Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Broken ❯ Curses ( Chapter 3 )

This story is very dark, angsty and full of a lot of mature themes. IF you are too young to see a "R" rated movie, you are too young to read this. IF you choose to read it, regardless of the rating, remember you have been warned. Don't go running to Mom and Dad saying I've ruined your illusion of a happy, shiny world. : )

Disclaimer:

Kyou: "Tell them, damn it!"

KN: "I don't want to!"

Kyou: "Tell them, now!!

KN: *gives Kyou sad little kitty cat eyes, but sees he's not going to budge*
"Fine, I don't own Fruits Basket or Kyou or any other character
therein. Happy now, delusion wrecker?"

Kyou: *smirk*

Broken ~ Chapter 3 ~ Curses

Nocturne'm's Koneko

Ok, lets do a little background here because I want people to understand why certain characters are able to be around and why others are not. The first chapter of this story took place on the day of the last day of the Fall semester. So, I think it'd be somewhere around the end of December or first of January.. (Remember that the Japanese go to school in Trimesters of about 3.5 months each with a month long summer break.) If I'm wrong, please don't sue me, just think of it as creative license. Final exams for the Trimester were taken a couple of days before and essentially they were just turning in final assignments and enjoying a couple of "free days". Think of the characters as now being on winter break, for a couple of weeks. Uo and Hana are not going to be in this story because they are doing a student exchange to America for the next trimester, and have already left. Ok, it's lame but I don't want to have to deal with Uo's motherliness and Hana's waves. The younger Sohma's are also available for the first couple of weeks because of school being out... they'll stop being a prominent presence school starts back again. Also this takes place after the Anime ends. Ok, on with the story... if you've got questions please ask 'em, I won't be offended, and I'll try to explain my poor thought processes to you. Oh and by the by, according to the translator I used "Shima"="Stripes" That's the stuffed tigers name.

Hatori had closed the door to Tohru's room, leaving Kyou sitting in the dark, feeling helpless and alone. He stared at Tohru's face trying to figure out exactly what had happened to her between the time that she had cheerfully left him at school and the time that he found her. He replayed the events in his mind. Had she seemed nervous as she had spoken to him? Had her eyes been closed to him then? Thinking back, she hadn't seemed quite herself, but he had simply thought that she was tired from the exams and work and trying to keep house here. Had there been more too it? If so, what?

Once Kisa had assured herself that Shigure was out of the room for the remainder of the night, she slowly moved from Momiji's side again. She looked around the room and spotted what she was looking for lying in the corner next to her jacket. She moved quietly to the corner and collected her stuffed tiger. "Shima," she whispered softly into the stuffed animals tufted ear, "I know that you never like to leave me, but there is someone that needs you more than I do right now. You let me cry into your fur and tell you all of my problems, please let her, too." Kisa took silence for assent and carefully worked her way around the bodies on the floor and moved up the stairs silently.

Kyou had finally ceased trying to find signs in Tohru's behavior that day, because all he ended up doing was getting angry. His temper seemed to rise and fall in time with the wind up alarm clock on her bedside. He moved a hand to brush aside her bangs and graze the outline of her face. "Oh, Tohru," he whispered. "You've got to wake up. I don't think I could take it if you didn't." He heard the door slide behind him.

Kisa stood in the doorway, just barely peeping her head through, trying to summon enough strength to enter. She'd heard all the details of Tohru's injuries and what had most likely happened to her as she'd listened to Shigure and Hatori talking outside. She, herself, had been at the wrong end of Akito's temper, though she'd never really understood why he'd selected her for his abuse, so she felt a great deal of pity for her "sister." Shima would help Tohru as he had helped her. Shima was a good listener, and he never minded having his fur soaked with tears. She had almost gotten herself together when Kyou turned around, the look on his face full of anger.

