Pet Shop Of Horrors Fan Fiction / Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Long Denied ❯ Back in the Pit ( Chapter 19 )

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

Long Denied
Chapter 19: Back in the Pit


Yuki -


Yuki thought it was the single longest transformation in his entire life. It had been useless to call after Kyou and there was no way Yuki's little rat form could catch up with his cousin, especially after Kyou went down the stairs. So, Yuki settled for cursing under his breath at Kyou, those three strangers, life and fate as he tried to figure out a plan. He had to get in contact with Hatori, if anyone could figure out what was wrong with Kyou, it would be Hatori. It just wasn't natural for anyone to start vomiting blood. He also had to find Tohru. As much as Yuki cared for Tohru, he was realistic enough to know Tohru couldn't take care of herself. If she were hurt, he'd have to find her quickly.

'Kyou can't take care of himself, either.' Yuki thought, angrily. 'He should have stayed with me till I transformed and then I could have helped him. No! He had to wander away half dead. He threw up all that blood.' Yuki felt vaguely faint at the memory. He'd never seen so much blood in his whole life. 'I can't believe he could even stand up after that.'

Left alone after Kyou staggered out of the house, Yuki made the painfully long trip down the stairs. As a rat, it was a very long trip. Not for the first time, Yuki hated his tiny form. He was the worst off of all the Junikyu except for Hatori, who was completely helpless as a sea horse. At least everyone else could at least manage stairs in their cursed form!

Yuki had never had to deal with an emergency situation in his rat form before and something so simple as descending a stairway was suddenly a major challenge. It took forever to get to the bottom and when he finally did he was terribly out of breath as well as confused and scared. He didn't change back until he was in the living room and, by then, he was much too lost in the grips of panic to just go back upstairs and grab his clothes. Instead, he picked up one of Shigure's discarded kimono's that had been just left laying around and threw it on. The robe was far too big, but it was enough to cover Yuki's modesty. He ran outside and skid to a stop where Shigure was trying to get up.

Shigure looked terrible and he stared into space with a distant smile on his lips. It was as if his mind was far, far away.

"Get up, Shigure." Yuki said, shaking Shigure's shoulder. It was strange to see Shigure so still and silent. "Shigure, can you hear me?" Yuki was not used panicking, but this might be an exception. Kyou wandered off after vomiting so much blood and Tohru just vanishing without a trace and now Shigure acting like he'd lost his mind. Yes, this was definitely a justified situation for panicking. "Come on, Shigure. I need you! Please!"

Very slowly, almost painfully, Shigure blinked and focused on Yuki. "Y-Yuki?" He took a deep, shuddering breath and began to struggle to sit up. "What's happening? Where is he?"

"I don't know. What's wrong with you? We have to find Tohru and Kyou." Yuki helped Shigure to stand, letting his cousin lean on him until Shigure got his balance. "There were three guys, but all of them looked just alike, except for their hair and what they wore. Honda-san fell out the window and Kyou's hurt, but I don't know how. He was throwing up blood and then ran off, I don't know where he's gone." Yuki tried to calm himself, but it wasn't working well. In the past year or so he'd gotten close to Tohru and Kyou, they were two of the main parts of his life and now they were gone. Still, Yuki calmed his breathing. The last thing he needed now was an asthma attack.

Shigure blinked at Yuki. "Three guys? You saw them, too?"

"Of course I saw them!" Yuki snapped. "One of them tried to kill Kyou, I think. He threw Toh...Honda-san out the window."

"Which one?" Shigure's hand tightened on Yuki's shoulder and there was a strangely intense look in his eyes that Yuki had never seen before.

"I don't know, they all looked the same. All but the hair. The one that hurt Kyou had very long hair. Another tried to stop the long haired one, he had only shoulder-length hair, but he left when the first one said someone had gotten shot and a child had been kidnapped."

Shigure sucked in a deep breath and mumbled. "He tried to help Kyou. It wasn't him." Then, in a louder voice, Shigure asked, "What happened to the man hurting Kyou? Where'd he go?"

"The third one came in, but he was wearing a hooded cloak, so I couldn't see his face well. He chased the other one off and..." Yuki paused and remembered the strange words. "He said Tohru wasn't human, that we didn't have to transform when she hugged us."

Shigure didn't seem to be listening. "Three of them. Two helped and one...only one tried to hurt Kyou. She is human. I guess that explains her scent. Only one..." It seemed as if a light dawned in Shigure's eyes, a great realization. Shigure stood up straight and started off as quickly as he could. "The estate! Come on, Yuki, Kyou might have gone to the estate." He slapped Yuki's shoulder and they began to make their way slowly down the path.

"Why on Earth would Kyou go to the estate?" Yuki asked. "He'd go to Kazuma's dojo. That's his home. What about Honda-san? We have to find her, she could be hurt!"

"Tohru...we can't help her now. You said she fell out the window, but she's obviously not here. We'll look for her while we look for Kyou. Send your rats out to hunt for her. Maybe she was disoriented and wandered into the forest. We'll try Kazuma's dojo next. We have to find Kyou.We don't know where he went and the estate's closer. Besides, I have to check on Akito." Yuki was absolutely certain that Shigure wasn't telling him something, but whatever Shigure was thinking, he kept a secret.


Kyou-


Kyou was in the middle of the city when he thought to call Kazuma again. He really had no idea where he was, except that there weren't a lot of people on the streets and the buildings had gone from the upscale offices and apartments of downtown to buildings that looked ready to collapse. The streets were filled with potholes and lined with patch marks. Even the sidewalks were showing signs of crumbling. Kyou's fingers felt wrong as he dialed Kazuma's number, but everything felt wrong. It felt like he was inside someone else's body.

-Hello?-

"Matsu?" Kyou recognized the voice of one of his master's students and he knew he must have interrupted a class. "Is master there?"

-Yeah, sure, Kyou. Hold on.- There was a quiet moment and Kyou knew Matsu was getting Kazuma.

-Kyou? What's going on? I was worried when you hung up last time.-

Kyou kept walking, but held the cell phone to his ear as if his life depended on the voice at the other end. The solid, dependable voice that always soothed away his nightmares. "I'm lost, master." Kyou's voice sounded odd to him and he wondered if his master could hear it. "I feel...strange. I think I'm still sick." As strange as it sounded, Kyou felt as if he had been reborn. Everything felt different. He felt like his whole body was charged with electricity, he couldn't stop the slight shaking of his body, and his skin felt like there were bugs crawling all over him. Something was definitely not right. Of course, it didn't feel bad, either. Kyou felt...alive. Like he had so much energy he didn't know what to do with it.

-Where are you? Are you still at Shigure's house?-

"No, master." Kyou could imagine his kind master running out of the house to come see him, but Kyou didn't want Kazuma to go to any trouble. "I'm not sure where I am." The city all around him looked strange. Kyou had wandered into the city at some point, but he wasn't really paying attention to where he was going. Not a single one of the buildings looked familiar and it wasn't all that surprising. It wasn't as if he went out often unless he was with Tohru or Yuki and they both knew this city far better than Kyou did. He really had no need to go anywhere but to school and maybe to walk Tohru to the store or pick her up from work.

