Chapter 65 Fanfic – Sacrificial Transformation

by Karen
© 2002

Author's note: After reading chapter 64, I'm just dying of suspense –
so to assuage my appetite for Fruit Baskets, here's my take on what
happens next. Of course, Sensei's will be much better, but it'll be
fun to see how far off I am. Usual disclaimers apply.

*Spoiler for chapter 65 don't read if you don't like manga spoilers*

Lying on his back on top of the roof as usual, Kyou stared off at
the distant gathering storm clouds. He could smell, almost taste the
rain to come. Still, the winds had picked up, and there was a chance
that the heavy dark clouds would be blown past them before they
started to release their load. Twitching his nose in disgust, Kyou
decided he had better start heading back in whether or not it rain
that night. Just as he got up into a crouch, the wind caught the
sounds of a few quiet words and sent them his way. Cocking his head
to better catch the conversation, it took a just a short moment
before he realized that it was Akito and Momiji who were talking
outside. `Akito?! What was that damn guy doing here? And at this
time of night?!' raced Kyou's thoughts.

He gingerly moved closer to the edge of the roof directly above the
two speakers. At that location, the roof was particularly steep and
high. As Kyou fought to keep his movements quiet, and his grip
certain, he still hadn't got close enough to peer over the edge.
Suddenly there was a sickening soft thud – an all too familiar sound
to him. He froze, waiting to hear what would happen next.

"Yamete kudasai!!!" her voice soared up his ears.

The curtains flicked closed, as a stone-faced Haru spun away from
the second story window and headed quickly towards the hallway, and
downstairs. Just as he reached the doorway of the room, he heard the
punch. Familiar with his cousin's small frame and rabbit-like
temperament, he had no doubts who the victim was this time. `As if
there were any doubts all the previous times,' he thought bitterly
to himself. Face just a touch paler than before, he started to race
towards the stairs.

A glass of water in hand, Yuki rubbed his forehead as he trudged
along the hallway back towards the stairs. From the excitement of
the day and evening, he still couldn't sleep yet. Just as a yawn
escaped from him, he caught sight of a familiar form move along the
opposite hallway, across the inner courtyard. Tohru? What was she
doing still up at this time of night? Changing course, he walked
after her, and watched as she turned right and went out the sliding
door. Was she having trouble sleeping too? From the dim shadows he
could tell that she had apparently stopped just outside the doorway,
but just as he approached, she suddenly bolted and ran off
screaming, "Yamete kudasai!!!"

What was going on?! Yuki ran the last few steps, and froze just one
step outside of the doorway, staring at the scene before him. There,
in front of him, Akito had both hands entangled in Tohru's hair,
shaking her roughly as he shouted at her. Behind Tohru, Momiji was
staring with eyes wide, one hand clasped to his cheek. The short boy
had obviously been hit in some way, as he was still standing halfway
in the garden border. Yuki paled further when he realized what Akito
was yelling about. He felt as if ice had suddenly imprisoned his
spine, immobilizing him, and then an icy burning fire raced up and
down his back as he stood there helplessly. As he watched the fear
grow in the girl's eyes though, his resolve slowly steeped back into
him. He tightened his fists, but before he could even shift his
bodyweight forward, a sudden thud to his side woke him from the
remains of his stupor.

"Damn him! How dare he touch her! He's gonna pay!" came the rough
low grumble of his orange haired cousin.

"Kyou…."

His cousin whirled around to face him, and like his animal sign,
Kyou's eyes almost glowed in the dark – a fiery red, almost like
embers ready to burst into fire. Shock and anger were plainly
evident in his face.

"Yuki! Why are you just standing there? We've got to stop him before
he goes any further!"

"I know, but…." Yuki's attention flicked once again towards Akito.
Apparently the head of the family still hadn't noticed their
presence yet.

"There are no `buts'! Do you know he already punched Momiji?!
Everyone knows that kid never fights back! He doesn't even know how
to defend himself! What do you think he'll do to Tohru next? You
know what he's done in the past to other girls! Are you that
afraid?" Kyou's body almost shook with rage. With a look of disgust
at Yuki's continuing inactivity, he spun back towards the other
three, "Fine, do what you like, but I'm not letting it continue!"

