Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Even a Caged Bird Needs to Fly ❯ Even a Caged Bird Needs to Fly III ( Chapter 3 )

Sometimes it seems that there are people who just don't play fair. Puppy dog eyes indeed ;P

This is the last installment of "Caged." I hope that it's met your expectations. I would like to once again thank the person that makes my stories that much better, Sahira, for her hard work beta-ing for me.

I do not own Fruits Basket...

Even a Caged Bird Needs to Fly - Part 3

It's been a long day. Sometimes I wonder how I do this, how I deal with all these twists and turns that life has dealt me. I know that I have to keep going. Someday, soon I hope, but someday, it's all going to work out. This little girl in my arms makes everything I've been through worth it.

My poor little girl, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to explain to you why it is you do the things you do. I have few memories beyond waking up in a hospital being told I'd been attacked. How am I going to explain to you why you change into this creature laying in my arms every time it rains? How am I going to explain why you turn into an adorable kitten when you are hugged by someone of the opposite sex? So many questions, all unanswered.

I know I know the answers. They are buried in this head of mine. The doctors say not to push, the memories will return when I'm ready. I've been ready since the first time I found you being carried around in that kitten form by a little boy I was babysitting. When I saw you in that form, and somehow I knew it was you, I nearly broke down in tears. I have no idea why. I took you from the child and put him down for his nap. You had, thankfully, changed back to your adorable self by the time he woke up. I never baby sat a boy again.

Now, most mothers would freak if their child turned into a cat. I didn't. I knew somehow that it was ok. But, it hurt to see you in that form in an unfathomable way. I have to remember. I have to be able to tell you why you are what you are. What caused it, why you are so different from the rest of the world; I have to be able to tell you.

I want to remember for me too. The doctors say that whatever happened to take my memory is the reason I have you today. I don't believe that. I love you too much. I love whoever your daddy is too much for you to not be wanted. There's a part of myself that has never been complete since I woke up. There is part of myself that is yearning for someone that should be here by my side raising you. That person knows. I know he does.

What you're going through…. How it feels.

It's lucky that I've been so able to care for you. I have a stipend that comes in from a bank once a month that pays our bills, but nobody there knows why or where the money comes from. I've been able to get most of the classes I need to take over the Internet, so that I won't have to find a sitter that can care for you every day. [Author ID1: at Fri Oct 29 19:40:00 2004 ]

I can see things getting harder though. This is going to be about the last semester that I'll be able to do this. We've been so lucky so far. Sandy across the hall is single and has no kids. She takes care of you when I have class, since our schedules don't clash.

Let's just hope, my precious Kari, that we are able to keep this up. I don't know what the future holds, but I hope it gets better.

Laying you down in your cradle,[Author ID1: at Fri Oct 29 19:40:00 2004 ] I smooth your reddish orange hair. You are my life little girl. You open your reddish silver eyes for just a moment and go back to dreamland. Somehow I know we'll get through.

~*~*~*~*~

"Akito, I really do think that sending Haru to college over seas would be a good thing for him. He needs to be able get away from the compound for a while. We've had him confined here due to his condition far too long. The physical therapist has done all that he can do for him. He's never going to be able to move normally; no matter what other treatments he takes. `A pelvis that's being held together with plates and pins and a leg that has more metal than bone, might be the cause of that, you sadist.'

Akito looks at me like I've just suggested we all get married. Wonderful. He's been angry with me since I had failed to find his Cat. "After what he did to me you feel he deserves to be excused?" `Why does it always come back to him?'

"I wouldn't considerate letting him off. It's school, Akito; you know he wouldn't do as well in a Japanese University even if we could even get him into one. While he did manage to graduate, he didn't exactly excel. His mind wasn't on school; it was on healing. I simply feel that he would do well at an American school, where he can get the attention he needs. If he screws up and doesn't pass we can pull him home. I thought you might like him to be a productive member of the family."

"Besides, every time you see him you get angry, wouldn't it be best to put him out of sight where you wouldn't have to think of him? You may have been hurt, but you've recovered. I think you should have had more than enough enjoyment in watching him pay for his crimes against you. He lives in pain everyday, and will always live in pain. He had to drop everything he enjoyed because he can't move well anymore. If this is simply about paying for what he did to you, I'd say he'll be doing that for the rest of his life." `Kami Sama, I am so very tired of this game.'

Akito looks at me, considering my words. "Very well, send him to America. But he's going to learn, not to party. I want monthly progress reports. If his grades slip, he comes home immediately. I'm sure he'll be grateful for the opportunity we are giving him. Once he's up to par, he can finish his education here. At least we will be able to use him, instead of letting him live off of us for nothing."

I simply nod and turn to go. That had been almost too easy. I'll have to keep an eye on him in the future.

~*~*~*~*~

I opened the door when I heard the knock and was shocked to see who stood on the other side of it. I will admit that I was fairly rude to him. I really can't help it. Hatori IS the reason she's gone. He's been talking for an hour and I'm just sitting here glaring not paying an ounce of attention to him. I'd have already been gone looking for her if he'd have let me go in August.

"…and that's why we've decided to send you to the US to study." What did he just say?

"Huh?"

"Haru, have you heard a single word I've said?"

I'm feeling really stupid as I shake my head. He just looks at me and sighs.

"Haru, I know that you blame a lot of things on me. I can't say as I blame you, really. But do you have to go Black every time I walk into a room? It makes you impossible to deal with."

I just shrug. "You were saying?"

"We are sending you to the US to study, at least for the first couple of years. You'll be able to move at a slower pace there and will be able to take whatever remediation classes you might need to get up to speed to get into University here."

This I hadn't expected. Akito's been bent on keeping me under his thumb since…well, since that day. I can't help but be suspicious at his sudden generosity. "Why would he send me to the US when we have cram schools here? What's his angle?"

"Does there have to be an angle? Maybe he's just sick of putting up with an ox that's constantly in a bad mood reminding him that he is mortal? I don't know. What I do know is that you leave on the 6:00 flight tomorrow night. We're going to have your car shipped over as soon as possible."

My eyes must have gone wide at that. Shipping a vehicle would cost more than a new one would.

"One of the cousins has a shipping business. He'll do it as a favor to Akito."

I just nod my head. This is all going too fast.

"Your itinerary and school information is in the manila folder. A friend of mine will be picking you up at the Airport. I would recommend that you work hard at this Haru. Mess up even once, and Akito will pull you back here before you can blink."

He's walking to the door. "Any questions? No? Good. I'll see you next summer then." And he was gone.

I walk over to where the folder lay on my desk. I pick it up and sit down opening it and slowly pulling out the contents. Passport, class information, address of the place I'll be living. I take a closer look. It's not a campus address. A list of things I'll need to do when I get settled. Bank account information and some travelers checks as well. It was really happening.

