letter he'd opened hours ago, before he'd heard his mother yell for him when she'd gone into labor.



~Dearest Leon,

It's been quite a while since I've written and I must apologize for that. It got very busy around here when Hatori finally graduated from Medical college. I must say, and maybe I'm bragging, but he's the finest doctor in all of Japan! He graduated years earlier than everyone else, he's so smart! <Smiles> Can you tell I'm proud of him? He graduated first in his class and there were three hospitals that wanted him to work for them. Three!

It's a bit of a pity, though. Don't get me wrong, Hari will throw himself wholeheartedly into his new career and the Souma family will be in the best of health, thanks to him, but he's had to give up his dream of being a painter. I'll admit, but don't tell Hari I said this, Hari never was a very good painter. He tried very hard and even worked an after school job so he could afford to take lessons without asking for family money, but it didn't help much. Hari just doesn't have much talent and that's something one really needs to be a great artist. As much as I love dear Hari, he never would have made any money from his art, he's a much better doctor than he was a painter. Still...he was so very happy when he was painting.

He threw away his easel a few days ago. Isn't that awful? He told me there was no point in keeping it anymore, since he never had time to paint. I suppose he was right. Hari always knows what's right. 'The family needs a doctor more than an artist.' That's what he told me, anyway. Hari said the family needs someone to take care of Akito-sama and that he wasn't any good at painting, anyway. He hadn't done a single picture since he told Akito-sama that he was going to medical school and asked for tuition. You know, though, he did a painting for me? He painted a peony. Just a single, pink and white peony. He said he saw it in the koi pond just outside his house and he thought I'd like it. Hari's so sweet. That painting hangs on the wall of my bedroom and I'll keep it there always, even if it is rather ugly. It looks beautiful to me because Hari did it.

Let's change the subject, shall we?

How are you doing in school? I know you said you didn't like it, but you must do your best. Study hard! I'll be looking for you one day, Leon, and I want to see that you're wonderfully successful. I opened my store the three weeks ago, did I mention that yet? I call it 'Ayame', just like me. I make the most beautiful clothes and I think I'll have to go back to school and thank my home ec teacher for all those lessons. The business isn't doing well, yet, but it's only been a little while. I know I can do it! I'll show the rest of the family I can survive and make it without the family's money. I can do it all on my own.

Tell me everything, Leon. Tell me what's going on in your life, I want to know.

That picture you sent me was horrible! How can you even think of wearing such clothes! Honestly, you should come to Japan one day and I'll make you a lovely new suit. I think you'd look good in greens and blues, it would compliment your eyes so nicely.

Oh, by the way, I've decided that it's time for you to learn Japanese. Since I can speak pretty well in English, it's time that you learn my language. Someday, I want you to come visit me, so you have to learn how to talk over here. I'll give you a word every time I write, then you use the word somewhere in your letter back to me. It'll be fun! Here's your word: Aka. It means red.

Write soon, Leon.
Yours truly,

My sweet, amazing self,
Ayame~



'Well, at least Ayame's his normal self.' Leon thought, glancing at the photo of Ayame he had sitting on the desk beside his bed. The silver haired boy looked back at Leon with a bright smile on his face. It made Leon feel a bit better to read about Ayame's life, just to know that there was someone out there who was happy and cheerful. Not that Ayame was always happy. Ayame told Leon everything, even about how his own mother had died in childbirth and how he was worried that his guardians might be abusing his little brother. He didn't have any proof and was afraid to say anything for fear that he might be wrong, after all, he was hardly ever allowed to see his little brother, even when he was at home.

'I guess we have something in common now.' Leon realized. 'Both our moms died giving birth to our little brothers. I wonder if that would make Ayame happy to hear I'm just like him?'

Ayame was like no one Leon had ever met. The older boy was flamboyant, outgoing, intelligent, and had long silver hair. That last fact was enough to get Leon's attention, he'd never known anyone who was as wild as Ayame seemed to be. Despite the fact that Ayame was about four years older, Leon had come to like him quite a bit since they'd started writing to each other years ago.

Leon swallowed hard and set the letter carefully back down before he reached over to turn out the light. No help was going to come tonight, he may as well get some sleep.

As he lay down, Leon tried very hard not to think about the corpse downstairs.

The ambulance and police arrived sometime during the night and Leon woke up to the scream of sirens. He was glad to wake up from the nightmare of his mother's death and what the future was going to bring.


The next day-


Of course they couldn't have the wake at Leon's house. Leon never knew his mom had so many friends or family until the wake when his aunt carefully dressed him in a little suit and told him to just stay quiet during the ceremony. He nodded and spoke politely to the guests as they arrived, even though Leon didn't know a single person there, except his mother's sister and brother-in-law. His aunt and uncle had visited sometimes, but not often. He had understood before, in a distant sort of way, that his aunt and uncle were quite a bit richer than Leon and his mom. However, it wasn't until he'd been taken to their Boston home that Leon really knew what that meant and he wondered if he and Chris would be staying with them.