Kyou's accusation and glare had hit Yuki painfully. He wasn't
standing there just out of shock and fear! Was he? No! Just moments
before, he had been about to go after Akito the same as Kyou was.
The familiarity of their usual verbal joust over a somewhat
unexpected situation however, had allowed him in a split second, to
step back mentally and see what that action would have resulted in.
In that moment in time, he had somehow weighed the strengths and
weaknesses both he and Kyou could bring to the situation at hand.
Before Kyou had taken more than a couple of steps forward, Yuki's
arm shot out, and his hand clamped tightly onto Kyou's left arm.

"Kyou! Wait! This isn't the way to go about it! Think of what
happens next, what will happen in the future!"

Tugging at his arm, Kyou found he couldn't rid himself of what was
almost a death grip. For such a slender feminine looking boy, Yuki
hid an unexpected strength – something that Kyou knew from
experience. Still, his other fist rose, threatening his pale cousin
if he didn't let go. He gave a bitter laugh, "Future? What future do
I have? Do you? Did you hear what that damn guy just said to Tohru?
What he just `explained' to her?!"

Yuki was silent, but he still wouldn't let go. Then suddenly he
hissed at Kyou, "Baka! We might not have a future, but what about
Tohru? Akito is not just what you see there. He has…. other powers,
other influences he can exert. If we simply go out and directly
defend her now, then what happens next?"

Kyou paused. Kuso nezumi! He was right, of course – he was always
right. Kyou felt his fist drop as his head once again turned
anxiously towards Akito and Tohru.

"But… Then what do we do….?"

Suddenly another form detached itself from the inner shadows of the
house, white hair catching the dim lights available.

"Hatsuharu."

"So you're both here already. Is he alright? I heard them talking,
but before I could even get out of the room, I heard Akito hit him."

Haru stared past his older cousins' forms, ignoring the strange hold
Yuki had on Kyou. His eyes widen as he took in the new situation.

"Shit. How did he get her as well? Has he… Did he hit her too?"

He watched as a strange sort of glance passed between the two other
boys, before Kyou with the slightest motion, shook his head.

"Thank God, he hasn't done more than grab and shake her…yet." Yuki
bitterly muttered into the dark.

For a moment, Haru looked intently at Yuki, then put a hand on his
shoulder. "Well, we can't just stand here. Where's Shigure?"

"He's probably still at the other house. I don't think he's come
back yet, unless he came back with Akito." Yuki replied as he looked
away from Haru's intense stare.

"Forget him! That perverted old dog can't be trusted. You don't know
which side he's on," hissed Kyou.

Surprised, Yuki looked at his cousin. He himself, had always been
wary of Shigure, but he hadn't realized that Kyou thought along the
same lines too. Kyou had always seemed so simpleminded in his
seemingly one-track mind to defeat him, so oblivious to everything
but the most obvious. Had Yuki been mistaken about him?

Haru just blinked, and then shrugged. "Whatever. Someone's going to
have to get Hatori and Shigure. Yuki, why don't you go call them?
I'm sure Kyou and I can handle Akito and get Honda-san and Momiji
out of the way in the meanwhile."

Yuki stared over at the Akito and Tohru as Haru spoke. There was
silence for a moment as he digested the reason why Haru had
suggested that he go and phone. His younger cousin was apparently
still worried about the effect Akito had on him. As his focused
centered on Tohru though, he knew that this time, he would not,
could not run away from helping his friend.

"Thanks for offering, but this time, I think Kyou and I better
handle things out here. You go and hurry up and phone the others.
Try Hatori's cell phone if you can't reach them at the other house."

He felt Haru's grip tighten for a moment before releasing him. Kyou
had either not heard the conversation at all while concentrating on
the scene in front of them, or for once, had decided not to make
even a comment about Haru's concern about Yuki.