It's now 2:13 am. I'm laying here trying to sleep. I can't help but worry that this is some kind of set up. And it's going to be a major snag in finding Tohru. But I've searched high and low in Japan. I've spent every dime I've gotten that didn't pay for food on private investigators. She's not here, or if she is, they've stuck her down a really deep hole someplace. My heart freezes as the one thought that has always scared me takes me again. Akito may have killed her. She could be out there in the family cemetery, unmarked.

No, not even Akito would go that far. There had actually been an investigation into Tohru's disappearance once she was reported missing. I'm not sure who did it. I know that they never talked to me, but they did come to the compound and talk to Hatori once, and they talked to Shigure as well. I don't think either of them would have let Akito get away with murder… would they?

~*~*~*~*~

Ah, finally, classes are over for the day. I think I'm finally starting to settle into the routine of this place. I've been attending the University of California at San Francisco for two months now. I haven't got lost once thanks to this hand held GPS that Momiji got me as a gift before I left. Once he heard I was leaving, he went straight to the store and purchased this gadget, and then went online and somehow found all the coordinates for the buildings I'd need to find for classes. He gave it to me at the airport before I left, with a knowing smile. I just follow the little blinking light and all is good. It's time to go home for dinner and then come back later tonight to do some research in the library. My freedom depends on my grades. Currently, there shouldn't be a ripple of complaint. I'm passing the remedial classes that Hatori signed me up for with ease.

I don't live far from campus, but it's just far enough to not want to walk. I understand why Hatori wanted me to have a car. Home, itself, is much more than I expected. But, from what I can gather Hatori gave this friend of his a price per month he wanted to spend and told the guy to get the best place he could for it. The price would have been lucky to pay for a studio apartment in Tokyo. Here, I've got a two bedroom apartment with a nice fireplace, two bathrooms, and my own laundry facilities. More room than I could ever possibly need. I toss my jacket onto the back of the sofa and make my way into the kitchen. I look into the cabinets to see what food is available… ramen… more ramen…some chicken flavored rice…more ramen. Kami Sama, I need to go to the grocery.

I put some water on to boil, picking out the shrimp flavored ramen and settle down on a barstool. I pull out some of my notes from class and start trying to put them into some kind of coherent order. I look up when I hear the water splashing onto the heating element, time to add the noodles. Three minutes later I'm slurping noodles happily as I continue working on my notes. I put the notes away, and make a quick grocery list so I can go shopping after the library. Grabbing keys and book bag and cane, I head back out the door and to the car. I grimace as I look at the handicapped sticker that hangs from the mirror like I always do. It's one of the constant little reminders that I'm still on the Sohma family leash.

I pull into a parking space and bring my car to a halt. I pull the bag over my shoulder even as I swing the door open and then carefully plant my feet outside the door. Putting my weight mostly on the cane I carry, I push myself up and start moving to the library. I'm walking in this careful steady pace that I've developed, eyes steadfastly watching the ground in front of me. It doesn't take much to make me trip anymore. Me, who used to be able to do a continuous series of spinning back kicks, lowered to watching the ground for changes in the height of concrete slabs.

I open the door to the library, noticing just in time that someone is walking out of it. My arms come up instinctively as the girl who is walking out comes into contact with my body. She bounces backwards landing unceremoniously on her butt, the books she was carrying scattering around her. She hasn't looked up at all, but there is something so familiar about her. I wish she would move so that the waterfall of hair in front of her face would be cleared away. "Excuse me." She says in heavily accent English, as she seems to come out of whatever shock she's in. She gathers the books quickly then stands shakily still not looking up and starts to move around me.

I know that voice. I haven't heard it in well over a year and a half but I know that voice. I reach out, grabbing her arm with one hand. I drop my cane to the floor with a loud clatter. I pull her back to me and with the hand now freed from the cane put my fingers around her chin and tilt her face up toward me. "Tohru?" Her eyes meet mine a look of confusion in them.

"Do I know you?" She says in a whisper, still speaking English. Her brow furrows in concentration. "I do, don't I? I know you."

I can only nod. She doesn't remember me. Hatori wiped her memory of us. There are tears welling up in her eyes. I can feel them welling up in mine as well.

"I'm sorry. I don't remember…what is your name?"

I swallow hard, trying to hold back every instinct I've got to pull her to me and kiss those lips, to tell her all the hell I've been through without her. "I am Hatsuharu. Sohma Hatsuharu. But you…" I take a deep breath. "… You called me Haru." I reply in Japanese.

Her eyes have gone very wide. She switches to Japanese as well, "We were close, then, you and I?"

"Hai, very close."

Her eyes are scanning my face looking at me like she's trying desperately to remember, but there is something else. Deep within, I see recognition of me that her conscious mind won't permit her.

~*~*~*~*~

What are these emotions running through my body? Why do I want to fling myself at this man and hold him forever? Yet, I know I can't somehow, I know that hugging him would be the entirely wrong thing to do here and now.

Breathe, Tohru.

I step back a pace, but not so far as to force him to relinquish his grip on my face. He is not hurting me, and for some reason I want to feel his touch on my skin. I look at him more closely. I take in the eyes, the jaw line, and the structure of his face. He looks just like my Kari. Is this her father, or perhaps a relative of her father? Would he know why she changes? Could he help me find out?

My mind is spinning out of control. I feel dizzy suddenly.

His voice sounds distant.

"Tohru, Tohru are you ok?"

I try to nod, but blackness washes over me.

~*~*~*~*~

Suddenly, her eyes roll up into the back of her head and she starts to crumple, her books falling at our feet, again. I catch her, barely, in my arms before she touches my chest. I can feel my legs vibrating beneath our combined weight. I pull her carefully from the door way. I lean on the half wall that surrounds the stair landing to the library and situate her on one arm. I drag her carefully down the wheelchair ramp to my car, leaning heavily on the rail, thankful that she is still as light as she is, for once glad that that sticker allows me to park so close.

Once I've got her settled into the car, I look around. At least it's Friday night, nobody's around to have watched this escapade I go back to retrieve my cane, and her books trying to gain control of all the emotions battering my brain and body. She knows me, but doesn't at the same time. I can feel my black side rising, I am desperately trying to push him back.

It's not her fault she doesn't remember. It's not her fault that this meeting is ripping my heart out of my chest. It should be enough that somewhere inside she knows who I am. That is more than anyone I've ever known Hatori to have mind wiped could do.

I slide behind the wheel and close the door. While the tinted windows on this car may be darker than is legal, I'm happy for them. No one outside will be able to see inside. I pull her into a more comfortable position on her seat, leaning carefully across her to lay it back some. I brush my fingers across her face. She looks tired and careworn. Has she been here alone since she left us? How does she get by? Is there someone expecting her? She'd seemed in a hurry as she was leaving the library.