Kyou paused and looked up at the still high sun and felt another surge of strength and energy. This had been happening ever since he'd left Shigure's house, like a slow building of power. Kyou could feel the sunlight running through him. Like water, the power of the sun ran through every inch of his body and Kyou had never felt so insanely strong. The problem was that Kyou had no idea how to get rid of all this energy, it just kept building and building. He felt like he would explode.

-Kyou? Kyou, are you still there?!-

When Kazuma's voice grew louder, Kyou realized he hadn't been listening. "Huh?" The sun was so warm on his skin. He was feeling better, so much better than he had back in his room. Of course, then he'd been throwing up blood. Kyou wanted to run. "Yes?" Kyou paused and turned his face up to the sun, reveling in the warmth and the light that shone through his closed eyelids.

-Stay where you are, Kyou!- Kazuma ordered, his tone reminding Kyou of one time when he'd been younger and Kazuma scolded him for losing his temper while fighting. -I'll come find you, just find a street sign and tell me where you are.-

"No." Kyou thought back to what had happened just a short while ago. The three strange men, the horrible pain one had put him through. Yuki being thrown around so easily and Tohru...Kyou didn't know what happened to Tohru. It was all a mess and it seemed that it was his fault. He didn't need someone else getting hurt because of him. Certainly not Kazuma. "Don't look for me, master."

"What are you talking about? Of course I'll come for you."

Kyou turned off the cell phone and stuffed it into his pants pocket. He couldn't let his master get messed up this whatever was happening. It was bad enough that Tohru, Yuki, and Shigure had already been hurt because of him. Although Kyou loved fighting, more than almost anything, he did not like hurting people. So when he thought back to how everyone had tried to defend him, even gentle Tohru, Kyou felt sick. He was the fighter, he was his master's prized student. Kazuma was proud of Kyou and his fighting skills. Kyou knew he shouldn't need anyone's help. He was strong enough to take care of himself, yet Tohru had to try to protect him. That was just embarrassing.

'My thoughts keep wandering. I have to find help. What if that guy comes back? I can't go see Hatori, he'll be at the estate and then everyone will get hurt. I have to get away from everyone. They'll get hurt again if I hang around.'

Someone bumped into Kyou and he jumped away, feeling sick at the touch of the human. His stomach lurched painfully and Kyou put a hand to his mouth, fearing that he might throw up again. He wouldn't be able to bear throwing up more blood, especially not in public. As soon as his stomach settled down, Kyou put both hands to his ears, though that did little to drown out the unwanted sounds. He could hear rats creeping around in the side alleys and distant cars. He could hear birds as they flew overhead and the heartbeat of a passing human.

'Crap! Crap! What's happening? This doesn't make any sense!' Kyou stopped walking and looked around at the still unfamiliar city. A few people passed by, completely ignoring him, but Kyou couldn't ignore them. He could smell everything and hear every little whisper. He felt as if they were all to close. Like they were pressing around him. He wanted nothing more than to get away from them all. Kyou's fingers itched for his bracelet. He knew a very sure way to make all these loud, smelly humans go away. 'Wait a minute.' Kyou realized what he was thinking. 'I'm human, too. Aren't I? Why am I thinking of them like they're so different?'

A loud roaring caught Kyou's attention and he turned just in time to see Kureno on his sleek, black motorcycle go speeding into a wide, filthy side street. Kyou didn't know his older cousin well, he only knew that Kureno was very close to Akito and that they were rarely apart. Curiosity, more than anything, made Kyou follow Kureno.


Kazuma-


Kazuma stared at his phone dumbly, still hearing the faint buzzing of the dial tone. 'He hung up again.' Kazuma felt his stomach start to churn with worry. Normally, he was a very calm, composed man, but Kyou always found a way to agitate him. 'He's not just sick. Something's wrong.'

"Sensei? Is something wrong?" One of Kazuma's students asked, keeping a polite distance. When he turned, Kazuma saw that his entire class had stopped their exercises and were now watching him quietly. "You look worried."

"Nothing for you to be concerned about." Kazuma replied as he carefully considered the possibilities. They might have been simply disconnected. Then again, it might have been something far worse. "I'm afraid I'll have to cancel class today." Kazuma turned and gave his class and apologetic bow. "I have a family emergency. Forgive me for this short notice."

"What's wrong with Kyou?" One of Kazuma's students spoke up. They all knew that when Kazuma worried for one of his family, he was mostly likely worried about Kyou. All the students, ten of them in all, were on the large practice mat where they'd been working on sets and forms for the past hour and every one of them was looking at Kazuma with worry. "He's all right, isn't he?" They all knew Kyou, he had become something of an unofficial mascot when he had begun living with Kazuma, nearly ten years ago. Even when the hot tempered boy had started taking lessons with the rest of the class, all the older boys and men had looked at Kyou as something like a younger brother, even if Kyou had never realized it.

"He wasn't feeling well last night, I think I need to check on him." Kazuma tried not to look as anxious as he felt, but it didn't seem that it hid it well as his students hurried him out of the dojo with a promise to clean up and lock the doors before they left. Kazuma rushed through the city, really not knowing where he was going. For all he knew, Kyou could still be at Shigure's house and delirious with fever again. Kyou had sounded so odd. He honestly sounded frightened and Kazuma believed the boy was wandering the city, probably still sick. 'Wait for me, Kyou. I'll be there as soon as I can, son.'


Tet-chan-


Tet-chan froze in the middle of setting the table when he heard his master's voice. -Come to me, Tet-chan.- It wasn't often that Count D would chose to contact Tet-chan like this, with only the power of his mind, and Tet-chan could easily hear the...unhappiness in Count D's tone. That was dangerous. As many liberties as Tet-chan took with Count D's good nature, even he wouldn't chance angering the youngest of the Kami's.

"Master?" Tet-chan looked up, slightly. He knew Count D wasn't at home, he was off on his own business. Yet Count D's beautiful voice sounded as clear inside Tet-chan's mind as if his master was right next to him.

-Come to me, Tet-chan. I have an errand for you.-

"Yes, Count." Tet-chan replied instantly. He started for the door, taking off his apron and throwing it on the floor. "Let me tell Ten-chan to watch Chris."

-That will not be necessary.- Count D's voice sounded very different, more than unhappy. He sounded almost angry. -Chris is your errand. Come to me. Wait!- Count D ordered suddenly, making Tet-chan freeze and wait for instructions. -Go to the green house and bring me a Gattolotto, one of the females.-

"Chris is the errand?" Tet-chan turned, irritated at the distraction that would keep him away from Count D and Chris even a moment longer. 'How can Chris be the errand? He was suppose to be in the petshop, still.' Tet-chan ran through the halls of the petshop, drawing curious stares from the other residents, and burst into the greenhouse. It was too hot to Tet-chan's taste, but he did know where Count D kept his few precious Gattolotto's. The plants were ugly, even to Tet-chan's eyes, but they were very useful. "Do you want me to just tear it out of the ground, Count?"