"I guess, if you say so. I'll just be gone a moment though," drawled
Haru in his slow and deliberate way.

Right after Haru turn around to head back into the house though,
they heard other soft voices from the doorway.

"Haru-niichan, what's going on? I woke up, and Tohru-neechan wasn't
in bed with me anymore," whispered Kisa.

Hiro looked up at his older cousins, one arm thrown in front of Kisa
protectively, holding the edge of the door. "I heard you run by my
room, what's up?"

The two younger Sohmas peered between the legs of their older
cousins, and caught sight of Akito, still holding on to Tohru.

"Tohru-neechan! Momiji-niichan! and, and…." whispered Kisa in shock.

"Akito," stated Hiro solemnly. His only sign of shock was the
widening of his eyes.

Yuki looked back at the two and gestured with a slight jerk of his
head. "Kisa, Hiro, go back upstairs right now. Don't come back down
unless one of us tells you it's okay. Hiro, maybe you should stay
with Kisa for now."

"But what about…." Kisa anxiously craned her neck to get a better
view of her beloved mentor.

Hiro took one more look, and then determinedly grabbed at one of
Kisa's arms and started to drag her away, "You heard him, we're
going back up now." With one more reluctant glance back, Kisa let
her playmate lead her back into the house.

"Good. They'll be safe and out of the way at least. I'll be right
back." And Haru hurriedly rushed inside after them.

"So now what do we do?" asked Yuki quietly, not really expecting an
answer. Looking over at the trio, it seemed as if Akito had paused
in thought, pale fingers still with their tight hold on Tohru's
hair. Momiji had stepped out of the flowerbed, but still half
crouching as if preparing himself to react to what may come next.
Suddenly Yuki felt a tug against his hand; he had forgotten he still
had a firm grip on Kyou's lower left arm.

"At the very least, there's something I can do," muttered Kyou,
almost to himself. With another sharp pull, he wrenched himself free
of Yuki's hold, leaving his special bracelet in the Rat's hand.

This time, when he spoke, Kyou stared straight into Yuki's
eyes, "Hide it from sight, keep it safe for me, and play along. I
think this will work. Just be ready to step in when you're needed."

"What…?" Yuki returned his cousin's gaze in shock. Did Kyou just
intentionally take his bracelet off? Leaving him in charge of it?
Kyou had come up with a plan?!

Once again, the orange-haired Sohma turned away, ripping off his
shirt as he did so. "Shit. There's not much time left. I hope the
pain will be worth it," muttered Kyou. Without a further warning,
Kyou suddenly let out a yell, and then literally threw himself onto
the lawn, just steps away from where the other three stood, as if
frozen in time.

"Watch it! My bracelet's caught! Ahhh! Kuso Nezumi! I'll get you
back for that!" Kyou let out a slight groan, and started to rub his
head.

Yuki watched in utter amazement. He wondered if Kyou was a very good
actor, or if the stupid cat had actually hurt himself flying off the
raised porch like that. Just in time, he remembered to slip the
bracelet into his back pocket, and shouted out what he hoped was a
realistic retort, "Baka Neko! Don't blame me! Watch what you're
doing!"

Akito, Tohru, and Momiji turned in shock towards this new
disturbance.

"Crap! Where's my bracelet?! It's gone!" Kyou continued to shout, as
he slowly got up, and seemingly by accident, stumbled a few steps
closer to the shocked trio.

Yuki was glad to see that in his surprise, Akito had dropped his
hands from Tohru's hair, although one hand had dropped, as if
innocently, onto her shoulder. A strange flash of emotions appeared
on Tohru's face, he could almost see her mouth Kyou's name in relief.

Akito's eyes had widened at the first yell, but now, they slit into
a narrow glare as he turn towards the Cat.

"Kyou. What are you doing? Fighting with Yuki again? I thought you
had give up on that idea… seeing as how you always lose anyway."

Kyou pretended to look surprised at Akito's presence. "Akito? What
are you doing here at this time of night? Tohru and Momiji are here
too?"

Not a bad performance thought Yuki.