I brush my fingertips across her forehead, trying to sooth the places where the creases had been. Somehow something about this whole situation seemed wrong. Hatori had to know that she was here. And while it's a good sized place, he had to know that eventually I'd run into her. Or was that what he had wanted to happen? And, if so, why?

"Tohru? Tohru, come on wake up for me." I continue caressing her face as I talk to her.

Her eyes start to flutter and then open. She sits straight up from the reclining position.

"Tohru, it's ok, you're in my car." Her head swivels toward me. Her breathing slows, and she nods.

"Where do you live, I'll take you home?" I say to her as I start the car. Her eyes widen at that and she seems to almost lose it again.

I sigh inwardly. Hadn't it been hard enough to get past all this shyness the first time? "Tohru, I'm not going to hurt you. If I had wanted to do that, I would have already. I simply wish to make sure that you make it home without any trouble." And I want a chance to see you for a while longer.

I lean over to her, holding her eyes with mine. "I would like to spend time with you. You will never know how much I've missed you. Let me help you remember, Tohru, for you and for us."

She nods hesitantly. "I would like that, Haru. Truly, I would."

"So, where do you live?" She looks at me oddly and then says. "Why don't I tell you as we go, there's less chance we'll get lost that way?"

I laugh…she may not remember me…but something inside her does.

I pull into the parking lot of her on campus apartment, looking critically at the dinginess of the building she's been living in. This was no place for Tohru to be living. Maybe, once she trusts me more she'll move in with me. I have more than enough room.

She's caught me looking at the building. "It's not as bad as it looks from the outside, Haru. And I have to be close to campus, I don't drive like you do."

I can only nod. She's giving me an oddly appraising look and then her face sets into that look of determination she gets when she's decided something and she is forcing herself to carry it out. "Would you like to come up?"

~*~*~*~*~

It seems so forward, asking him to come upstairs, but I can't resist. I want him with me. He knows, I know he does, about my past.

I think back as we slowly climb the stairs to the time before the memories lapse. I know I'm not from the US. Everything I've been able to remember tells me that I'd only been here a short time when whatever happened to cause my memory loss happened. Haru knows me from Japan. He spoke to me in Japanese and knew I'd be able to understand and respond.

Butterflies fill my stomach as he stumbles on the last step, catching my arm to brace himself. Somehow I know that he has not always been like he is now. There is a wrongness in the way he moves that very nearly haunts me.

"Gomen, Tohru." is all he says once he regains his balance. I smile at him as I take the hand that had been on my arm and wrap my fingers through his.

"You have nothing to apologize for. I had not realized the stairs would be so hard for you. I am the one that should apologize."

~*~*~*~*~

We reached her door, just in time for it to open. There's a girl there holding a child with orangey-red hair that is obviously asleep. "Tohru, thank god, I was getting worried. I have to go. Matt's car broke down…again."

She looks at Tohru and then her eyes widen as she sees me. Noting the books in Tohru's hands she thrusts the child at me and starts running down the hall to the stairs not looking back. I catch the child cringing as I juggle her and my cane when she comes into contact with my chest and watch as Tohru's eyes widen with the contact as well.

Tohru shoves us both into the apartment, looking from one to the other of us, as if expecting something. She closes the door behind her as she enters, looking more than a little confused.

She's not the only one confused. I still haven't changed. I look down at the child. Maybe it's a boy after all, just one in need of a hair cut.

Tohru's voice is quiet and filled with shock as she speaks. "She didn't change."

I turn on her, my black side in control. "What do you mean she didn't change?" I almost growl at her.

Tohru looks at me apprehensively. "She changes into a cat when boys hug her, but she hasn't changed now."

"A cat?" It's a good thing the sofa is so close because my legs finally give way beneath me. I flop down on the sofa, the little girl still sleeping on my arm, her head rocking against my shoulder. I take the cane into my other hand and settle it against the sofa.

Tohru's still watching us. If her eyes get any wider, I swear they are going to pop out of her head.

My thoughts are running at high speed. Tohru is the mother to the Cat. Akito had been furious when he couldn't find the Cat. Hatori spent weeks looking and said it was possible that one of the distant cousins had been indiscreet and the Cat might never be found.

And here she was, the new Cat, in my arms. But the Juunishi had to be blood kin to the Sohma's. Tohru was not blood kin, so how? Oh my…

"Tohru, how old is she?"

"Ten months."

I start counting in my head as I pull the child back from my shoulder to get a better look at her. She's about the right age.

Her hair is much like Kyo's was, but her features are much more like mine or Yuki's or even Momiji's. Her eyes drift open and I'm peering into silver eyes flecked with crimson. Oh dear Kami Sama, she is…

"Haru?" I look up at Tohru. Her eyes have gone back to normal and they've softened considerably.

"Are you ok, Haru?" She says in a wondering voice. "You were expecting to change too, weren't you?"

I nod slowly, but don't speak. She seems like she's on the verge of something and I don't want to interrupt.

"Haru, her being the Cat…." Her voice cracks. "That means Kyo's gone…"

My eyes widen. I didn't expect that right off. There are tears rolling down her face. I stand up, holding the child between us. I pull her slowly to me with my free arm.

"He died in May." I answer in as neutral a tone as I can manage. I'm having a personality war. Part of me wants to comfort her, the other is pissed that she remembered him first.

"I knew something was terribly wrong, I just couldn't remember why. When I found her changed, it hurt so badly. How did he die?"

"He just stopped wanting to live…after…after you left he lost all will to survive." The sobs in my shoulder heighten at those words.

Great, now I've really made her cry.

"I'm sorry, Tohru, to tell you this way." She shakes her head as she pulls away from me taking the little girl from my arm.

"Let me lay her down, and I'll be right back."

She leaves the room going to a room beyond. I close my eyes as the door clicks shut behind her and run a hand through my hair.

"Damn." I whisper into the now empty room. Hatori had not only taken her, he'd taken my child from me. Had she known before she left that she was pregnant? "My child" these two words keep running through my head.

I feel stupid as I realize I haven't even asked the girl's name. I have a daughter and I don't even know her name.

Why had she remembered Kyo first? We have a child together and she remembers Kyo first. I don't understand. I thought she loved me. I turn and stare out the sole small window in the room and suddenly I understand.

She's got a strong connection to the Cat since her daughter - our daughter - is the Cat. That's why she remembered him first. She's probably been thinking about the cat for months, since she discovered the little one's curse.

I flop back on the sofa. I have a child. My child is the Cat. My Black side rushes to the forefront. There is no way in Hell that Akito will ever put my daughter in a cage. He will have to go through me first.