-No, that will kill her and I need her alive. Dig it up and bring it with some of the soil. There are burlap bags by the door, just put it, with the soil, in one of the bags. It is a strong plant and will survive.-

Tet-chan did as he said, then ran out of the petshop and followed his master's voice with the burlap bag in hand. He took off without another question, bolting down the sidewalk outside the petshop in his true form, that of the Tou-Tetsu instead of an almost human looking boy. His heart starting to beat faster as he thought about Chris having wandered into mischief and what could Count D possibly need the Gattolotto for. 'Did Chris sneak out? Is he hurt?' Tet-chan wanted to curse. He never let Chris out on his own so he hadn't worried when he hadn't seen Chris for a few hours.

-Don't be angry at him.- Count D said, his angry voice turning more sad, now. -This is my fault. I told Chris he could go out alone. Now I'm going to have to ask you to fetch him for me.-

By now, Tet-chan was nearly at with his master, focusing in on Count D's 'voice'. He knew that any human who happened to see him would likely pass him off as nothing more than a figment of their imagination. They wouldn't be able to believe what they'd seen. Humans were so simple minded that they simply refused to acknowledge anything that was slightly out of place. It was useful, especially at times like this when he didn't have time to be cautious.

Tet-chan paused only for a moment outside the hospital Count D's voice had led him to. It would be difficult, at best, to get passed all the humans wandering around the halls of this huge place and he wanted to get to Count D as soon as possible. Therefore, Tet-chan took the easiest and fastest route available. He held the bag with the Gattolotto in his teeth and scaled the wall, climbing up to the topmost room where he knew Count D was waiting for him. It wasn't all that difficult and no one noticed him as humans rarely ever look up.

The Count was waiting, exactly where Tet-chan had expected him to be. "I brought it, Count." Tet-chan dashed to Count D's side and held the bag with the Gattolotto out for Count D. "What's going..." Tet-chan paused and sniffed the air before he even looked at the man in the hospital bed. He recognized that scent. "What happened to your human?"

Count D's human, Leon, looked very bad. Leon's skin was pale as the dead and there were wires and tubes everywhere, sticking in him and taped to his skin. There was a steady -beep- beep- of some kind of machine and a terribly sterile smell in the air.

"He is dying." Count D said, coldly. "I will not allow this." He took the burlap bag from Tet-chan and set it in his lap, opening the bag carefully. "Thank you, Tet-chan. You've done well. I have just one other task for you." Count D stroked the dark green plant, lovingly.

Tet-chan, though he wanted to ask Count D where Chris was, knew better than to hurry the Kami, especially when someone had done something so stupid as to hurt Leon. As much as Tet-chan disliked Count D's favorite pet, even he knew how much the human meant to Count D. "Anything you ask, Count." Tet-chan declared.

"Good. Are you hungry, my dearest Tet-chan?" Count D looked up and met Tet-chan's eyes.

"I'm always hungry, Count." Tet-chan stood before his master, tensed and ready for whatever his master asked him to do. The question made Tet-chan's mouth start to water. He hadn't eaten in quite a long while, not since before they'd come to this new land. "Ask anything of me." Tet-chan hoped this errand involved him eating. The thought of warm, bloody meat in his mouth almost made his stomach hurt.

Count D reached out and took Tet-chan's face in his hands. "My dearest Tet-chan, someone has stolen our child."

"What?" Tet-chan's hunger was replaced by a feeling of dread.

"Our Christopher. He has been taken." Count D looked as close to tears as Tet-chan had ever seen him and he didn't like it. Count D was normally very collected and very composed and to see him so upset was unnerving. Count D stood and went to stand by Leon's bedside, setting the Gattolotto plant on the bed, just beside Leon. He began to carefully take the Gattolotto out of its burlap bag. "My Leon was shot, he treads on the line between life and death and the one who has shot him also took our Chris."

Rage surged through Tet-chan. Not only had this person made Count D sad, but they had Chris. "Where is he, Count?" Tet-chan thought of his little charge in the hands of a killer. This was something he could not allow! "Where is Chris?"

"Here." Count D pressed his fingers into Tet-chan's temples and an image appeared before Tet-chan's eyes. "This is where he is. I dare not leave my Leon for any time, so you will go to this place and retrieve our Chris. Do you see it?"

Images ran through Tet-chan's mind. He saw the street outside the hospital and then down to a corner. It kept going like this, as if Count D were taking Tet-chan's mind on a high-speed journey through the city. On an on it went until very suddenly the journey ended and Tet-chan was left looking at a very large building.

"Yes, Count." Tet-chan studied the image Count D had shown him. A large, dirty looking building. The doors were red, but chipped, and all the windows were boarded up. Before him, could see the roads and streets that would lead him there. The image faded and Tet-chan was in the hospital room looking at his master again. "I'll go at once." But Count D didn't let go of Tet-chan's face and Tet-chan would not move until his master let him go.

"Our Chris still lives, Tet-chan. Bring him back to me. My papa is nearby, but I do not know where he is. He is the one who had Chris kidnapped and it is his fault that my Leon may die. If you see him, do not challenge my papa, Tet-chan. I could not bear to lose you, also."

"I won't die, Count."

"Good. Then bring our Chris home and you may eat all of the humans who have taken him until your hunger is satiated."

"Yes!" Tet-chan was off the moment Count D released his face. His thoughts were filled with concern for his little Chris, but also the thought of finally satisfying his hunger. He would not only enjoy killing for his hunger's sake, but for Chris. How dare anyone lay hands on what belonged to Tet-chan?!


Count D-


Gattolotto was something he didn't like to waste, but he would do almost anything to save Leon from death. Almost...

So D waited until Tet-chan had left, hunting for Chris, before he began to work on Leon. Life was such a fragile thing, like a single strand of spider silk, and Leon's strand was being stretched very thin. Once, not long ago, Gattolotto had been used to save Leon's life. It's beautiful red blossoms fell instead of Leon, saving him from a fatal bullet. Again, it was a bullet that threatened to take Leon's life.

"Gattolotto," D spoke to the plant, spreading the soil over the clean sheets of Leon's bed. "I need you to save this man. Please give of yourself for him." He went to the beeping heart monitor and disconnected it from Leon. The beeping stopped instantly and D began removing the feeding tube and an intravenous tube in Leon's arm and small electronic monitors taped to his arms, chest, and head. He hated, absolutely HATED, seeing Leon's life depending on such a flimsy thing as human technology.

"What do you think you're doing?"

D looked up and saw the dragon, dressed in his white doctor's coat, standing in the doorway of the hospital room. D could practically feel anxiety rolling off the dragon. No doubt he was remembering their last encounter. "I am saving my Leon's life. If you care to watch, you are welcomed." Then D turned his attention away from the dragon and to the dark green Gattolotto. It was already starting to twitch where it's leaves touched Leon's bare arm. "Yes." D sighed. "Please, do your best, Gattolotto."

Apparently, the dragon didn't noticed Gattolotto. "You can't be here. This is a hospital." His voice was tense and D wondered if the fragile dragon would try to become violent.