The wake was held in a very respectable funeral home in Boston. The floors were lavishly carpeted and there were heavy velvet curtains over the windows as if they were afraid someone would peek in. At the front of the large room, Leon knew his mom was lying in the open coffin. It was set up like a show and Leon hated it. It looked like they were going to have a show, the way they set his mom up. He'd taken a look at her, earlier and was shocked to see her with her hair done up in a fancy style and was wearing a very expensive looking white dress. Leon knew his mom had never owned anything like that. There was also make-up caking her face. Leon had never seen his mom with make-up and he didn't like the way she looked with it. She just didn't look natural.

The service went on smoothly enough, though Leon found himself getting angrier and angrier as it dragged on. Why hadn't they just buried his mom back home? She loved their house and always said she wanted to be buried in the back garden.

When it was finally over, Leon sat quietly in the back of his uncle's large, black car while they rode back to his aunt and uncle's house. His cousins and Chris had been spared the chore of attending the wake, the excuse was that they were all to young to understand, and had been left with a baby sitter.

It was at the house that Leon exploded. His aunt and uncle were sitting with their friends and family in the parlor, everyone talking about Leon's mom. Leon wasn't with them in the room, he was in the hallway where he sat on a chair, staring out into the night. They probably didn't know Leon was even there, but with the parlor door open, he could hear everyone very clearly. He could only see his own reflection. How strange to see himself in a suit and die with his blonde hair combed so neatly. It didn't seem right.

"I heard you're going to take in the little one." A voice Leon didn't recognize said. He knew it had to be someone in his family, on his uncle's side most likely, but he wasn't ambitious enough to turn away from the window. "Chris is his name, right?"

"Yes," Leon's aunt answered. "I can't bear for him to go to a foster home, we'd lose track of him. If he ever got adopted, we'd never seen him again."

"That's so kind. Of course, the father's certainly no use and Leon's still a kid, himself. Do you think you'll take Leon, too?"

At that, Leon looked up sharply, but still stared out the window. He hadn't known there was a chance he might not stay with Chris. They couldn't separate them, right? They wouldn't separate brothers.

Leon's aunt had other ideas. "I doubt it. He looks like his father, you know, and I never could stand my brother-in-law. That good for nothing left my poor sister in that shack with no help or money and a child to look after. Then, when she goes to visit him in the prison, he goes and gets her knocked up again. I don't think I could hate him anymore if he'd murdered her with his own bare hands." She paused a moment. "Leon's going to go to be put into state care. It'll be better that way."

"We've got children of our own and now Chris...we just can't afford Leon." Leon's uncle paused. He needs help, serious help. That means therapy and we can't afford it. It's for his own good that we give him up. Maybe someone else in the family can take him."

"You know that won't happen. Especially not after that spectacle and God forbid his father have any family that might take him." Leon's aunt said bitterly.

Leon watched his reflection in the dark window as he listened to the gossip. He listened and said not a word as his face grew darker and his thought clouded with anger. 'They aren't going to let me stay. They're going to send me away from Chris.' That was when Leon had lost control of himself and put both fists through the window, shattering his own hated reflection.

Everyone had come rushing in at the noise and they'd found Leon kneeling in the chair, with both fists still outstretched from when he'd broken the window. Blood dripped from his clenched hands and he slowly turned to the audience he had gathered. "I won't let you take him!" He hissed through his teeth, suddenly hating his aunt and uncle and all the other relatives gathered around. "Chris is MY brother and you can't have him!"

Leon could barely remember what had happened after he said that. His uncle had seized him under the arms and dragged him upstairs while Leon fought as hard as he could, screaming that he wouldn't let them take Chris from him. It was kind of foggy. Red fog. Red like blood. Through that red fog, though, Leon screamed, "Let me go you bastard! You fucking bastard, I'll kill you! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Shut up!" Leon's uncle hauled him upstairs and to the bedroom Leon had been using. "Making such a scene, you should be ashamed!" The older man had Leon by the collar and by the arm, dragging him into Leon's room where he tossed Leon onto the floor. "You'll stay here till you can control yourself and that foul mouth of yours!"

Enraged to the point that he didn't care what happened anymore, Leon instantly jumped to his feet and charged his uncle. They struggled for a moment before Leon was thrown back against the far wall of his narrow room and his uncle slammed the door closed and locked it before Leon could even get to his feet again.