I look up as I hear the click of the door across from me. Tohru is standing there, baby monitor in hand. She meets my gaze with her own.

Our eyes connect and we are held in one another's gaze for what seems to be an eternity. Then she steps toward me.

~*~*~*~*~

I stepped out of the bedroom to see Haru sitting on the sofa. His whole posture has changed. He looks angry.

Something inside me whispers, "He's gone Black." He looks up to acknowledge me and his eyes meet mine, a flurry of emotions passing through them and then a memory.

We were at a dance at school. Some guys followed me into a restroom after having been warned off by Haru earlier in the night. One of them grabbed me… and then… Haru saved me…

"You know, I will always love them, always and always, but it's you that I've been falling in love with. I love you, Haru, Black and White… Akito could decide to have my memory wiped. I want to believe that no matter what I'll remember you, but in case I don't, I want you to be able to remember for me, to bring me back to you… "Yuki was never the reason I've been at Shigure's, Tohru. You are the only person I am in love with. I will fight Akito with everything I've got to keep you with me and keep you safe. I will walk through whatever Hell he chooses for me, to be at your side."

The months passed…Kyo and Yuki moved to the main house…Haru and I were together in an apartment in Tokyo…

"Are you sure this place is going to be ok, Tohru? The neighborhoods not too great, Shigure'd help you out."

"It is fine, Haru. Besides, how many of your family ever come here to this neighborhood? We can be together here and they will never know." Haru had just smiled before lifting me into his arms, as if the thought of us being here together without anyone knowing was the greatest thing that had ever happened. "We've never actually managed to be alone together in a real home, Tohru. Do you think your bed will be better than the cot at your `place'?"

I maintain eye contact with Haru as I take a tentative step forward, a sudden rush of emotion nearly overtaking my senses. I set the monitor on the bookcase next to the doorway and then I move to him catching his face in my hands and smile at him tenderly. "You are what I've been missing. I've had this hole in my soul without you. I love you, even now, after everything; I love you, Haru, black and white.

~*~*~*~*~

"I love you, Haru, black and white."

I heard those words as she looked into my eyes. Her eyes had changed, no longer missing the love that I`d remembered there. She's remembered me.

I reached out a hand and touched her face. "Tohru." My voice is shaking. "Oh God, Tohru."

I grasp her chin in my fingers and drag her face slowly down to mine. I close my eyes as I lean forward and brush a light kiss across her lips. I feel her hands creep to my hair. Her body shifts and I can feel her bringing herself closer to me, straddling my legs and gently settling down on them with her knees on the couch on either side.

The first kiss was electric. A wave of white light filtered into my soul and for the first time in ages I feel something besides pain and grief. I seek her lips a second time and she answers my search by opening her lips to mine. My tongue sweeps into her mouth and hers meets mine tenderly, dancing and entwining with my own. I pull her as close as I dare. She loosens one hand from my hair and reaches out behind me, never breaking the kiss. I feel her slide the pillow from the sofa between us and pull me into her arms fully.

I don't resist. In fact, I bring my arms up to wrap them around her as well, deepening the kiss to an explosive proportion. Finally, I have to pull back. I suck in the cool air of the apartment, in deep ragged breaths as she holds my eyes with hers and does the same.

I'm not sure who moved first. Her lips touched mine and I pulled her as close as I could to me, taking her lips again and carefully lifting her up off of my legs and pressing her down onto the sofa. I pull the pillow from between us as I sit back; ignoring the twinge of pain that moves through my lower back at the kneeled position I've placed myself in. My hands are trembling as I slide them down her body. I move my lips from hers, to drag them across her jaw line and down her throat, careful to keep our chests from touching with the pillow now out of the way.

A soft moan escapes her lips as I suckle her throat and my hands find the hem of her shirt. I slide my hands under and rub my thumbs against her skin before pushing them under the shirt completely. She arches into my hands as I touch her breasts. She whispers my name, her voice airy and shaking. Her hands have found their way beneath my shirt, as well.

I shiver as she glides her fingertips across my bare skin. I look at her, as I raise my head from her neck, tilting my head, questioningly. She nods slowly at my unspoken question, pushing me back from her so that, she can sit up without causing me to transform. Once she's sitting up, I pull the sweater she's wearing over her head, and drop it to the floor, allowing my eyes to take in the changes that two years have brought to her body.

Her breasts are fuller than I remember them. Her once flat stomach just slightly rounded, the thin lines of the stretch marks our child's birth had caused etched upon it. Yet, somehow, she is as beautiful, if not more beautiful, than she was on our last night together. She reaches around to her back and the bra she's wearing suddenly loosens. I reach forward, almost hesitantly, and pull the thin fabric aside. I lean forward, taking her lips with mine and kiss her with a slow ease. Her hands have gone to the buttons of my shirt and are shakily unbuttoning them. She brings her hands to my chest, as the last one falls open and then pushes it back off my shoulders.

I shake my arms slightly and it falls away.

I move my lips to her ear, sliding my tongue along its edge.

"You are so beautiful, Tohru. I've missed you in ways you could never know. I love you, always."

I take her lips with mine again, pushing her back slowly with one hand as I steady myself with the other. There is no further need for words. There are no words that can even begin to describe what can only truly be shown.

~*~*~*~*~

Sohma Akito paced along the raised platform of his chambers where he normally received guests. Hatori had just left him, again reporting that he had had no success in ascertaining the Cat's whereabouts. He'd been lying. Akito was certain of it this time. He'd been lying to him for months now. The question was: to what end?

Of course, lying was nothing new to this family. Here, within these walls, it was a way of life. But, it had become a near epidemic when Honda Tohru had still been with them. They chose to lie to him, to protect her. They lied about their feelings. They lied about their reasons for doing things.

However, it wasn't like wanting to know where the Cat was should have been a major thing. It would need to be brought here for its own protection, if for no other reason. A Juunishi would have a very hard time outside these walls, especially when young. Too many accidents could occur that would need to be dealt with. The parent of this child would have to be moving continuously to be able to keep the secret hidden.

In fact, he'd started combing the supermarket tabloids for just such a thing. He'd found nothing there as of yet. But, Hatori knew something, and it was time that he knew it as well. It looked as though this was going to have to happen the hard way.

Akito waited until he knew that Hatori would be retiring for the night before making his way to the dragon's office. It was only a few buildings away. Anyone that saw him would only presume he was doing something that was permissible because of who he was. No one would question him; no one would try to obstruct him. It had been this way for long centuries; it would, of course, remain that way. Once simply did not question the head of one's clan.