"I am well aware of that." Now that D was sure that Leon was in the best of care, he looked up at the dragon. It had only been a few short hours ago that he had seen the Zodiac dragon in the petshop, but the dragon looked even worse now than he had before. "I think you should get some rest, Souma-san. You look very tired." If D had to guess, he would think that this man hadn't slept in days.

"That's no concern of yours. This man is in the care of my family and unless you are family to him, then you have no right to be here." The Junikyu dragon said this with a stern voice and D was pleased that the dragon was acting braver. Overcoming fear was a large part of maturing and it was about time this family was allowed to grow-up.

D went to the dragon and smiled. "You really should rest. You do not need to worry about my dear Leon. You see," Count D made a flourishing gesture with his arm, indicating Leon. "He will be well, soon."

"My God!" Souma-san's eyes widened and it was no surprise. He'd probably never seen anything like Gattolotto.

In just the few moments that D had drawn away Souma-san's attention from Leon, Gattolotto had grown remarkably. Instead of the small plant Tet-chan had brought, Gattolotto had grown so huge that the overflowing plant now completely covered Leon and flowed out onto the floor. Already, large red blossoms were growing on Gattolotto's vines. The red blossoms that would fall and this Gattolotto would die, all to save Leon's life. It was such a beautiful sight to D, that he almost missed Souma-san's expression of horror.

"W-what's going on?" Souma-san breathed. "We've got to get him out of there! He'll die in the condition he's in!" He tired to go to Leon, but D stopped Hatori as the dragon tried to rush passed him.

"No need to fear." Count D put a restraining hand on Souma-san's arm held him easily. "I will never allow my Leon to be harmed." The moment he touched Hatori, D began to influence Hatori. It was time for the dragon to sleep.

Souma-san shrugged off D's hand roughly and turned to face him. "Your Leon? What relation are you to him?" He seemed to be trying very hard not to mention or even think about their last encounter when D had made Ten-chan assume the form of Souma-san's lost love. "What is that thing, it wasn't there a moment ago."

"It is a plant, a very special plant. You look tired, Souma-san. Perhaps you should sit."

"Sit?" Hatori's eyes were locked on the plant that continued to grow around Leon, he was so engrossed but the sight, that he didn't seem to notice when D took his arm and gently led him to the visitor's chair. "Sit?! I can't sit now, that thing will suffocate him!" Yet, Hatori's eyes began to droop and his voice didn't have the energy it had when he'd walked it.

By this time the Gattolotto was wound herself so completely around Leon that only the fingers of one hand and his left eye were visible. Gattolotto continued to grow and the red buds of its lifesaving blossoms hung in great clumps, like grapes. It didn't take long before Leon was completely engulfed by the Gattolotto and D felt his heart ease a bit. Perhaps now Leon would have a chance of surviving.

"Yes," D continued to the shocked Hatori. "You really must rest. It is not healthy for you to be so exhausted." D moved away from the dragon long enough to close and lock the door to Leon's room. It just wouldn't do to have any disturbances at this point. "Here, let me light some incense to help you relax."


At the Pits-
Chris-


"Our time with Kureno was most...profitable. He brought many customers to my doors." He was a old man, to Chris' eyes, and terrible looking. The man's hair had once been black, but was now turning very white. His face was deeply lined from age and he wore tiny, little glasses on his long nose. He sat behind his desk and spoke, not to Chris, but to the woman who'd brought Chris to this place. "Our dealings with the Souma family have not always been so pleasant, however. Your young master once took a very valuable commodity from us." The man said this as he puffed on a black, bad smelling cigar.

"Kureno was sold to Akito, it's not like we stole him."

"Yes. How fortunate for your family that I wasn't here at the time to stop that blunder. He was never supposed to be sold." The man gave an ugly laugh. "My sweet, beautiful Kureno. He was the pride of my little collection. Such a heartless child."

"He's grown into a heartless man. You'd be proud. This is all besides the point. Are you interested in the boy or not?" The woman who'd kidnapped Chris jabbed her finger towards him and Chris wanted to bite her. She'd hurt Leon. "I can't waste all day here, I've got things to do."

"Don't be in a hurry, Souma-san. I don't normally buy kidnapped children. This is a big risk for me."

Buy? Chris rubbed his still aching head and wondered what was going on. He'd woken up just a few minutes ago, with a splitting headache, in this room and it looked almost to clean. Everything was white and sterile looking from the shining white tiles on the floor to the overly bright lights. 'I don't want to be bought!' But Chris had no way of telling them that and he doubted that they would even listen if he could. 'I want to go home, I have to find out if Leon's all right.' Yet, Chris sat where he'd been told to by the scary old man and just listened. He had no idea where he was and no idea how to get home.

"Don't get on a high horse, Wei." The woman said, irritably. She crossed her arms over her chest and started to pace in front of the desk the man, Wei, sat at. The desk was large and shiny black, the only part of the room that wasn't white. "I know how you get your children and this is nothing for you to get all moralistic about. You'd get a death sentence if the police had the balls to come and investigate this place! What you run isn't just a child rape factory, you also kill little kids every night."

"That's Wei-san, to you, Ren!" Wei snapped, snubbing out his cigar almost viciously. His temper turned very bad, very suddenly as soon as Ren had started speaking. "Don't presume to know what I do here! I'll have you know not a single one of my children has been kidnapped! Every single child in my tender care was an unwanted child abandoned or sold to me by their own families. Unwanted and unloved. That means that there is no danger of anyone coming to look for these children. I am perfectly safe. Why should I saddle myself with your kidnapped victim? He's obviously a foreigner, so he's not a Souma, and that means he's got family. Where's his family? Who's going to look for him?"

"No one. I killed his only family, his brother. You've got nothing to worry about, there." Ren said carelessly. "Besides, what are you afraid of? I understand you've got quite the defense here, the cops won't be able to even get in before you escape."

'Dead?' Chris' mouth fell open in shock. 'No. She's lying. Big brother's not dead. He's been shot before and he didn't die.' It HAD to be a lie.

Wei's eyes darkened when Ren had spoken. "You seem to know a little more than the average person. What has Kureno been telling you?"

"Nothing." Ren looked suddenly nervous and Chris understood why. Wei looked very dangerous, just then. "He barely even speaks, except to Akito. Why? Does he know something he shouldn't?"

"As I said before, Kureno was not meant to be sold. Very few of my children have ever matched the potential he had, and he was priceless. The only reason I haven't had him killed is that he knew so little about this organization's real purpose. He really doesn't know enough to be dangerous. Besides, no matter how well he hides himself, Kureno is a Souma and the head of your family would be able to make very large waves if one of his family were suddenly to...vanish. If Kureno had been with us for just a few days longer, he would have learned some important facts and I'd have had to send someone to kill him, despite his family connections. Kureno was a bright boy and he was taught, just like all the other children, that it's wiser not to talk to people about what goes on here. I seriously doubt he'll ever talk." Wei picked up the telephone and spoke without dialing. "Send Suki to me." Then he hung up and looked at Chris, appraisingly. "I'll give you five thousand for him."