Still furious and not thinking very clearly, Leon hurled himself at the locked door and pounded his fists against it as hard as he could and, not for the first time, wished he'd hit that growth spurt his mom had promised him. He was still scrawny and thin to do much of anything but make a lot of noise. "Don't you take my brother!" Leon screeched. "He's my brother, he has to stay with me! Let me out!"

There was no answer, not that Leon stopped his tantrum long enough to hear. He went on like that for as long as he could, wishing that he could somehow get through the heavy oak door. It was a useless wish.

Eventually, Leon wore himself out. Panting for breath and fighting tears, Leon stared at the unmoving door, glaring at it hatefully. His hands were starting to hurt and Leon belatedly looked down to see why they were hurting.

'Blood. Where did that come from?' Leon raised his hands up to his face and watched blood trickle from the slashes on his hands down his wrists and into the cuffs of his shirt. It didn't hurt as much as Leon would have thought it would. "Damn it!" Leon cursed as he looked around to see what he could use as a bandage. The room became blurry and Leon hastily wiped tears from his eyes, but managed to smear his face with his own blood. "I'm NOT going to cry! I'll show them. I don't need any kind of therapy. I'm fine. I'm just fine."

After he had wrapped his hands up in two t-shirts he'd brought with him when his aunt and uncle had arrived to take him and Chris to Boston, Leon sat on the bed and took a piece of paper from a notebook.


~Dear Ayame,

I need to talk. I don't know where to start. My mom died. They're taking my little brother away from me. I don't know what to do. You can't write to me for a while, I don't know where they're going to send me. I'll write when I can.~

Leon rubbed at his burning eyes again before he continued writing.

~What am I supposed to do? Ayame, I'm scared.~

Leon stopped writing and looked down at what he'd written. It looked so childish. He had a sudden urge to tear it up and throw it away. Ayame always wrote him such beautiful letters and he sounded so sophisticated. Leon didn't like how pathetic the letter made him sound. Still, he didn't rip up the letter. If there was one thing Leon and Ayame had agreed on long ago, it was that they would always be completely honest with each other. That was why Leon valued his friendship with Ayame so dearly, Ayame never lied to him. 'And I won't lie to him.'

~Your friend, Leon~



To be continued...



A/N: Well, readers, there you have it. Kyou has made his grand entrance and Leon has suffered the scaring of his young life. Ah...I do love torture.


To the reviewers, thank you all so much for taking the time to comment, it means a lot to me.

Melchior: Thanks for the compliment, I hope you enjoy the rest of the story, too.

Dragonic Ice: I'm very pleased to get such an intense reaction from you. I have most of the story planned out, so I hope you like the rest of it as much as you do the beginning.

Star: Don't worry, this fic is going to go up to present time in the anime/manga. Yuki, Kyou, Haru, everyone will be there. I just had an urge to write the history of the family.

Zeynel: Yup, Leon is finally in the story...took long enough, didn't it? Poor, poor Akito. Yes, he is slowly growing into the deranged young man we all know and love and Shigure seems to be suffering as he watches the change, doesn't he? As for Ren, well...

Kireina: I'm glad you like Petshop of Horrors. It's my all time favorite manga. Wait till the later issues, they get better. I've got them all in Japanese, so I can't wait for the English translations. If you really like Petshop of Horrors, there is an anime of it, about an hour long. Personally, I think it's a little to serious, you don't get to see Count D's playful, flirting side. However, it is better than nothing. I'm rather hoping that they'll make a series for Petshop of Horrors one day. Kureno was a hard character to do, since there's almost no information about him. I liked him, though.

Evilcacklinhippyoverlord: I'm glad you liked how Ren was handled, but are you sure she's really gone? She wasn't killed after all, Akito just sent her away. As for Leon and Ayame's friendship, they have something very important in common.

Magical Mage: So glad you enjoyed it. Yes, it took a long time to get to the actual crossover, but it's here now.

Ayako: Yes, Ren should have seen it coming. I never said she was smart, now did I? Abuse is a cruel cycle, they say. As for Akito, I think he's been taught his whole life that the family depends on him, needs him. He would obviously come to be protective. However, since he's not quite stable, he takes that to the extreme. He'll protect them, but he's going to demand absolute devotion as payment. They have to love him. If they don't, he'll make them. Sigh...I think Akito may be my favorite character, besides Shigure.

Bishonen Chaser: I liked Yahiko, too. I was rather sorry to kill him, but he was created to be killed. Besides, he had a good death. I'm glad to have changed your opinion about my darling Akito. I love him to pieces. :) You'll have to wait to find out about Ren, though.

Muchacha: Glad you enjoyed it, I love a good tragedy, too. One of my favorite Shigure moments in the anime was at the very end, when Kyou transformed. Shigure suddenly wasn't a clown. He was on his knees, crying, begging Tohru to help his family. He was desperate to save his family. I loved that moment, all the more because it was a good 'serious' Shigure scene.