"Never mind that! I asked you a question!" Akito exclaimed peevishly.

"Stupid Rat, we just had a disagreement. Shit! Where's my
bracelet?!" Kyou crouched down again, as if looking for his
bracelet. In reality, he was preparing to pounce or run if necessary.

"Yuki? I know you are there. Come out here….now!" commanded Akito,
momentarily ignoring Kyou.

Slowly, Yuki made his way into sight, "Akito-san. It is very late at
night to be outside. Shouldn't you be inside resting by now?" He
walked a few steps closer, but couldn't help himself as he stared at
Tohru's shaken face and Momiji's expression of conflicting anxiety
and defiance.

Not missing the slightest reaction from his favourite toy, Akito
noticed at once where Yuki's attention had wandered. "Even now he
turns his attention away from me to that… that female! Yuki! I'm
talking to you!"

The gray haired teenager wrenched his attention back to his detested
older cousin. "Yes Akito-san, I'm listening."

Akito suddenly delved into a deceptively loving tone, "Ahh, you must
be wondering what we three are doing out here, late at night. I had
a sudden call to return immediately to the Honke. I was just about
to leave, when I realized how amiss it was for me to leave without
having a few words with our dear guest. Isn't that right, Honda-
san?" His grip tightened on Tohru's shoulder, as he drew her closer
to him, and twisted her around so that she now faced Yuki and Kyou
as well.

"Ehh yes, but that's… that's not quite... Akito-san… and then Momiji-
kun…" stuttered Tohru.

With her normal reticent and polite manner, Yuki realized just how
hard it must have been for her to deny Akito's words, even by this
little bit. She must be terrified at this very moment.

"How dare you! Are you calling me a liar?!" Shouted Akito right into
her face.

"Nai! N-n-noooo! Of course not, it's just that…" Tohru would have
shrunk away from the head of the clan, if he hadn't had such a
painful grip on her shoulder.

Yuki tried to hide his worries, keeping them from his face. Damn.
That Baka Neko had started them down this path, wasn't he going to
do anything?! If he actually had something planned he better do it
now! However, Yuki didn't dare glance over at his still crouching
cousin. He worried that it might tip Akito off that they were up to
something.

"Stupid, ungrateful woman! Here I come, to pay my farewells, and
explain a few things to you, and what do you do? You scream at me,
and then call me a liar!" Akito continued to rant. He suddenly
released her shoulder, and with both hands, shoved Tohru
backwards.He had raised a foot off the ground, ready to deliver a
hard kick afterwards.

"Tohru!"

"Tohru! Akito-san!"

A flash of lightening suddenly lit up the sky, and seemed to
highlight Akito's current maniacal expression. A peal of thunder
followed shortly, only to be interrupted by a blood-curdling scream
of an animal, rising up into the night's sky, as the first drops of
rain started to fall.

"Sohma Shigure speaking. How may I… Hatsuharu? What's the matter?"

Shigure nodded, and his eyes narrowed as he listened to his younger
cousin over the phone line.

"We'll be right over. Try not to get involved, and make sure the
young ones are safe. And Haru? This is NOT the time to go black.
We'll see you shortly." He hung up the phone and went to look for
the Doctor.

"Hatori. Get up now."

Hatori put down his book, and he raised an eyebrow in question.
Shigure almost never called him by his real name. As he examined his
cousin the novelist, he noticed that the man seemed to be very
anxious.

"What's going on?"

"Just grab your first aid bags, and your keys. We've got to get back
to the other house immediately. Akito's there, and apparently
punched Momiji in the face, and has somehow gotten his hands on
Tohru-kun as well."

Without a reply, Hatori long frame immediately rose out of the
chair, grabbed his waiting bag, a coat, and his keys, before walking
out the front door.

Shigure grabbed an umbrella, and followed his silent cousin out.

"When did Akito get over there? I thought he was getting ready to go
back to the Honke tonight. Did he go himself, or with Kureno?"

Settling into the car, Hatori had somehow managed to light a
cigarette along the way. As they backed out, it dangled from his
lips as he answered his cousin with another question, "Does it
matter?"

