Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Force of Destiny ❯ Meeting ( Chapter 22 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, but I'm thinking of changing my name to Takaya Natsuki and hoping Shi-kun will acknowledge me publicly as his Mistress. Not that he doesn't already, but that's a private thing...

** I am a horrible, horrible person! I am so sorry I took so long to update! **

A/N: Okay, I just reread the last chapter, and I noticed at the end, Yuki's declaration of his feelings-well, I even confused myself on who he was talking about! No, Yuki is not declaring undying devotion to Tohru (we all know he already loves her); he is taking about Kaji. Sorry Yukiru fans, but if I did that, the whole plot line would spin out of control. Besides, wouldn't you feel sorry for Kyou? He'd be stuck with Kagura (shudder). Course, if he continues to be pissy about the upcoming chapters, I might change my mind...*glares offstage at Orange-Head* Anywhoo, thought I'd clear that up in case anyone cared. Might repost that chapter later, but want to keep moving ahead at the moment. So, without further ado...

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Last Chapter:

"More than I thought possible."

The declaration is stepped with the absolute certainty that Kaji-fiery, graceful, compassionate, driven-is the light in my heart now. What Tohru began all those years ago with her unconditional acceptance and lessons in kindness, Kaji has resumed. For a brief, lonely time, I had allowed Akito to close my heart once again, but in an explosion of undeniable emotion, my red-headed miko burst upon my dismal existence and did so much more than reopen it. She freed my spirit.

"Well then, if that's the way you feel, I think we have a dinner to attend," my cousin said.

"Yes," I agreed, and though my stomach clenched with apprehension, my heart lifted at the thought of seeing Kaji again. "Let's go."

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Chapter 22: Meeting

As Hatori and I walk the still corridors, the silence stretches between us, weighing the atmosphere with our anxiety. This is going to be one of the most agonizing experiences of my life. Although I have completely acknowledged my love for Kaji, it in no way erases the love I still hold for Tohru. Just thinking about how her beautiful blue eyes will reflect that blank, polite look people have when they gaze upon a complete stranger...it causes my chest to clench and my insides to roil.

It cannot be helped, though. Just as I told Hatori, I have come to accept that erasing her memory of me was the only viable option available at the time to secure her protection. Simply because I didn't like the choice I felt compelled to make doesn't negate it's effectiveness. As much as it pains me to admit, if I were thrust into the situation again, I would follow the same course.

We are nearing Akito's apartments now. I glance to my right at Hatori, wondering if we are to meet in the family head's room first, or proceed straight to the private dining room. The hassenchi doesn't so much as pause at the sliding panels leading to Akito's private sanctuary, but stalks past. So, dinner first. I don't think I'm going to be able to do much more than pick at the food, though.

Up ahead in the dimness, a shadowy figure detaches itself from the wall at our approach and waits patiently. Judging from the nonchalant pose and air of ennui, I know it to be Shigure. Damn. As glad as I am to see him after this long separation, the last thing I need right now is to have to suffer the inanities of the perverse dog. I feel my fists clench in preparation for dealing a blow-just getting ready for retaliation in case the first words out of his mouth are offensive (like that's not going to happen).

"Yuki-kun!" he exclaims, striding forward and stalling whatever words of greeting I have by pulling me into a tight hug. "I've missed you!"

"Shigure," I reply, then a thought hits me, "if you put so much as a finger in the wrong location, I'll neuter you."

He pulls away laughing, not even bothering to play out his `I can't believe you think I'm a pervert' routine. He must really have missed me. By now, he should have crocodile tears streaming down his face, whining about how mean everyone is to him. My heart warms considerably.

"Why are you out here, Shigure?" Hatori is to the point, as always.

Shigure pouts a bit and whines, "Aren't you happy to see me, Ha-san? I've been waiting out here, lonely, just so I could have you all to myself for a moment."

Ah. He wants to warn us about something, then. Obviously he's already greeted Akito.

"I take it Kyou and Tohru-kun are already here?" Hatori seems to have made the same deduction as I have. My heart skips a beat, then starts to pound heavily in anticipation of the dog's answer.

"Aa. We arrived about fifteen minutes ago. Tohru-kun and Kyou-kun are already waiting in the dining room with Akito."

A spurt of cold apprehension shoots ice through my veins at he thought of sweet, innocent Tohru in the same room as that bitter, vengeful man, but I calm myself forcibly. Kyou is with her, I remind myself. As much as it rubs, I am confident he will protect her should anything go wrong.

Seeing as how Tohru is safe, I wonder what could be so important to have Shigure risk Akito's ire by absenting himself from our master. Surely he did not make his excuses just to see me? If he were only wanting to show his support (much appreciated) during my `introduction' to the girl I loved so very much, he could just as easily have waited in the room for me to arrive. No, there is something more.