Sarlinia: It's hard to describe Kureno. He's a Souma, so he's absolutely beautiful, naturally. He almost seems normal, but the strange thing is that he's ALWAYS with Akito. Apparently, Akito gets 'uncomfortable' when Kureno's not with him. At least, that's what I've been told. I only have the Japanese language version, so I'm not entirely sure that's the right translation. I'm pleased that you liked this chapter. It was very hard to get it right. I think I erased it about three times before I found a Kureno that I liked.

Merei-chan: Gone? What makes you think Ren is gone? (Giggles wickedly) Oh, sure, Akito chased her off with Kureno's help, but is she really gone for good?

Myrrh: I sure will keep it up. I hope I can keep this interesting enough that you'll want to read it to the end.

Syazerg: No, I can't just kill Ren. Hee, hee. That would be to kind. For what she's done to my darling Akito, Ren must suffer. I'm not going to let her off that easy.

Star: As you can see, Kyou has finally made his appearance. He's actually going to get a rather important role in the story, but you'll have to wait to see his big scene. Yes, a bit of Shonen Ai. You can already see it from Ayame's point of view, concerning Hatori. I'll give you a hint...keep an eye on Shigure.

Iibaru: Yes, a good part of Akito's personality can be blamed on Ren. Ren's not the brightest light bulb in the basket, if you catch my drift.

Caiti: The D of the past will be explained, there's good reason he doesn't seem like the D you've read about in the manga. If you keep reading the manga, you'll find out something 'unusual' about Count D's family. That's a hint. Count D who imprisoned the Souma family was actually very accurate. I apologize for not giving a better answer, but that'll ruin the story if I do. It'll all be explained in future chapters.

Arin Ross: I promise, I update as soon as I can, but I hate leaving short little one page chapters. I like to post something substantial and good, so it takes me a week or two. Glad you like it and thanks for reviewing. New Years was hard to do, since no one really knows what goes on and the Junikyu won't tell. It seems to me that with all the Hell they go through every day of their lives, they deserve one day a year with no worries. They don't have to worry about bumping into someone, about being a 'freak', or what anyone thinks of them. It's very simply a night of fun. Don't worry about Ren, she'll get exactly what she deserves.

Anonymous: Wish I knew your name. Well, whoever you are, thanks for writing. I was hoping you'd hate her. That was the whole point of her character.

Ran Mouri: Kyou will definitely be more in the story. He's going to be one of my major characters. I'm glad you like Akito. I was trying to create a little sympathy for him since most people seem to just see him as an insane maniac.

Tri: Thanks for the compliments. Kureno's not a very well known character, since he's not in the anime and very little is known about him. I liked what I saw of him, though. The English translated manga is coming out in February, I think. We'll all get to see a lot more of this wonderfully twisted family, then. I'm glad you liked how Yahiko died, I do try to make you readers cry at times like those. It had to be or we wouldn't have Haru.

Aori Tsuki: Yes, Yahiko had to die. Tohru will be in the story, she just hasn't met up with them, yet. Give her time. Actually I rather like Tohru. She's one of the very few anime girls who's feminine, sweet, kind without seeming overly sugary. She's got her faults. Count D will come in more, too, especially now that Leon's getting more involved. Well, I like the Kyou/Yuki pairing, but I just love the older generation of Souma's, Shigure, Ayame, Hatori, ect.

Grrl N: Glad you liked it. Yes, so many Souma's had to die, but it had to be. I rather wish I could have kept Yahiko, he turned out even better than I'd hoped. I'm glad you feel that way about Akito, I was trying to get some sympathy for him.

Sakura Avalon or Kinomoto: I'd be pleased to take a look at your fics. It's the least I can do since you left me such a kind review.

Shigure's fangirl: Glad you're enjoying it. :) I hope you enjoy the rest of the story, too.

Umi-chan2: Thanks for the review and all the lovely compliments. I'm also very glad you like how I did Shigure. He's my favorite character. I can't tell you who Shigure ends up with! That would be cheating! On the other hand...maybe I should make it a little more obvious. Yes, this story will continue until present day when Yuki, Kyou, and Tohru are in high school and living with Shigure. Don't worry, Papa D will be taken care of. I never liked him much, either.

Ssjgoddesschiro: I love Yaoi, too. I don't do smut, but there's almost always at least a hint of Shonen Ai in my stories. Petshop of Horrors is my all time favorite manga. If you think the first two are good, just keep reading. Trust me, they get better as the series goes on. Actually, I do mostly crossovers, I just love them.

Again, to all reviewers, thank you for taking the time, I really do appreciate it. Hope to hear from you all again soon.


Till next time,

Cousin D