He popped the doors lock with a credit card and let himself inside. He made his way across the room with only the light of the moon allowing him to see as it entered in through the expansive bay of windows to the left of him. The waiting area here was quiet except for the small fish tank that sat upon a stand at one end of the room. Its air pump hummed loudly into the silence.

Akito pushed open the half door between the receptionist's office and the waiting room and then walked back to the door that stood between two tall metal shelves that were used for holding the Sohma family medical records. He paused for a moment. Perhaps what he was looking for would be in one of them. No, there they would be too easy to find. There were many of the Sohma's that did come to Hatori, but not so many as would take that long to go through. His hand reached for the doorknob.

He turned the knob and pushed the door slowly open, just on the off chance that perhaps Hatori might have come back. He rarely did once he left, but it wasn't unheard of. However, the Dragon had gone out for dinner and drinks with Shigure and Ayame this evening. Most likely, he would have just gone to bed after getting back tonight.

Akito walked into the room and looked around the room just to make sure that it was empty before making his way to Hatori's desk. This room was directly off Hatori's own quarters, a small walkway united them. He would have to be quiet.

He walked to the desk and pulled out the top drawer, rummaging through it carefully. It was a shame that Hatori was such a neatnik. He'd have been able to work more quickly if he hadn't had to worry about the state the drawer would be left in.

Fifteen minutes later he sat at the desk, frustrated. He looked at the computer, it had been shut down and Akito knew that it was pass [Author ID1: at Fri Oct 29 19:40:00 2004 ]coded. Damn and damn, the man had to have something here that would give up the secret the Dragon seemed so bent on keeping to himself.

He let his eyes drift along around the room, looking for anything, anyplace where what he was looking for might be. His eyes landed on the picture that Hatori had kept of that wench, Kana, which sat on a bookshelf across the room. His lips curved up and he stood slowly and walked over to the picture.

He pulled the back off of it slowly, smiling wider as he found some folded papers inside. Akito walked to the window as he unfolded the papers and held them up into the light to see.

The first sheet of paper was a letter from an old friend of Hatori's. The man had been here from time to time over the years when Hatori had been in medical school. Apparently, Hatori had sent Tohru to him in the US when he'd taken her memory. His eyes widened as he read the words on the paper. Tohru had been pregnant when she'd left them, intriguing to say the least.

The second sheet wasn't paper at all, but a picture of mother and child. Tohru hadn't changed much since his last encounter with her. He held the picture more fully into the light so that he could better see the child she held in her arms. Though the light was poor and washed the picture out, one could just make out a tinge of orange in the child's hair. His hands shook as he lowered the picture. No, it wasn't possible. He'd have known if she'd been involved with one of the Juunishi. Kyo wouldn't have risked a relationship with her while he was in his cage and Yuki had been to self oriented at the time to have been having a relationship with her, they were the only two…

Akito switched the picture for the third item he'd found behind the photo of Kana. It seemed to be a list of blood types and Sohma family member's names. One was circled in red. He pulled it closer to his face so that he could read it. "Sohma Hatsuharu, A-."

Akito's eyes widened and then narrowed. He moved hurriedly to the framed photograph he'd taken these papers from and thrust them back into the frame, sliding the cover over it and placing back in its place on the shelf. Then he turned and left the room, closing the door carefully.

He exited the doctor's office and began to walk back across the compound to his own quarters. "Damn him." Akito muttered under his breath. He was protecting that damned girl again. He had known for months that the Cat was with Honda Tohru and he had never breathed a word of it. Suddenly, it all fell together.

He paused in his walk. He'd sent the Ox to the US to go to school, most likely to the same University that the girl was attending. He'd planned for the two of them to meet again and to be able to live happily ever after with their pretty little girl. Akito's thoughts wondered back to the day that Haru had attacked him. The boy had known what he had ordered Hatori to do. Haru had been trying to kill him that day.

Did the Ox really believe that he deserved a happily ever after? Did he think that he'd paid for his sins enough? He hadn't paid nearly enough. But he would now, oh yes, he would pay in the worst way imaginable.

A sinister smile passed across Akito's lips. He'd go to America and bring the Cat home. He'd rip the child from its mother's arms and bring it back where it could be raised properly. This child would suffer more than any other cat had in the history of the Juunishi. She would pay the price for all the sins of her elders. She'd pay for their secrets, their lies. She'd pay for their betrayals. She would pay for everything that they had done to him.

And if either of her parents got in his way, this time he'd finish what he'd started with the Ox. They were destined to become unfortunate statistics.

~*~*~*~*~

I open my eyes to the sound of crying as it echoes into the room through both the closed door and the monitor sitting on the bookshelf across the way. Tohru jumps at the sound next to me. Then she sighs. "I'm surprised she was quiet that long." She whispers to me as she moves to push herself up off the floor.

"I've got it." I tell her, smiling into the near darkness of the room. "I think it's my turn." Tohru's eyes widen at my words and she smiles.

"Yeah, I'd say it is."

"What's her name?" I can't believe I have to ask my own child's name, at least I think she's mine. Maybe I should ask.

"Katsukari. And before you ask that other question that I know your wondering about, of course she's yours silly. There was never anyone else. There will never be anyone else." She lays her hand on my face, and then nods her head toward the door.

"I think Kari'd like to get to know her father." I simply nod as I sit up and slowly work my way to my feet. I pull on my pants, zipping them, but not bothering with the button. I open the door and move to the crib. Her cries quiet almost immediately as I lift her up into my arms. She's no longer a small infant, being almost a year old now. I smile down at her as I carry her into the main room of the apartment.

"Shouldn't she be sleeping through the night by now?" I say to Tohru as she stands and wraps the throw from the back of the couch around her nude form before sitting down.

"She normally does, but she's not used to having other people here. She probably heard us out here. She wanted some attention as well."

I walk over to where she's sitting and carefully settle down next to her. She slides the pillow between us and then leans in so that I can hold them both.

"Tohru, I realize this is going to seem like we are moving way to fast, but I want you to come live with me. My place is plenty large enough for all three of us."

Tohru looks up at me, her eyes widening at my words. "Are you sure? I don't expect you to be ready to have parenthood thrust upon you all at once. I am very happy that you want our child and you want me, but I don't want you to think you have to do this. I'd understand if you wanted us to take this slow."

"No, I want this. I've spent far too much time alone. I want you with me; I want her with me, where you both belong."

She turns to face me, laying a soft hand on my cheek, "I don't think it's too fast. Nothings changed in my heart or yours, it just got put on hold by forces we couldn't stand against at the time. I'd love to be with you, Haru. Nothing would make me happier than to have our family under one roof. No matter what happens in the future, with you is where I always want to be. Kari deserves to be with her father, she deserves to have one man in her life that she can hug without any kind of fear. While I may hate that your curse will never allow me that privilege, I'm happy you have it. Our little girl will be able to know what it means to be hugged and loved by both her parents."