During the flash of lightening, Yuki had noticed with some relief,
that Momiji had managed to somehow catch Tohru, breaking her fall
backwards without being transformed himself.

All their attention was immediately captured by the inhuman scream
that followed the drum of thunder. They watched with horrified
interest, as Kyou began his transformation. Once again Yuki wondered
if this particular transformation hurt. It was only the third or
fourth time he had seen Kyou change to his other form. Seeing him
change, with his arms clasped tightly around his middle, still
screaming into the night, Yuki could only try to imagine what the
Cat was going through. All their regular transformations occurred in
a puff of smoke, and other than the short moment of disorientation,
didn't hurt at all.

Just as sudden as it started, the screaming stopped. There in front
of him, crouched Kyou's other secret hideous form. Still like a
cat's, his eyes seemed to glow in the dark, but now they were much
larger, and flashed yellow instead of red. Kyou blinked, as if to
adjust to a new view and then the stench hit Yuki. He knew the odor
had reached the others as well, as he watched Aktio lose all
interest in Tohru. Instead, in a rapid succession of movements,
Akito had whipped his arm to his nose in an attempt to block the
smell, and had even taken a few quick steps backwards. That however,
did not stop him from taunting Kyou.

"You're just a little stupid monster, aren't you? Didn't I tell you
to never change into that form in front of me ever again?!"

Kyou actually crept closer to Akito before answering. "I'm sorry,
but the bracelet flew off when I was kicked out here. It'll be a
while before I'll change back, especially if I can't find the
bracelet. There's nothing I can do about it, it's part of the curse."

Yuki couldn't tell for sure, but having inched closer to Tohru and
Momiji, and thereby getting a better view of Kyou's face, it seemed
to him, that his cousin might actually have been grinning up saucily
at Akito. The reptilian, demon form however, made that hard to
ascertain. He had the feeling though, that Kyou for once, was
actually enjoying his terrifying form.

"Curse heh? I don't care! Either change back now, or get out of my
sight immediately! That's a disgusting filthy form! Don't come any
closer!" shouted Akito, still holding his sleeve desperately to his
nose.

"I'm sorry, but I can't help it. As others have mentioned before,
the odor travels far and lingers long. It's raining now, perhaps it
would be better for you to go home now. You don't want to catch a
cold."

Yuki was almost sure now, that Kyou was grinning now, enjoying the
opportunity to taunt Akito.

"Feh!" was all Akito could say in reply. Everyone else just watched
as Akito and Kyou continued to hold each other's gaze.

They were soon interrupted with other familiar voices.

"Akito-san?! Are you there?" Followed by a round of quick coughs,
Shigure and Hatori soon made their presence known as they came
around the corner of the house.

"Ah, so Kyou transformed. I should have known," remarked Shigure, as
he walked towards Akito with his umbrella opened.

"Akito-san, you shouldn't be standing out in the rain. Here, why
don't I walk you back to the car. I think Kureno's waiting to drive
you back to the Honke. We should get you out of those wet clothes
too, ne?"

Suddenly exhausted looking, and totally repulsed by the stench of
Kyou's current form, Akito nodded, and let Shigure lead him away.
Before he was out of sight though, he called out, "Honda Tohru, do
not forget what I tried to explain to you. Do not waste your time.
You can do nothing."

Tohru said nothing, only shivered slightly as the rain continued to
pour down.

Meanwhile, Hatori had strode across the lawn and took a quick look
at the blond haired boy sitting stunned. He stood up, and motion
towards the shadows of the house, "Haru, come and help Momiji back
into the house. Get him some ice. I'll be back once I take care of
Akito." Without waiting for a reply, the doctor of the family
followed in the footsteps of Shigure and the sickly Head of the clan.

With Haru's help, Momiji managed to struggle up and headed back into
the house. Just before they reached the raised porch however, he
called out in a weak voice, "Thanks Tohru, and thank you Kyou. I
wish… I wish I could have…" Neither of the two he addressed seemed
to take notice, or even to hear. And Haru quickly urged his shorter
cousin inside the building.