Kyou swung his head around, ready to beat anyone that was coming to disturb Tohru into a bloody pulp. Then, the anger faded rapidly as he recognized who was at the door. He'd always had a soft spot for Kisa. After all, cats, whatever their form, had to stick together. She'd been through a lot over the past year and was still skittish, the anger slid from his features to be replaced by a questioning look. She took that as a good sign apparently, because she squeezed herself through the narrow space she'd made between the door and the wall and closed the door behind her. He placed a finger on his lips as he turned the rest of his body, without removing his hand from Tohru's, to see the child. She nodded. Raising his free hand he beckoned Kisa to him. She walked to him, her head lowered, squeezing her battered stuffed tiger. "Kisa," he said in a low voice, placing his free hand beneath her chin when she reached him so that he could lift her head to see his face. "What do you want?" he was trying to be gentle and not frighten her, but it was hard. "I... I wanted to bring her Shima. He'll take care of her and protect her, like he does me. Tohru will be sad when she wakes up, I heard 'Tori say so. Shima is a good listener and he doesn't mind if you cry on him." Kyou gave the girl a small smile, it was so hard to be mad at her. "I think that's a good idea. Climb up here and put Shima on the other side of Tohru under her hand so she can pet him when she wakes up." Kyou released Tohru's hand. Kisa just stared at him, as she felt him pick her up and gently place her on his lap. She leaned over Tohru's body and laid the tiger beneath her hand. "Thank you, Kyou" "No, thank you, Kisa, for worrying more about Tohru than yourself. Did you want to say hello to her while you were here? You have to speak softly so you don't frighten her, but if you want to say something go ahead. I'll trust you to watch her while I go to the bathroom." He stood up, and walked to the door, opening it carefully and closing it behind him.

Kisa watched him leave, amazed that he'd left her here alone, if only for the couple minutes that it would take him to return. She took the hand that Kyou had been holding into her own. "Neechan, I'm sorry that you're hurt. I hope that you get better soon. Shima will watch over you, Kyou too. I miss your smile already, and the way that you hug me and call me kawaii. I love you, neechan. I love you." She heard the door slide open behind her as Kyou re-entered the room. "I think you should go back to sleep, Kisa. Tomorrow is going to be a long day." Kisa nodded as he ruffled her hair and she slid off the bed. She crossed the moonlit room and exited as quietly as she had come.

Kyou resumed his place, not realizing how tired he really was. It was not long before he too was drifting off, his hand closed around hers, curled at the end of Tohru's bed.

He woke suddenly to a small whimper of pain. Looking up, he saw her eyes flutter open and then closed. The hand on the tiger, moved slightly. "Kyou, why are you transformed?" her voice came to him in a hoarse, almost incoherent whisper, almost as if she were talking in her sleep. "I'm not, that's Kisa's stuffed tiger." He kept his voice at a whisper to keep from frightening her. He wondered at the calm in her voice, then suddenly what he had been expecting happened. Her eyes shot open as she realized where she was. She struggled to sit up. "Kami-sama, what am I doing here?!" She managed to get into a sitting position, even though her body protested loudly. "I can't be here." She was getting hysterical, racking sobs tore through her body. It was a good thing that she couldn't evoke anything above a whisper or she'd have been bringing down the house. "Got to go... go now. So dirty... unclean... unworthy... all my fault" She started repeating those words over and over. A pair of strong hands caught her shoulders and a pair of angry, worried crimson eyes looked down into hers. She involuntarily cringed back from him, her eyes suddenly filling with fear. He released the hold as if he'd been burnt, as she cringed from him, recoiling from the fear he saw as she looked up at him, then hesitantly reached out to gently push her shoulders back onto the bed. "What the hell do you think your doing? You're gonna pull the IV out." His voice was tinged with anger that he was trying very hard to control. "You belong here, where we can take care of you. You did nothing wrong. The bastard who did this to you is at fault, not you." He spat out that last, still holding her eyes. She bowed her head. "Oh Tohru, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. Just lay back down, ok? He brushed a finger across her bangs. He sighed and took in a shuddering breath. "'Tori left some pills for you to take. He reached to the nightstand for the glass of water 'Tori had left there and pulled the pill packets out of a pocket. He poured them into her hand. "Take them." he said firmly as she sat there looking at him, yet seeming to look right through him at the same time. She lifted the pills to her mouth and then took the glass from his hand, and took a deep drink of water. He smiled a crooked smile at her. "Good girl. Did you need anything else?" She shook her head bowing it to look steadfastly at the covers. Then in a shaky tone heavy with unshed tears, "Kyou-kun, how did I get here?" "I found you in the graveyard and carried you here." "Why?" "Because you were hurt and you needed to be at home where you could be taken care of." His voice was soft, his concern coloring his words. "You should have left me there." "No... no, I could never leave you, Tohru." She looked up at him, the tears that had been threatening to return, finally releasing. He moved up to the head of the bed carefully. She scooted her body down as far the IV would allow and cried herself to sleep as he comforted her, stroking her hair and rubbing her shoulders.