Ren glared. "Five? That's an insult!"

"Are you looking to get rich or get him out of sight? I think I'm being very reasonable giving you any money at all. I could just call the police and play the good citizen instead of helping you out. After all," He looked again at Chris. "He's not very big, I don't think I'll be able to put him in arena. He'll have to be a toy."

There was a knock at the door and a man called out, "The girl's here, boss."

"Right." Wei looked at Ren again. "Are we agreed about the price?"

Ren huffed. "Yes, all right. It doesn't really make any difference."

"Good. You'll wait here and I'll get the money from my employer." Wei stood up and took Chris by the arm. "Hello, Chris. I hope you'll do well at our little home." He smiled, but Chris didn't like the smile. The man kept talking as if he were a friend. "Suki is going to be your friend, she'll teach you everything you need to know. If you work hard, you'll be happy. I hope you work hard."

"Wait a minute!" Ren demanded. "What do you mean, your employer? I thought you ran the Pits."

Wei smiled. "Even I answer to a superior. I may manage the Pits, but I do not own it." He took Chris into the hallway where there was a girl quietly waiting, her hands folded in front of her. "Suki, this is our newest addition, take him to the dorm and show him the ropes. His name's Chris."

"Yes, sir." Suki didn't look much older than Chris was, maybe twelve or so, but everything about her was grey. Her clothes, her hair, even her skin was an unhealthy looking grey. Chris couldn't see the color of her eyes because her hair was hanging over them, hiding them and half her face, and he wondered if her eyes had any color at all. Maybe they were as grey as the rest of her was. Suki took Chris' hand from Wei and they started walking away.

It occurred to Chris that he should fight her and try to get away, but she was taking him away from those scary people, Ren and Wei. Besides, he had absolutely no idea where he was or how to get home.

"What's your name?" Suki asked. "Chris?"

Chris liked Suki's voice, it was so soft that it made her sound like she was whispering a secret. >Yes. Can you hear me?< Suki didn't answer, so Chris knew she couldn't hear him. It was just like before, if he wasn't in the petshop, it was like no one could hear him. His voice was gone again. Chris had never missed Tet-chan more than he did in that moment. He wanted to have Tet-chan's hand to hold if he couldn't have Leon's.

As they walked down the dark halls, lit only by flickering fluorescent lights, they passed several adults. They were all armed with handguns strapped to their belts. Chris thought that if he could grab one of the guns, maybe he could scare the grown-ups into letting him go. Then, of course, he heard Leon's warning voice, telling him to keep his hands off guns. He'd have to figure out another way to get out of this.

There were other children in the halls, too. Every one of them was dressed just like Suki, in dull grey trousers and a pullover tunic. They all looked at Chris curiously when he passed with Suki and some of them gave him looks that made Chris want to cringe. Some of these kids seemed very angry and others had eyes that looked dead. Other kids acted like any other kids. They were sitting together and laughing about something and playing a game of what looked like dice.

Suki said, as they came to a large, open doorway, "I guess you don't talk. We get ones like you sometimes." She led him into the room. "This is the dorm. You'll sleep here, wherever you can find a place. For tonight, you can sleep with me."

It was a very large room, as big as a classroom, and had lots of other kids in it. They were all different ages, from very young children who should have been in kindergarten to teenagers. The room was mostly empty, but for long rows of mattresses on the floor where some of the kids sat and talked and others were sleeping soundly. Suki led Chris to one of the empty mattresses and sat down, motioning from him to sit, too. Chris wrinkled his nose at it, but he did sit with her. It smelled terrible and was stained several different colors.

Kids sat in small groups of two or three, talking softly, and some sat alone, lost in their own thoughts. Chris saw a few of the older kids, teenagers, holding each other closely and kissing as they cuddled together. Chris looked away from those ones and refocused on Suki. There were so many questions he wanted to ask her and he wanted to ask for her help. She seemed nice.

"You'll have to fight." Suki told him without warning. "We have to fight in front of an audience. It's either that or we have sex with them. That's what the toys do."

Chris blushed to the tips of his toes at the 'S' word, even though he wasn't really sure what it was. Leon would never tell him what sex was and the Count just told Chris that he didn't need to know yet, he was to young. 'I don't want to do those things.' Chris thought, he started to shake his head, but Suki took his hand again and patted it gently.

"It's all right to be afraid. We're all afraid in the beginning. You'll get used to it, though. There's no choice. If we don't do what we're told, they won't give us food. Sometimes, they do worse. Fighting and sex really doesn't matter. There's nothing else for us. No where else for us to go. At least here, we're warm and dry. If we're careful, we all survive the fights. It's better than the streets." She stood up. "Stay here, I'll be right back." Then she walked away at a lazy pace and Chris was left alone with his thoughts.

Chris scowled. 'I DO have someplace to go! I have to go home and find out if Leon's all right.' A terrible thought sprung into Chris' mind as he thought about what that woman, Ren, had said. 'Leon might be dead. No. Leon wouldn't die. Leon's strong and smart, he wouldn't die from a stupid bullet.' Chris blinked back threatening tears. 'Leon wouldn't cry, either. He'd find a way to get away from this weird place and get home.' Even as he steeled himself, Chris couldn't help but notice that there were no windows in the large room and not one of the children were trying to get away. Didn't they have families? 'What if he is dead?'

Chris shook his head and knew Tet-chan would scold him and hit him on the head for thinking things like that.

"Eat." Suki appeared again and sat down again before she put a plastic bowl of oatmeal between them. Without waiting for Chris to start, Suki turned her head suddenly and locked eyes with a girl who had begun inching her way towards Chris, eyeing the bowl of oatmeal. Suki said nothing, but her face was so cold that the other girl backed away without a word. When she turned back to Chris, Suki dipped her fingers in the bowl of oatmeal and scooped up a glob of it before sticking it in her mouth and sucking it off, licking her fingers until she'd gotten every last drop. "Don't ever waste food." She warned in a low voice. "No one ever gets enough, so they'll try to steal yours. Eat it all."

Chris was somehow comforted by Suki's soft-spoken words and he copied her, scooping out a finger full of oatmeal on one finger and eating it. He even licked his finger, the way she had. It tasted terrible, but Chris ate every bite until the bowl was empty.

After that, the two of them sat in silence with the discarded bowl between them. Chris wanted a hug. More than anything, he wanted someone to put their arms around him and hold him tightly. He wanted to be told that everything was alright. 'I want Leon.' Chris really didn't think Suki would give him a hug, though. She didn't seem the type.

A loud buzzer went off and shocked Chris out of his thoughts. Everyone in the room stood up without a word and began filing out the door. Suki took Chris' hand and pulled him to his feet. "We have to go, now. It's shower day."

Chris wanted to ask where they had to go, but it wouldn't do any good. She still wouldn't be able to hear him. Chris followed where she led him, careful not to let go of her hand for, as they all went into the hallway, it was so crowded that Chris was afraid he'd lose her. The whole group of kids went like a herd of sheep through dark, narrow halls until they all came to a large door at the end of one of the halls. Everyone started taking off their clothes, just dropping the loose shirts and pants, until everyone was completely naked.