For a moment, the two remaining boys watched as their friend sat in
the rain, unmoving, unseeing. Rain and tears alike falling heavily
down her cheeks. Finally Yuki walked over to her and crouched
down, "Honda-san, I think it would be best if we all went in now.
Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He gingerly touched her cheek, and then
placed a comforting hand on the top of her head.

For another minute, Tohru still did not respond. Then she looked up
sadly, "Yuki. He's gone for now? Akito-san, I mean."

Yuki nodded.

Tohru continued softly, "I don't like to say this, but what Akito-
san did and say tonight, were very wrong. I may not understand
everything, but I know he was wrong! And… and… he was very, very
mean. Mother always said…" At this, she started to softly cry again.

As if suddenly realizing, she suddenly grasped Yuki's arm, "Momiji-
kun! Is he alright? Akito-san hit him very hard, I tried to stop
him, but I was too late. Is he alright?!"

Once again, Yuki nodded. "He'll be fine, just a bad bruise I
suspect. We're all use to it anyway. Hatori took a quick look, and
should be back later on to double check. Don't worry. You did more
than enough. Come on, let's go in now."

Tohru's tears welled up again as she heard Yuki say that they were
used to getting hurt. Then she remembered her other saviour that
night, "And Kyou-kun? Where is he? Is he alright?"

In response to that, from a ways off, Kyou called out, "I'm fine,
just go in for now. I'm just going to wait here a while first."

Yuki looked over, and noticed that his cousin had moved far away, as
if trying to hide himself or his stench from the others. He wasn't
sure, but Kyou looked exhausted too. It seemed as if he were trying
not to shiver.

Tohru locked eyes with Kyou, "But Kyou! It's raining! You'll catch a
cold. Let's all go in together. Please."

"I said that I'm fine! Yuki, throw my bracelet over here, will ya?
You still have it right?"

Yuki stared at his cousin's eyes that still seem to glow in the
dark. Beside him, Tohru was still weakly pleading for Kyou to come
in with them. With a sigh, he reached into his pocket, and dropped
the bracelet into Tohru's hands.

"Baka neko. Come get it yourself. Or are you going to make Honda-san
bring them out to you?"

Yuki hid a grin as he heard Kyou swear beneath his breath. Just as
expected though, his normally orange-hair cousin and rival, made his
way towards them, and stopped on the other side of Tohru. His clawed
hand reached out towards the bracelet timidly.

In a quick move that surprised both boys, Tohru suddenly lunged
forward and hugged Kyou tightly, ignoring the stench and the
inevitable results of the curse. "Kyou-kun! Thank you so much for
what you did! Both of you, thank you!"

For a surprisingly long moment, it seemed as if nothing happened.
During another rash of lightning strikes, Yuki could have sworn that
while Kyou was still in his demonized form, he suddenly sprouted
wings for a moment. However, when he took a closer look, there was
Kyou, slumped in Tohru's lap, in his cat form.

"With a small smile to her dear friends, Tohru held Kyou close, and
suggested that it was time to go in. Yuki agreed, and helped her up.
As they walked towards the door, Yuki noticed that the stench from
Kyou's demon form and disappeared completely, and all that he could
smell now, was the scent of summer rain, Tohru's own sweet scent,
and wet cat fur. Catching her eyes, he shared a small smile with
her, as the sound of Kyou's soft cat snores began.

Unbeknownst to the two boys though, behind Tohru's smile, she was
desperately thinking over Akito's earlier words. Kyou imprisioned?
Yuki would have to stay in the Honke by Akito's side for the rest of
his life? Would she never see them after high school? After the
events of tonight, she wasn't ready to ask them about it yet, but
she was determined to clear things up as soon as possible. If it
were true, she would have to prepare her heart for a loss almost as
great as losing her mother. Even so, she wasn't sure she would be
able to continue on if it came to be.

Layout © Nicki 2003 - Artwork © Original Artists - Contents © Mona