I look down at the little girl that is lying with her head against my chest and reclining on my arm. She'd fallen straight back to sleep. For a child that's never been held by a man before, she's taken to me amazingly well. I'd go through the curse another thousand lifetimes if it means she can know truly that we love her. I only nod at Tohru's words.

"I'll get a truck tomorrow. I don't want to be without you or her with me another night."

I stand up and start walking toward the small bedroom that the two of them share. I can hear Tohru's footsteps as she follows me inside. I lay the child back in her crib and straighten with some difficulty. While tonight's activities had been worth every ache, damn it hurt.

Tohru brings her hand to my back, slowly sliding it back and forth, before taking my hand and pulling me to the bed in the room. "Don't go home, stay with me tonight."

I only nod as I look down to her, taking her hand in mine and leading her to the bed.

Once we get settled onto bed, she looks over at me a worry that hadn't been there before shining in her eyes. "Haru, what happened to you? Was there an accident?"

"No, no accident." My thoughts drift back to that horrible day. "I came in and found your note, you'd left for me. I went Black and apparently went to find out where you were from Akito. I don't remember much of what happened even now. I came to in the hospital; they said he'd beaten me with a mace. He did a good number my pelvis and one of my upper leg bones. I've got a steel rod in my leg and my pelvis is held together with plates and pins. As long as I move carefully, I'm alright."

I reach out and wipe away the tear that's escaped her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Haru. I shouldn't have left that note for you, then…"

I take her face into my both my hands and force her to look up at me. "Don't you ever apologize for that. At least I knew, that somewhere out there, you were still living and breathing. I knew that I had a chance of finding you again. I told you before. I'd go through any pain to be with you. I'd do it all over again if it meant I'd find my way back to where you are." With that she closes her eyes, laying her head on her pillow and draping an arm across my chest. A soft smile touches her lips as she drifts off to dream. I follow her to dreamland. So this is what it means to live…amazing.

~*~*~*~*~

Sohma Hatori walked into his office with the feeling that something was amiss. There wasn't anything in particular that was setting his senses off, just the feeling that things were not quite right. Things in his drawers seemed to have moved, books on the shelves seemed just a little out of kilter. It was as if everything had moved just slightly.

He shrugged it off and looked at his calendar. No appointments save checking on Akito until this afternoon. He leaned back into his chair, pursing his lips. Akito's obsession with the missing Cat was becoming troublesome. It had gotten to the point that the Dragon got grilled every time he saw the Clan head.

"Damned kids anyway. Why am I putting my neck out for them?" But he knew why. They deserved to be happy, as they all had deserved to be happy, but had never yet been able to do. Maybe it was time to bring Shigure and Ayame into the game. They'd be able to help him figure out a way to do what was best for everyone.

The Dragon stood and walked across the room to the door that opened onto the deck in front of the koi pond between his living quarters and his office. He looked out over the water and could almost feel Tohru's presence next to him. Maybe it was time they all experienced Spring.

~*~*~*~*~

I wake as I hear the sound of gibberish came across the monitor speaker that sat on the small table next to our bed. Kari is awake. I smile as I listen to her, looking over to the girl at my side. It had been a month and a half since Tohru and Kari moved in with me. I can't remember ever being happier. It had been a bit awkward at first, but we soon settled into old habits. There had been some changes in the day to day routine. Instead of staying on campus all day, I come home to trade out babysitting duties with Tohru. We'd gotten lucky there. Our schedules conflicted very little last semester. I'd go to class, come home and she'd leave for the classes she had. There had been no need for a sitter. When we went to the library, Kari came along.

It's now Christmas break, three whole weeks with nothing to do except enjoy this life we're living. Between the stipends we get from home, we are able to live decently, without scraping or counting the change to have enough to buy diapers. I bring my face back toward the ceiling, once again thanking whoever saw fit to bring us back together.

Christmas is a new thing for me. It's not celebrated in Japan the way it is here. Tohru's gone crazy decorating. There are lights on the doorframes and all around the deck outside. She's hung window clings to every window available. Apparently during her time here, she's come to love this holiday. The number of gifts scattered beneath the tree in the living room definitely attest to that. I move slowly as I climb out of bed, allowing hips to adjust to the change of position before standing.

I'll let Tohru sleep. I've got some serious quality time scheduled in front of the television with a certain orange haired girl and Spongebob Squarepants. I stand and slowly move from our room to Kari's. She's standing at the rail of her crib when I come in. The smile on her face widens as I enter. I cross the room to her crib and lift her out carefully. She wriggles against me as I give her a good morning kiss. I set her down on her feet and she wobbles for a moment before finding her balance and then makes her unsteady way out the door. It's somewhat annoying that a child two weeks from being a year old is better at walking than I am.

I can't keep up with her. Somehow, she seems to sense this though. While she'll have Tohru chasing her through the house, she tends to sit near me, placing a small hand in mine and leading me into the kitchen when she's hungry or thirsty. She points to what she wants and once it's taken care of she takes my hand and leads me back to where ever we were.

I meet her in the living room; she's got the remote control in her hand as she climbs onto the couch. She's scrambling into my lap before I've completely finished sitting on the cushions myself. She hands me the remote and we are transported to below the ocean waves, our world narrowing to the antics of a square dense sponge in the sea.

~*~*~*~*~

I've been shopping for hours. I look down to the sleeping form of my child in her stroller as I hurry through the mall, So much to do, so little time. I spoke to Momiji on the phone last night. It was so good to hear his voice after so long. He called at a payphone, to talk to Haru. Once Haru knew he wasn't at the compound, he told Momiji the whole story and ended up putting me on the phone. Momiji had been ecstatic when he heard my voice on the line. He even talked to Kari for a moment or two. Well, he talked, but she'd said bye bye when I took the phone back

I smile widely as I think of the reason for his call. The day after Christmas Momiji, Yuki, Kisa and Hiro are coming to see Haru. They'll be here for a whole week and then they have to return for their own classes and the New Year's celebration at the main house. They'd been planning the trip since Haru had left, knowing he'd probably be depressed when classes let out.

So now, I'm shopping for more gifts. I let my mind wonder a bit as I walk from store to store, picking up stocking stuffers and larger gifts. Kari's stroller has become quite loaded down over the past few hours. I still have to go by Sandy's and pick up Haru's gift.

I smile as I think of Haru's gift. Sandy, my former neighbor and still sometime babysitter, is still my best friend. She's over at our place at least once a week with her boyfriend Matt. Sandy had been thrilled to hear that my memories were back. She'd also been happy to find out that Haru was that man that I had always said I was waiting for. When they come over, Haru and Matt will play video games on the Playstation while Sandy and I watch and talk about what's been going on in each others lives.