Kyou woke to the sound of someone gently clearing their throat. He opened his eyes to see Hatori standing in the doorway and the sunlight streaming through Tohru's bedroom window. Tohru was still sleeping with her head on his legs, his hand was still wound gently into her hair. Shima had found his way into Tohru's embrace. "I take it she woke up." Hatori said making it a statement rather than a question. Kyou just nodded, trying to shake the sleep off of himself. "Did you give her the medicine?" Hatori asked as he crossed the room to the bed. "Yeah, she woke up pretty hysterical though." "That's to be expected, it seems you did a good job of calming her though." "Maybe." was the only response Hatori received. "I need to have some time alone with her now, Kyou. I'll call you when you can come back up." "Ok. I'll go get some breakfast together or something before Yuki decides to cook and you've got all of us to take care of." Hatori smiled at the comment as Kyou left the room. When he got downstairs he could hear a full blown, yet quiet, argument going on out in the yard.

*Flashback*

Kisa stirred as the sun rose enough to be in her eyes through the rice paper of the doorway. The room was cold. She burrowed into Momiji's chest and down further into the covers for added warmth. She had to tell them all what she had heard Hatori telling Shigure last night. They were all older than she was, so maybe they'd be able to help her understand everything that she had heard. She heard Shigure before she saw him enter the room, humming some silly tune to himself as he made his way to the dining room. "Rise and shine, one and all." The group groaned as one unit, opening their eyes slowly and glaring at the too cheerful Shigure. The phone rang. Shigure turned to answer it. "Hello, oh Hatori, on your way back, ok. See you then." He turned back to the kids on the floor. "Up and at 'em boys and girls, let's get the blankets off the floor and the table moved back into place and the brazier relit so we can warm up." "Any word on Miss Honda yet, Shigure?" Yuki ventured to ask, as he and Kagura picked up a blanket and folded it. Haru had the pillows they had used and was stuffing them into a closet. "No, but I think if there'd been any problems, Kyou would have let us know. Hatori said to let her rest until he returned and decided if she was fit for visitors." Silence descended over the group at this news and the rest of the clean up went fairly quickly. Once the table was pulled back into place and the brazier was relit they settled around it beneath the blankets, heads leaning on their hands, all lost in their own thoughts. Kagura broke the silence. "I think I'll start some tea." She rose and went into the kitchen. She returned a few minutes later with the tea and some cups. Setting the tray down, she resumed her kneeling position and poured the tea for everyone at the table, handing each their cup and receiving a mumbled "arigato" for her efforts. The silence continued Finally, it was Shigure that broke the silence. "As much as I hate to, I am going to have to go now." He rose from his seat. "I have some appointments this morning that I can't put off." He went to his room and retuned in short time wearing a suit and tie, overcoat tossed casually over his arm. "I'll call from time to time to check on things." The kids all nodded. He slid the overcoat over this suit and exited the house. Once they were sure he was gone, they all seemed to heave a sigh of relief, though why they didn't really know. Maybe it was just that the proximity of the "adult" during this situation made it feel as if they too had to behave as if they were adults. Maybe it was that Shigure himself had seemed at a loss and if the adults were feeling so powerless, where did that leave them?

Kisa looked around the table, shyly, warming her hands as she wrapped them around the cup and blew into its contents before she took a sip. "I have something to tell all of you, but I don't think I should do it in here. Can we go outside, please?" The group around her looked a bit perplexed. Kisa never put herself forward, and it was cold outside. It was Haru that spoke first. "Sure, Kisa, we can do that." The group rose as one, gathered their coats and made their way outside. Kisa led them to a spot on the far side of the house, just beyond the clothes line. Once she felt they were far enough away from the house, she settled herself on the ground. Hopefully Hatori would assume they'd all just gone for a walk to settle their nerves. "First, I need you all to promise not to yell and I need you all to listen to me." The looks they gave her were questioning, but they did as they were asked, settling down beside her. Momiji took her hand, and smiled at her encouragingly. "Ok, Kisa, tell us what you wanted to tell us." Kisa launched, speaking quietly and hesitatingly, into the story of what she'd overheard the night before. They didn't even notice Hatori arriving.