I glare at my cousin to prompt him to speak his true purpose for ambushing us out here. He takes the rather pointed hint and sighs with something less than his usual dramatic flair. This is serious, then.

"Yuki, there is something you need to know before you go in there. Akito wanted to `surprise' you, but I convinced him to let me break the news," Shigure's tone is subdued.

I raise my brows in surprise, impressed anew at the Juunishi dog's wily ability to wrangle this choice tidbit, no doubt a torment for me, away from Akito. If Shigure felt it was important enough to risk his own proverbial neck, then it must be bad, indeed. And if Akito let himself be convinced to forgo such a treat, then the rest of his evening's plans for me are surely twisted. A shudder works its way down my spine at the emotionally gruesome possibilities.

"Well? Just spit it out," I urge when the silence stretches. Shigure shifts slightly in an uncharacteristic display of tension, and the level gaze he pins on me is frighteningly warm with sympathy.

"Akito just gave his permission for Kyou-kun and Tohru-kun to be married. The ceremony will be in six months."

All the muscles in my neck knot in reaction. Though I had fully been expecting it, had even harbored a selfish hope that she would marry into the family so I could still be around her, the reality falls like a blow. I'm staggered by the force of so many conflicting emotions, I don't think I will ever be able to fully untangle them.

Uppermost is hurt and jealousy, but directly under that is relief. I'm relieved that an outcome has finally been reached, relieved that Tohru has permanent protection, and relieved that I will have no need for guilt over my new-found love for another. The knots loosen and the worst of the initial stab of pain drains away, though I know I will still have much to deal with later, on my own.

I am grateful to my cousin for sparing me the awkwardness of being told in a more public setting, by a man hell-bent on making me as miserable as possible. Nodding to Shigure my thanks, I ask the only question that has any relevance-the only one that truly matters.

"Does he make her happy?"

"Yes," spoken without hesitation, and with complete confidence.

I feel a small, bittersweet smile tilt the corners of my mouth before, "Good. Or I'd have to beat him to a pulp."

At that, smiles of relief grace the handsome faces of my two cousins, obviously comforted at my acceptance of this little bombshell, no matter how expected it is. Shigure gestures to the closed door.

"Shall we go in?"

"Wait," I look around, peering up and down the hallway, "shouldn't we wait for Kaji?"

Now that the moment is upon me, I find that, regardless of how awkward having both women in the same room with me will be, I crave the comfort Kaji's presence promises to afford. While I finally face the reality of Tohru not remembering me, I want to feel the warmth and support of the woman I confided so much in-the only person to know everything about what happened between Tohru and I.

"Akito will have her brought in after your meeting with Tohru," Hatori pauses, and the hesitation sends warning bells ringing in my head, "He said he has something...special...planned for her."

Gods, that does not sound good at all. Immediately, my mind begins categorizing the various possibilities. Akito's little `surprises' are never something to be viewed with pleasant anticipation. The only person who derived any kind of enjoyment out of them was Akito himself. It was to be expected from something that invariably involved pain, humiliation, fear, or some combination of those joys, for the recipient.

Before I can get much beyond a vivid mental repeat of Akito's earlier visit to my room, and how he dirtied her with his vile touch, the shoji panel slides open, exposing us to all within. Kyou stands aside after a moment, for he is the one who opened the door, allowing Akito a clear view of my startled face. I desperately pray my rising panic does not show in my face, and scramble to pull the tattered shreds of my composure around me.

Inside the long room, already seated at the long, low dining table is Tohru. She has not changed a bit-well, perhaps her hair is longer, and she seems to have lost the last of the girlish roundness of her face. She is as beautiful as ever, that inner light lending her a glow of warmth. She is dressed simply but elegantly in a yellow dress, her legs folded neatly under the skirt, hands clasped demurely in her lap. The whiteness of her knuckles is the only outward indication of her nervousness at being so close to the family head. She still is in awe of him, then, I muse.

Cushions are placed at even intervals on the tatami, neat squares of black against the wheaten floor. The slightly skewed position of the cushion on Tohru's right indicates Kyou's seat, no doubt vacated at Akito's command for him to fetch the loitering group in.

Akito himself is seated at the head, in the place of honor, framed by the small alcove displaying a beautifully calligraphed scroll and a single cherry branch in full bloom. My eyes are drawn to his hard, obsidian gaze, and we engage in a silent battle for a moment before I realize now is not the time to push his temper. Not that he appears riled. To the contrary, my stare only seems to amuse him, and I feel my hackles rise.

Is this how Kyou felt all those times I would stare at him, just to get under his skin? Now that the tables are turned, I can begin to appreciate why he would fly into a temper at those moments.

What goes around, comes around, I think with bitter amusement.