Sandy is a very gifted artist. She's had several pieces in shows here at the university. Like all artists, she's perpetually broke. So when I asked her to do a painting for me, with pay attached she was nearly beside herself. She started bringing sketch books over to the house when she and Matt came to see us. Slowly, a painting evolved of Haru, Kari and I.

It's not traditional, but it's beautiful. She's painted us into a scene at a local park. Haru and I are laying on a blanket watching Kari chase a butterfly. It's actually a scene she sketched out while we were all at the park one Sunday afternoon. I'm sure Haru is going to love it.

~*~*~*~*~

Akito snapped his suitcase shut after double checking its contents. The arrangements had been made. He was on the red eye out of Tokyo tonight. He had to get there and be back before the Younger Juunishi made their way across the ocean day after tomorrow. They had made no secret of their plans to meet Haru. In fact, they'd been planning this since right after the Ox left. He paused as he slipped his overcoat on over the jacket of his barely worn Armani suit. All things considered, he doubted that they even knew that Haru was with Tohru over there. Nothing in their attitudes or words betrayed secrecy on their parts. They would arrive to find the Ox and his lovely Tohru davastated at the loss of their child. Possibly worse, if the Ox decided to be stubborn and stand in his way.

He smiled at the thought of being able to beat the Ox down again. Haru would serve as a reminder to all, once again, on how all in this family bowed and were subservient to him, and only him.

Akito closed the door behind him as he stepped out into the chill air. His ride to the airport arrived, just as he was stepping out the door. The long elegant limo came to a smooth stop, just in front of his step. The driver stepped out of the vehicle and pulled open the back door. "Sohma-san?"

Akito only nodded at the man before stepping into the back. The driver shut the door and then resumed his own seat behind the wheel. He looked into the rearview mirror.

"Where to, Sohma-san?"

"The airport."

The driver nodded as he pulled the limo out of park and started around the circle driveway. He reached down and touched a switch between the seats and the tinted window betwixt the driver and his passenger slowly rose into position.

~*~*~*~*~

Hatori was at a loss. Akito had simply vanished. A feeling of deep unease struck him as he, Ayame and Shigure walked back to Hatori's quarters. The clan head had been acting odd lately. He'd had a smugness about him that only came when he knew something that you'd rather he didn't know. Then, it all came together. Hatori turned from the direction they were walking to walk to his office. A month or so ago his office had seemed out of kilter somehow, but he'd brushed it off as his own mind messing with him, telling him he needed a vacation.

Ayame and Shigure looked at each other questioningly, as the Dragon broke ranks and started toward his office. They shrugged and walked after him. When they got to the office, they were shocked to find the Dragon holding his picture of Kana in his hands, the back of the picture pulled up. He was holding some wrinkled papers in his hand.

"Call the airport and tell them to get the jet ready. We will be there in two hours."

Shigure and Ayame just looked at him. "Why?"

"Akito has gone to San Francisco to get the Cat." Hatori looked at the two of them as they stared at him in shock.

"I'll explain on the way. Call them, now, I will go get the car." With that, Hatori laid the picture frame and its contents back on the shelf and turned on his heel to go.

~*~*~*~*~

Christmas morning

Akito stared out of the window into the haziness of the predawn sky as the cab rolled up to the apartment that Hatori had gotten for Haru and then halted.

"That'll be 30 bucks, mister," the cab driver intoned boredly.

Akito pulled out his wallet and carefully counted the cost out in the American bills. He tossed it up to the cab driver and exited the cab.

"Merry Christmas to you, too." The cab driver said sarcastically as Akito slammed the door closed.

The cab pulled away quickly, leaving Akito standing outside the row of apartments. Akito reached into his pocket and took out the key to the apartment. Since the family was paying the rent, the second key to the place had been sent to the main house. Haru had the other. Akito looked at the apartments and finally his eyes lit on the door that carried the correct number. The window next to the door was lit with Christmas lights. He could just make out the shape of a Christmas tree, with its lights blinking, through the sheer curtains at the window. He walked to that door slowly and slid the key into place in the bolt lock on the door.

He turned the key carefully, trying to make as little noise as possible. He turned the knob and pushed the door open slowly, taking hold of the wreath on the door so it wouldn't shake. He moved inside the apartment and closed the door softly behind him. He looked around, the space. There was a table with four chairs directly in front of him, living room to his right and kitchen to his left. Beyond the table there were two rooms both with the doors open. He could just see Haru's sleeping form in the one, so he moved to the other.

Haru lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He'd been awake for a while and was just relaxing before starting to move on what was bound to be a busy day. Tohru had been up at five o'clock, working in the kitchen and then had come back to bed once the turkey she was cooking had gotten put into the oven. He stiffened in place as he heard the front door open and quietly close. His eyes slid to the door of his room and he could just see Akito standing in his entrance way. He closed his eyes. Merry fucking Christmas. He opened his eyes and moved to shake Tohru awake, covering her mouth. Tohru's eyes popped open at his touch and he covered his lips with a single finger.

"Akito is here. Get up quietly, you and Kari may have to run for it." He whispered his voice raspy under the influence of his Black personality. He edged off the bed, and moved to the chest of drawers that stood next to the bathroom door of their room. He picked up the cane that leaned against it, gripping it in his hand as he moved carefully toward the door.

Akito looked down into the crib that sat in the room he'd entered. The child had grown since the picture he'd seen of her. She was sleeping, her orange hair tousseled and her body stretched out much like a cat, taking up more space than she should possibly have been able to reach. He smiled. This had been almost too easy. He reached out to pick the sleeping child up, only to freeze as he heard a voice behind him.

"What are you doing here, Akito?"

Akito turned at the sound of Haru's voice to see the Ox leaned up against the door frame, clad only in a pair of pajama bottoms, hefting a black cane over his shoulder. The Ox wore an icy expression and his eyes were wild.

Akito smiled lazily, the boy was no longer a threat to him, being unable to move. "I've come to collect the Cat. She's been gone for too long already."

Haru entered the room more fully, his expression turning from icy to enraged. "Over my dead body, Akito, will you ever take her back to raise her in that place with you."

Akito's eyes widened as the Ox began to advance, and then his eyes narrowed as Haru spoke. "That can definitely be arranged, Hatsuharu, with pleasure."

Haru growled at his words and swung the cane toward the clan head, forcing him to take a step back, then another swing and another step back.

"That might be harder than you think."

Haru swung the cane a third time, connecting with it and knocking the clan head into the wall, "My legs may suck, but my arms are much stronger than they were the last time we met."