Hatori got to the house not long after he called Shigure. He let himself in, looking around the main room of the house and those rooms that were to the sides of it. Nobody around. Probably, they'd just gone to burn off some nervous energy. He walked up the stairs and went to Tohru's room, sliding the door open gently. He smiled sadly at the picture on the bed. Kyou had his back up against the headboard of the bed, his chin resting on his chest. One of his hands was wrapped in Tohru's hair, the other was across his own stomach. Tohru had moved down as far as the IV he'd put in would allow, her head resting on his lap. Her eyes were puffy from crying and she held Kisa's stuffed tiger as if it were a lifeline. He wondered a moment what he would have found if she'd been able to hold Kyou like that without the risk of transforming. He stood watching them a few moments more, and then cleared his throat. Kyou's eyes popped open. He waited a couple of seconds for the cat to get his bearings. "I take it she woke up." It wasn't a question, more an observation. Kyou just nodded his head as though he were trying to wake up. "Did you give her the medicine?" Hatori asked as he crossed the room to the bed. "Yeah, she woke up pretty hysterical though." "That's to be expected, it seems you did a good job of calming her though." "Maybe." was the only response Hatori received, and Hatori wondered exactly what he meant by it. "I need to have some time alone with her now, Kyou. I'll call you when you can come back up." "Ok. I'll go get some breakfast together or something before Yuki decides to cook and you've got all of us to take care of." Hatori smiled at the comment as Kyou left the room. Hatori settled his bag onto Tohru's desk and sat the cooler he was carrying down next too it. He gently moved Tohru to a better position. He opened the cooler and pulled a pint of blood from the container and hung it on the same nail as her saline line was on. He ran the line to the IV he already had and connected it in.

Kisa's story held all of the younger Juunishi enrapt, in the same way that a person can become enrapt as another pulls the wings off of flies. The horror of her words impacted them, but they remained still. Momiji's eyes were wide, Kagura had tears streaming down her cheeks. Yuki looked oddly cold, like a statue as he listened to her words. Haru looked stunned. That all changed when she came to the part of the story about the rape. Kisa hadn't really understood that part, so she had just repeated it as closely as she could to what Hatori had said. She looked up from where she'd been staring at the ground as she spoke. Yuki was as white as a sheet, Momiji had transformed. Kagura had buried herself into Yuki's chest and Haru...Haru had gone Black. Kisa cringed back from him. As he stood up and started stalking toward the tree line. It was Yuki who responded. He moved Kagura off of him and jumped into Haru's path. "Where do you think your going?" "Don't get in my way, Rat!" He swung at Yuki and the Rat easily stepped to the side. "You are not going anywhere, especially like that." " I am going to kill him!" Yuki telegraphed the round house kick just in time, catching his foot and throwing it aside. Haru hit the ground hard. He sprang to his feet, as if he didn't even feel the effect, he growled, "Get out of my way, Rat, I don't want to hurt you." Yuki just at him measuringly, his stance altering as he brought up his arms to a defensive position. "No." "Fine, we'll do this the hard way." He lunged at Yuki.

*End Flashback*

Kyou opened the door to see Haru flying at Yuki. He rushed down the steps, the temper that had been brewing since last night finally finding a place to release itself. Just as Haru was about to connect with the rush, Kyou grabbed both arms and pulled the younger boy back from his attack, forcing him to his knees "What in the hell do you think your doing?" he hissed into Haru's ear. "I'm going to kill him." replied as he tried to shake Kyou off of him. "Who are you going to kill?" Haru just looked at him his eyes blazing "The man who did this to Tohru, of course." That did it Haru's flippant 'of course' was all it took. Kyou's temper went up in flames, "What in the hell are you talking about?! Who did this to Tohru?!" He leaned down with his full strength onto Haru, applying pressure to the younger boys shoulder joints with his weight. "Akito." Haru ground out. Kyou saw red then black then red again. He released one of Haru's arms, and landed a blow to the back of Haru's head. The younger Sohma slumped and his eyes slid closed. Kyou let his body sink to the ground. "I don't think so, if anybody kills the bastard it's gonna be me." He straightened and started making his way out of the yard. Suddenly, Yuki stood in front of him. "I don't think so." "What the hell are you doing, Yuki? After all that monster as put you through, why are you protecting him?" Kyou swung at Yuki wildly. In one smooth, fluid motion Yuki caught his arm and whirled Kyou around, pulling Kyou's arm up behind his back. Yuki forced the cat to the ground. "I am not protecting him. I am protecting her, baka neko. There is more going on here than any of us know. You know that Akito never does anything without having twenty different contingencies for everything he does. What I do know is that she has priority right now. Do you want to be here for her or do you want Akito to have a reason to lock you up in that cage at the Main House?" Yuki was thinking fast. He looked over at the other three Juunishi who were staring at them waiting to see what happened. Kisa was holding Momiji in his rabbit form and Kagura had her arms locked around Kisa. "Remember the 47*, Kyou. We'll bide our time. We'll see that she gets better, and then once Akito thinks that it's all just a memory, we'll strike. Do this for her." Kyou looked over his shoulder at the rat. Yuki could tell that his mind was working behind those eyes. Finally, he just relaxed in Yuki's grip. Yuki tentatively relaxed his grip, only to watch the cat slide the rest of the way to the ground, his head resting on the ground as tears poured down his cheeks. Yuki straightened, and looked toward the road. Hatori's car was parked on the side in his usual "parking space." He hadn't noticed that Hatori had arrived. He looked toward the house. Hatori, fortunately, had not noticed the battles in the yard, or at least he had not come down to check on what was happening. Of course, despite all the emotion and the tempers their voices had never gotten to the yelling stage. Kyou's head slowly raised from the ground as he looked from Yuki to the group huddled across the yard from them. "I think, maybe you'd better tell me everything." He slung one of Haru's arms over his should and waited for Yuki to follow suit, between them they managed to move the boy back to the place where the others were still standing. "Kisa," Yuki spoke softly, "could you tell Kyou what you told us?" She nodded and began the story again.