Chris blushed to the tips of his toes when he saw his first glimpse of so much exposed flesh that wasn't his. No one else was at all ashamed, though and acted as if it were all perfectly normal so maybe if he just acted like he was calm...

"Take your clothes off."

Chris looked up and found Suki waiting for him to strip and nearly fainted. She was completely naked and little Chris felt his brain short-circuit. She had...curves and round, soft bumps. She wasn't as curvy as the posters Leon had hanging on his apartment walls, but she was much more curvy than any boy Chris had ever seen. It took a second to get over the shock of seeing a girl without her clothes, but when it was over, Chris clamped his eyes shut. He was pretty sure he was to young to see things like that.

"You'll have to get over it. I'll help you." Suki started tugging at his clothes and before Chris knew it, his clothes had been taken off and he was just like everyone else: naked. He was absolutely horrified and felt like everyone was staring at him, though, in truth no one seemed to notice him at all. Though they were all pressed together in the hallway like sardines, no one really looked at anyone else. Chris wrapped his arms around himself, not that it did any good, and stared at his feet with tears of shame burning his eyes. He wanted to run away, but people were pressing him so tightly that he couldn't have move if he wanted to. He couldn't even reach his clothes, now laying on the floor somewhere. This had to be some kind of weird nightmare! This couldn't be real.

"Stay close." Suki put a hand on Chris' shoulder and pulled him to her side. That didn't exactly do a lot to make Chris feel more comfortable. His eyes were right on level with some very...soft bits of her chest. "We have to wash now. It's just a shower." She looked down, giving Chris another glimpse of her grey eyes. They looked very sad. "It'll be all right. No one's going to hurt you...not here."

Chris had never been so embarrassed in his whole life! Not only had Suki made him take off all his clothes, but there were girls all around! He felt like crying and just wanted to sink into a crack in the floor and die. Suki was naked and standing right nest to him AND touching him! It was the first time Chris had ever seen a naked girl and he didn't like the butterflies it was aggravating in his stomach. It was probably cooties.

Another buzz sounded and the door ahead of them opened, swinging inward, and everyone flooded into the room. Once in the room, everyone spread out as much as they could. It wasn't any larger than the room with all the mattresses, but it looked worse. It was filthy. There was grime on the once white tiles and it smelled terrible. The walls were lined with shower heads that looked about thirty years old and there were dozens of small, rusty drains on the floor. Chris could see mold growing unchallenged on the walls and the ceiling. At the far end of the room, on the walls were about a dozen toilets, which explained part of the terrible smell of the room.

Everyone lined up under the shower heads, most people sharing the shower heads two or three each, and just waited. There was a small soap tray on the wall under each shower head with a bar of yellow, half used soap, but only one that had to be shared. Chris felt his skin start to creep, but he followed Suki to a shower head near the back that was empty.

"Just wash up." She told him. She looked as if she was about to say something else when the doors opened again and a line of children walked in. They said nothing and didn't even look at anyone else when they stepped out of line and went to find a shower head to wash under. A boy, older than Suki, with a tattoo on his chest, joined Chris and Suki, though he didn't so much as look at him.

Suki's hand tightened on Chris' shoulder and she pulled him closer to her. "Omi, this is Chris." Suki looked at the tattooed boy from under her grey hair. "Omi, Chris is new. Will you take care of him tonight, after the fights?"

The tattooed boy turned slightly and focused on Chris before he nodded once. "Sure." He was a teenager, really, and Chris thought he must have been about sixteen or so. His hair was cut very short, almost shaven off, and his eyes were...empty. Only then, when Chris looked at Omi's eyes, did Chris remember where he'd seen that tattoo. It was the black scorpion of that boy who'd attacked the petshop and nearly killed the Count. Did that mean that Omi was a killer, too?

The water turned on very suddenly and Chris gasped at the freezing cold water. Everyone else was washing, scrubbing themselves with the yellow soap before passing it onto someone else. Suki washed quickly and handed the soap to Chris and Chris scrubbed himself just to keep warm as Suki wouldn't let him get out from under the freezing water. When Chris was done, Omi took the soap from him and began washing himself.

Suki ran her fingers through Chris' hair, pulling the tangles out as easily as she could. "Omi's nice." Suki said, as if Omi weren't there. "He'll be good to you." Her fingers ran over Chris' head and Chris felt a terrible pain. He flinched away, out of her hands. "You were hit?"

Chris nodded, gingerly touching the sore spot. It felt rough and he guessed that he must have a scab on his head. That was the last thing he remembered, after seeing Leon get shot. The woman hit him. Chris still had no idea what Suki was taking about. How was Omi going to be good to him?


Kureno-


Passionate rage.

That was what filled Kureno's mind as he tore through the city streets on his motorcycle, trying to think of where Ren would have gone. In his entire life, Kureno had never felt such a towering rage as the one that now threatened to overwhelm his good judgment. Akito would have died if it hadn't been for that stranger. Kureno owed Akito everything, the least he could do was murder for him.

'I should have been with him!' Kureno cursed himself as he turned his motorcycle to round another corner. 'I should have been at his side! Ren wouldn't have gotten away if I'd been closer.' With all that he owed to Akito, Kureno knew he had failed his God miserably. His only responsibility in life was to guard Akito and he hadn't even been around when a real threat reared its head.

Kureno was devoted to Akito, mind, body, and soul. Since the day Akito had delivered him from his pointless life at the Pits, Kureno was willing to do absolutely anything to protect Akito. He would protect Akito until the day he died and, to Kureno, it didn't seem like all that much of a sacrifice. Akito did have a temper and he was possessive and jealous, but it was a far cry from what Kureno had come from. At least now he was with family. He no longer had to fight for food, for a place to sleep, or just to be allowed to live. He was respected and an important part of the family. Hatori depended on him to keep an eye on Akito's health when he wasn't around and Shigure needed him to pass on information, if Akito was having a bad day or it looked like someone in the family needed help. Most of all, Kureno liked that Akito needed him.

In all honesty, Kureno believed that he knew Akito better than anyone, even Shigure, whom Akito spoke of very fondly. He knew all of Akito's weaknesses and all of his fears. He knew Akito suffered terrible delusions and that the fear of being alone was so bad that it was nearly crippling. He knew Akito woke up crying in the middle of the night, whimpering for someone...anyone...to hold onto. He needed someone to chase away the nightmares and that person was Kureno. It was a duty he was pleased to do.

No, Kureno was not in love with Akito. He loved Akito very much, that was impossible to deny, but he didn't believe he was in love with Akito. However, he did know he would never leave Akito's side. Akito needed him and Kureno liked feeling needed. As a child, Kureno had gotten used to feeling wanted, for his fighting or his body. He didn't like that. Akito not only wanted Kureno, he needed him.