Tohru had by this point edged her way to the door way of her daughter's room and was watching wide eyed as Haru faced off against Akito. She jumped as she heard the cane connect with the clan head's body and watched him crash into the wall.

"Tohru, take her and run." Haru's voice rang out as he moved to the clan head and pressed him against the wall with all his weight.

Tohru rushed to the crib and swept the child up in her arms pausing only to look at Haru, worry filling her entire expression. Then she ran out the door and didn't look back.

Seeing Tohru making off with his prize, Akito snapped. He pushed the Ox back, knocking him into the crib. "I'll finish you and then I'll take care of her." Quicker than Haru could react, his legs were swept from underneath him, as Akito executed low kick.

Haru's vision swam as he landed hard on the floor, the sound of a sickening snap, loud in his ears.

Tohru ran to the living room door and wrenched it open. She ran paying no attention to where she was going; just knowing she had to find someplace safe. Just as she turned the corner to the parking lot behind the building, she found herself face to face with Shigure, having narrowly avoiding crashing into him. She looked at him oddly and then as if she'd never been gone she spoke.

"Oh, my god, Shigure, he's going to kill him." Tohru looked at the dog, tears streaming down her face.

Shigure looked at the girl he hadn't seen in two years, clad only in a short, spaghetti strapped nightgown and then at the child in her arms. Hatori had filled them in on the flight over as to what he'd figured out and what he had done. So, Hatori'd been right. Akito had come to get the Cat. He could greet her properly later, right now they needed information.

"Tohru, calm down, who's killing who?"

"Akito-san came into the apartment to take Kari away. He and Haru are fighting. There's no way that Haru can beat him in his condition."

Hatori and Ayame made their way up to the pair just as she was explaining the situation. Shigure looked at them, an eyebrow up, as if asking what they wanted to do. Hatori took over at that point.

"Aya, you're the best of us, you stay here and protect her. If Akito get past us, you make sure she and the Cat get to safety. Come on Shigure, let's get this over with."

Ayame nodded slowly as he wrapped an arm around Tohru's shoulders. "I'll take care of her. There's no way I'll let him have either one of them."

With that, Shigure and Hatori walked away, making their way purposefully to the apartment, its door wide open.

In the time Tohru had been gone, the fight had made its way into the main room of the house. The entire place was in disarray, the table had been knocked over, there were broken Christmas decorations littering the floor, the Christmas tree had been knocked over. They walked in to see Akito towering over Haru, a black cane in his hands. The younger man was bleeding from his nose and some cuts on his head. But the clan head was as well, apparently they'd both managed to get in some good shots.

Shigure didn't think, he just took action. Just as Akito started to make his swing, he moved up and executed a perfect kick to the back of Akito's head. Hatori followed him, landing a blow to the clan head's jaw as his body spun from the force of the kick. The clan head dropped the cane and then fell unceremoniously to the floor.

Haru looked up at the two of them, and then his eyes rolled back and there was nothing but darkness.

~*~*~*~*~

I awoke as I had before, in a hospital room, the smell of blood and antiseptic filling my senses. A chill ran down my body. Had I lost them?

But this time, instead of Shigure, my eyes opened to see a small orange haired girl sitting on the edge of the bed between my body and the railing. She smiled at me as I opened my eyes. "Papa…" A wave of relief replaced the chill I was feeling.

"Welcome back," Tohru's voice sounded warm to my ears and I looked up to see her standing beside the bed where I lay.

"Tohru, what happened?

"Shigure, Ayame and Hatori came and got Akito. They are on the way home with him now."

"How long have I been out?"

"About 5 hours, they had to go in and replace a plate on your pelvis that snapped during the fight. You were in surgery for about 3 hours."

I just nod at that, trying to adjust my internal clock.

"So, what now? How long am I in here for?"

She smiles at me. "As long as you don't have any problems in the next couple hours, they're going to let you go home. They're going to show me how to take care of the incision they had to make and put you on a couple prescriptions."

I nod, returning her smile. I hate hospitals.

"Are Yuki and the rest still coming tomorrow?" I was fairly sure she would have called someone to let them know what happened.

"Yes, I called them while you were in surgery to let them know what had happened. But, I told them to come anyway. I can use the help taking care of a stubborn Ox." She grins and then continues, "Sandy's over at the apartment right now cleaning up the mess. She only knows that someone broke in and you were hurt."

I only nod at that. What can I really say… she's right.[Author ID1: at Fri Oct 29 19:40:00 2004 ] I am a stubborn Ox.

Five hours later, I'm ensconced in my own bed, laying on my stomach, Kari nestled against me, fast asleep. We'd opened presents here in the bedroom and I'm looking at the painting that Tohru had done of us that's been set against the dresser, amidst the torn wrapping paper and the other gifts on the floor. Sandy really did a beautiful job.

Tohru comes in wiping her hands from where she'd been washing the dishes from our meal, her gaze is tender as she looks at the Kari and I nestled against the pillows. She walks over to me, crouching down to where she can see my face and brushes a light kiss across my lips. "I love you, Haru, black and white."

I look down at the little girl on my lap and then up at her, holding her eyes with mine. "I love you too, Tohru, always."

Epilogue

I step out of the cab holding my daughter in one arm and my cane in the opposite hand and wait as Tohru pays the man at the back of the cab for driving us from the airport. He sets our bags on the sidewalk and pulls off leaving us standing at the main gates of the Sohma compound. Most of our things had been shipped over prior to our arrival.

Summer break had arrived and we'd made a number of decisions over the last semester. We got married as soon as I was released from bed [Author ID1: at Fri Oct 29 19:40:00 2004 ]rest and had Kari's surname changed officially to Sohma. We both applied for entrance to Japanese Universities and were accepted by the same one that Momiji was attending. After careful consideration, we had determined that in some ways Akito was right. We were going to need to be in a place where we didn't have to worry about Kari or me changing. Home was the best place for that. So, now that the semester was over, we had come back here.

Hatori had had Akito placed in a home for the mentally disturbed; being his family physician,[Author ID1: at Fri Oct 29 19:40:00 2004 ] he could do that. Yuki is currently serving in the Clan head's stead. He has assured me, several times that it's safe for the Cat to come home. The cage where so many bearing the Curse of the Cat had been placed was razed to the ground as soon as Yuki took over. The next official clan head, whomever that may be, will never be told that it was ever a practice and hopefully will the horrible tradition will be buried forever.

I push open the gate to find most of the Juunishi gathered on the other side. Yuki and Momiji move forward and pick up the bags where they sit at Tohru's feet. I hand Kisa my cane and gather Tohru's hand into mine. We enter the compound, not looking back, only forward. While the future is never certain, ours is filled with love and hope. So, this is what home is supposed to feel like…who would have known?