Hatori was finishing casting Tohru's arm when she woke. He'd done her gynecological exam while she slept, fearing that, in her fear, she wouldn't let him near her. The wounds she'd taken from the rape, were minor as opposed to the rest of her, he'd treated them as best he could and begun working on her arm. Her eyes popped open and he looked up as he heard the change in her breathing rate. Her eyes met his in something akin to fear. She lowered her head and began to ramble. "I didn't tell anyone, please, don't take my memory. I tried to go away, just like he said. He said that if I went away, I could keep my memory. It's not my fault... please, please..." Hatori raised his hands to cup her face gently forcing to look at him. "I'm not here to erase your memory Tohru," his voice held pain and resignation. "I'm here to take care of you." He held her eyes until he could see that she believed him and then looked away. "I need to check some of your other wounds. May I lift your shirt so I can check the stitches on your stomach?" She nodded. He raised her shirt to the point just under her breast and began to examine his work. They seemed fine, but there was something funny about the pattern of the cuts. The less serious cuts seemed to be in a pattern. He leaned back a bit, to see if distance might make the pattern clearer. The patterns were Kanji, the stitched cuts being the strongest lines of the kanji. They read "Cursed of Sohma." His face whitened. He looked at the girl, her eyes widening as he did so. His voice was quiet as he spoke. "Tohru, can you tell me what happened at the main house? If I'm going to be able to help you, I need to know." "You know?" she whispered faintly. "They called me when they found Akito collapsed." She cringed back at the sound of her tormentors name, confirming all of his suspicions. "I don't need to know all of it, for right now, can you just tell me about this?" He brushed a couple of fingers across her abdomen.

Tohru drew in a shuddering breath, her eyes closed. She looked up into his eyes, tears streaming from her own. "He.. he said that he wished to grant me what I wanted." The words came out stutteringly, in between gasps for breath and tears. "He said... that he would make... me Sohma...and allow me to share... in all that was Sohma. That, I too... would know the pain of a curse... cemented in blood and...", she drew a ragged breath "sex." That final word was said so softly that Hatori had to lean forward to hear it. "He said that I..." her voice broke " would be unable to bear children... unless they were by a Juunishi...and that those children... would be... if there were a spot open for them...would be...Juunishi themselves." Hatori looked at her, the horror and shock, evident in his face. He dropped heavily to the bed, bringing his arms around her head, and leaning her head into his shoulder. He could feel his clothing dampen, the smell of salt in his nostrils as she wept. He opened all of his senses, the ones that made him able to erase the minds of those that Akito ordered. To his inner eyes, the curse hung around her, strong and vibrant in colors of crimson entwining and pulsing in time with her own bright aura.

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* If you would like to read the Tale of the 47 Ronin, here is the link: victorian.fortunecity.com/duchamp/410/47ronin

I'd like to thank all of my reviewers!!! You give me the will to keep this going! Please continue to let me know what you think!