It was because of all that, Akito's dependence and Kureno's devotion, that Kureno hadn't been there when Akito needed him. He'd been visiting Arisa-san at her work. Kureno steeled his mind against her image. Kureno had never been in love before, but he thought that might have something to do with how he felt when he thought of her. She was young and brash, a fighting spirit with a heart of gold. Actually, he'd only known her for a very short time. He barely knew her, really, but he liked her. Which was why he decided he would stop seeing her. It really wasn't fair to her if he let her think there could ever be anything between them. He would not leave Akito, nor would he bring her into the Souma family. Because of Arisa-san, Kureno hadn't been around when Rin had been injured. He should have been around to stop Akito. Now this disaster... He just couldn't afford to have Arisa-san in his life.

He would go to the Pit.

It was a hard choice, really. Ren's car had vanished even before Kureno had started out on the chase on his motorcycle so he had no idea where to look. She could have gone anywhere. Her apartment was far to obvious, but she wasn't all that intelligent, according to Shigure. She might decide to hide there. 'No.' Kureno thought of what he knew of Ren. Technically she was his aunt, his mother's sister. She knew about the Pit and how he'd been sold to them. It would be a logical place to get rid of a child, but why would she want to get rid of him after taking the trouble to steal him? It made no sense.

Not that Ren's reasoning mattered at all. Kureno didn't care about the child. His duty was to kill Ren and he would if it took him the rest of his life to find her. He would start at the Pit.




Nothing had changed at the Pit. Different children were hanging around outside the building, but that was about the only change. Kureno stopped his motorcycle outside the Pit. Strangely enough, Kureno had no fear about his motorcycle being stolen out here. There was no one in their right mind that would venture into the area of the Pit unless it was to see the fights and the children of the Pit wouldn't have any use for a motorcycle. The motorcycle wasn't of any sentimental importance, anyway. Hatori had bought it for him in case of emergencies so Kureno really didn't care if it were stolen or not.

Looking up at the building he hadn't seen for more than a decade, Kureno saw his childhood from an adult's perspective. He wondered how his parents had thought that they would get away with it, in the long run. They knew how close all the Junikyu were and they knew all about the curse. How could they have thought that they could just sell one of the Junikyu? Akito was possessive of his family and would have demanded, sooner or later, that Kureno stop going to the boarding school everyone thought he was attending and come to live on the estate. How were they going to explain that they'd sold him? Did they really think that the owners of the Pit would just let him go?

Up until the last year he'd been at the Pit, Kureno had been allowed to go back to the estate every year for New Years. When the manager of the Pit realized Kureno's potential, Kureno knew his time of being allowed to return to the estate was coming to an end. He was told that he would be put into a superior training program, he would become one of the Black Scorpion. A week before Akito had bought him Kureno had been marked by the Black Scorpion on his chest, a sign that he would begin more serious training. Probably in killing. Kureno hadn't really cared at the time, he just did what he was told. That would have been the end of Kureno's Junikyu Banquet.

What would Kureno's parents have told Akito when he failed to show up?

Ah well, no time for that. Kureno was reassured by the heavy weight of his gun holstered at his hip. He knew the children were dangerous, even if they were far smaller than he was. He hadn't let his skills go over the years, though. Kureno was more dangerous than these dark eyed children, he had more to protect.

Getting inside was the easy part. The doors were left open for the children who were trusted to come back so they could get in an out when they wanted to. It was what to do once he was inside that Kureno worried about. He needn't have worried. The moment they opened the door Kureno was face to face with Ren. She looked terrible, still bearing the scar Akito had given her the day she'd cause Shigure to leave the estate. Her hair was greying and thinning and her face was starting to show her age. Her shock at seeing Kureno was glaringly obvious.

"Kuren..." Ren turned before she even finished his name and bolted back into the Pit.

Kureno pulled the gun from its holster and walked into the Pit, for the first time in years, looked down the long, dark hallway that still haunted his memory. He could feel eyes watching him from the darkness, but Kureno didn't know if they were they eyes of people he would kill or those of the deadly children who lived here.

'You'll die, Ren. You won't leave this building alive.'


Kyou-


Kyou watched Kureno enter the building and turned. 'I wonder what he's doing here without Akito.' The slight distraction away from what seemed like the end of his own world was welcomed right now. While he watched, Kyou saw someone...something...running after Kureno. It looked like a boy, but it ran faster than anyone Kyou had ever seen. The strange boy tore into the building right after Kureno and vanished into the darkness with him. Kyou started after Kureno, curious.



To be continued...



Next chapter: Kyou willingly takes off his bracelet.




To those of you who have reviewed:

Grrl N: I was hoping to let Hatori heal a bit. I feel such pity for him, and as much as I love tragedy, I feel that he's suffered enough. It's time for our dragon to move on. I was afraid that I was moving the story to slowly, but there's so much to say. I want to give every character their say. I'm glad you were surprised by what Leon did, but it seemed like the kind of thing he'd do. Really, Leon is a very self-sacrificing man. As for what Tet-chan's going to do, that'll be in the next chapter.

Merei-chan: Don't worry about rambling, I don't mind at all :) I'll take care of Tohru, don't worry. As for Ren and Papa D, they'll be taken care of, too.

Hypersarcasticinternetaddict: I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'm glad you liked the others. Keep reading if you like it, because we're getting close to the end...sadly.

Aori Tsuki: Actually, Ayame isn't affected because Count D doesn't wish him to be. I've noticed, in the Pethop of Horrors manga, that, at time, humans can -see- something different about D. I believe that D can control who can see that he's not exactly human. Hatori, with his power of the mind, has greater psychic ability than the rest of his family and noticed something right away. D believes every animal, no matter what it is, is very important and special. Right now, though, he knows Hatori has seen he's something different, so he tries to start with Hatori. D wants to help the Soumas and part of that would be helping Hatori to get over his guilt of what happened to Kana. Thanks for taking the time to review, I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.

Ruby Love: Congrats on getting the last episode of Fruits Basket! I honestly didn't expect Ayame to have such a deep voice, I'll admit. I like it, though. Actually, the anime skipped Kureno and Rin :( I REALLY wanted to see Kureno. I adore Leon. He's so wonderfully clueless about everything that goes on right under his nose, yet he always knows exactly what to say to D. He's the only living creature that has managed to earn D's love and he has no idea he's even done it. I put Leon in because I think he and Ayame could have ended up very much alike. I figure they'd have either loved or hated each other. Leon's also an outside perspective on the Souma family. He can see how silly some of their customs seem to be, yet he's like Tohru, in a way. He wants to take care of the people he cares about so he tries to take care of the Soumas he likes; Ritsu, Ayame, and now Akito whome he saw as a helpless kid. Yes, I like to pair the Souma's off with each other. I honestly think incest doesn't mean much to them. After all, Kana was a Souma, too. About the pairings, though, I won't reveal who ends up with who. I will admit that I love AyameXHatori, I think they'd lovely together, though I like to add Shigure into that little relationship, too. As for Yuki, Kyou, and Tohru...I have my own plans for them. You'll make me blush with all those compliments! The Petshop DVD isn't as good as the manga, but it does give you a great glimpse into the series. It's got wonderful atmosphere. Reviews like yours make me question whether I can keep up the quality of past chapters, but I'll do my best.

Random Informant: Yep, I saw that in the manga, too. I like both versions, to be honest. In the manga, when Tohru goes out alone, without help from Uo or Hana, it shows her great strength and courage. She faced Kyou in his original form on her own. All by herself. She didn't need anyone's help. However, I also liked seeing Yuki go after Kyou. That shows how much Yuki's changed and grown over the course of the series. He no longer sees Kyou as just a nuisance, but as a part of his family and as someone he needs to help take care of. I think that showed a great deal of maturity, considering Yuki and Kyou's relationship just a few months earlier.

Kireina: I'm very glad you liked the song for Hatori. I don't normally like song fics, but every now and again I find a song that just fits a character or situation so perfectly it has to be used. If I knew how to make anime music video's, I'd use that song and do a video about Hatori losing Kana and how much it wounded him. Ah, well. I guess I'll stick to writing. Don't worry, things aren't getting bad, just interesting.

Yuan 18: That dream sequence was VERY hard to do, for some reason. I think I rewrote that silly thing a dozen times before it came out right. Hiro is a difficult character for me to write and I don't think I did him justice. Maybe he'll get more of a role in the next chapter. I was really unsure about having Leon confess so much to Yuki, but I think Yuki needs someone who understands his situation, but isn't to close. Why hasn't Leon applied 'opposites attract' to D? Heh, that's easy. Leon is the king of denial. That man can 'hear' Chris even when he sees that Chris' lips don't move and no one else can hear him. He can understand Q-chan's speech and can talk to Pon-chan, yet he sees nothing at all magical about the petshop. Kazuma will be coming back. I've always liked him. Such a good man. Poor Kyou...I guess D did kinda leave him in the lurch, didn't he? Well, to D, nothing is more important than Leon, or so I've noticed.

Cor-chan: Thanks for the encouragement! I haven't really thought about what will happen when Hatori meets lil' Chris. Hmmm...I'll have to give that some thought. Actually, I think Hon Ron wants to adopt Hatori and take care of him. I can't recommend Petshop of Horrors enough, but trust me, my translation of the characters is NOTHING compared to the original. I'm sure you'll enjoy them. I'll do my best to keep up the quality and make the best story possible. It's exhausting though, I'm always afraid it's not good enough.

Caiti: Wow, that's a long review. Thanks! I hope you're feeling better. You aren't sick, are you? If you like Ritsu so much, I think I'll give him a part in the next chapter. I think Ritsu is the prettiest boy in Fruit Basket, personally, and the fact that he's constantly in a suicidal state just adds pity for him. Made to feel completely worthless, even if it was unintentional, Ritsu needs serious therapy. Then again, so do all the Soumas. I like cliffhangers! Kyou's chapter is coming soon and everyone will get to see why the Cat is so important and why Papa D wants the Cat.

Ran Mouri: Ha! Ha! No, I don't think it sounds mean, really. I understand that Hatori doesn't know how to deal with his grief and guilt about losing Kana. He believes that locking his love away is the right thing to do. However, I have to agree that it's time he moves on and find someone else to focus all that love on.

Arin Ross: Yes, all our beloved characters are starting to mature a bit. Growing up is hard to do, especially in the Souma family. That was Shigure's whole plan, his very simple plan. He wanted to make his family able to deal with life without getting mired down in their pasts of depression and anger. I think its starting to work. Leon's reaction to Akito is something I expect that he would do. He doesn't know who Akito is, he only sees a crying, frightened child. Even if that child is a bit spoiled and demanding, he's not just going to walk away and leave the kid alone. As for Akito's sanity, I wonder how long that'll last.

Ladysess: Very glad you like the story. I hope you like it enough to keep reading the rest of it. Thanks for taking the time to review.

Demeter1: I love Akito, too. He's such a fascinating character to write, too. I love delving into his psyche. I'm very flattered that you think I've done such a good job with Akito's reflection, I rather like how he's turned out, too. I've had a couple of people tell me how fond they are of Ritsu and I'm pleasantly surprised. I thought I was the only one who liked him. I guess I'll have to give him another part in this story. Thanks for the CC, I'll correct that as soon as possible.

Melchoir: I'm pleased that you liked this chapter. Don't worry about how short the first meeting between Shigure and D was, they will meet again.
Ayako: Thanks for the review. Yes, there was a lot in the last chapter, but it'll all come together in the end.

Jaelle: Tohru Return Squad...I like it! That's great. Actually, I have other plans for Tohru, but I like your idea. Yes, Leon is a darling, isn't he?

Zeynel: I sure will keep writing. Thanks for taking the time to review, I appreciate it.

Rosa Gigantea: You'll swell my head with that kind of praise, but thank you! I thought this fic might be to long and that people would get bored with the long chapters, but I no one seems to mind. Thanks for reviewing, I'm very thankful for your compliments.

Nissi Nirvani: Ah...How Long Love...how I miss my Petshop crossover with Star Trek. Yes, I promise I'll finish that one. Actually, I have a couple of unfinished works, but I swear, I never post anything I don't intend to finish. This story just kind of took over my life for right now. There are only a few more chapters left, though, and then I'll start finishing my other works. Would you like me to email you when I start doing How Long Love?

PhantomErik: Are you a Phantom of the Opera fan? I LOVE that story! Shigure's my favorite character, too. He's my favorite in all of anime. I'm pleased you liked the story so much and I will keep writing, I promise.

Dark Carmen: Thanks for reviewing. It was actually pretty hard to find the reason for the curse, but I like it now that I have it. I can't wait to read the manga and find out the real reason behind the curse. There must be a reason.

Kim C. : I hope this chapter answers some of your questions and I'm glad you liked what you've read so far. Kyou's transformation isn't done yet.

Delphine Pryde: (Smiles) I like complicated stories. I hope this means that you're enjoying it.

Mercedes No Inuarai: Actually, my Kureno is almost entirely from my imagination. I know almost nothing about him, except that he and Uo-chan like each other, so I had to make it all up. He may no be canon, but I like my Kureno, scary or not. I believe you're right about Momiji's strength, he's definitely underappreciated. That reminds me, I haven't had Momiji in the story for a while. I should put him back in. If you like the Petshop anime, then let me tell you that the manga is much, much better. I love the manga! Hatori and Kana's relationship is always fun to deal with. I'll admit I'm a little, tiny bit of a sadist and I enjoy putting the characters through pain. Every character has something traumatic in their past, but the brilliant thing about this is that Hatori willingly brought his own trauma upon himself. For the sake of the greatest love he'd ever known, Hatori was willing to cause himself so much pain. Sadly, I know very little about Rin, too. The only rumors I've heard are that she doesn't like Yuki or Tohru and that she used to date Haru. Yumm...I love chocolate. Thanks.

Twinfin666: That's quite the review! I'm glad you enjoyed it, that makes the long hours I spend writing this completely worth it. I hope you like this next chapter. There's not so much action, I know, but now it's time to find out where everyone is.

Feely: Thanks for reviewing, I'm glad you like the story. Thanks for the CC, I'll fix Akito's age as soon as I can. I hadn't realized I'd made that mistake, thanks for noticing.

Till next time, readers