As I seem to be briefly rooted to the spot by apprehension and surprise, Hatori and Shigure brush past my shoulders on their way through the door. The contact, harder than necessary from Shigure (no doubt an attempt to wake me), snaps me out of my momentary bemusement.

Involuntarily, my gaze slides sideways to meet that of Kyou, and I am taken aback by the mix of emotions glimpsed in their crimson depths. The defensiveness and mild hostility I expected, but not the sympathy and vague hint of guilt.

So, I think with a hint of smugness, he still remembers who confessed to Tohru first.

And I feel immediately ashamed of myself. While it may be Kyou's fault that he did not tell Tohru of his feelings for her until recently, there is no disputing the likelihood that, had Akito not forced my hand, the two of us would probably still be dancing around the issue, playing a silent game of tug-of-war for the love of the girl at the table.

No, not a girl anymore-a young woman. She seems to have blossomed during the time I have been holed up here at the honke, a glow of true happiness suffusing her cheeks with a soft blush. I wonder how much of that has to do with my fire-headed, idiot cousin. I also wonder if I could make Kaji appear as happy.

With that pleasant speculation to brace my resolve to play nice, I advance into the room. Pausing beside Kyou, who hadn't moved yet, I reach out a hand to clasp his shoulder. I'm not above letting my grin show, pleased he instinctively tensed at my touch, ever mindful of who kicked whose ass all those times we fought. Before his hackles get too far up-we do have more important matters to attend besides our age-old rivalry-I say my piece.

"Congratulations," his eyes widen in shock at my geniality, but I am not finished yet. Leaning in close to his ear, an affable smile graces my lips, "but if you hurt her in any way, or let her get hurt," my grip his shoulder tightens with bruising force, "there will be nowhere you can hide from me."

Having had my say, I stroll past the stunned cat to pay my respects, as it were, to the head of my family. It is time to start the game. Shockingly, I feel not only the expected thrill of fear, but also a frisson of anticipation. Events are not going to go exactly as Akito has planned-I'll make certain of it.

Approaching Akito, I stop some distance away, as he prefers, and bow.

"Good evening, Akito-san," I say, pleased with the smooth, modulated tone that emerges from my throat.

Happy as always to draw out the tension, the dark-haired man simply sits unmoved, his black eyes roaming my body, taking in my appearance and mood. Judging by the slight tightening of his finely drawn lips, he isn't pleased with my relative ease. I give an inward smile, careful to keep my face politely blank, waiting for the Juunishi god to acknowledge me.

The battle will be engaged any minute now. There is no chance he will resist trying to unbalance me, not now that he has been disappointed by my composed reaction to Tohru and Kyou's happy news. I feel more than see him shift slightly, the play of shadows on the fabric of his kimono mutating ever so slightly. It is a silent cue, the harbinger of imminent action.

A smooth, pleasant smile spreads across Akito's beautiful face, lighting his dark good looks with false sincerity. With graceful motion, he lifts one slender hand, pale fingers fanning open at the turn of his wrist to indicate the empty space to his left.

"Yuki," he speaks my name like a caress, softly and on a sigh, "please join us. We are celebrating tonight."

"Celebrating?" I repeat as I settle myself as indicated, playing along with the charade. I keep my mask of polite interest firmly in place.

Akito's smooth smile shifts subtly into something else, anticipation sliding devilish glee into the stretching of thin lips until a wicked grin has taken its place.

"Yes. But first, let me introduce you to your cousin Kyou's bride-to-be," another graceful gesture sweeps toward a blushing Tohru, as if I do not know perfectly well who she is.

As if I did not share meals with her, plant strawberries with her, cry on her shoulder, kiss her, confess my love, or create a million other tiny, significant memories with her. But I did not say this. Instead, I bowed to her in greeting, listening as Akito said our names in turn.

Only when I heard her soft, melodic, "Pleased to meet you," did I dare raise my eyes to hers, steeling myself for the lack of recognition in those wide blue pools.

My expectations were met when only friendly politeness met me, but the sharp stab of bitter regret is blunted when a flash of velvety yellow embedded in silky locks catches my attention. I suck in a sharp breath, then my smile relaxes into a natural articulation of the sincere warmth I had tortured my lips into before.

There, peeking out at me from the depths of her chestnut hair are the ribbons I gave her for White Day.

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A/N:

Okay, you can stop throwing blunt objects now! I'm so sorry it took me so long to update. Besides some inspirational issues, I got so wrapped up in the fire ant infestation inside our house that I lost track of time. (Hey, I'm new to the Deep South and didn't realize all the icky insect problems we would have. Ewww.) Anywho, I can almost guarantee the next chapter won't be long in coming, because I've already written it! I just have to proofread it, then up it goes.

Still, I want to thank everyone for patiently waiting. If you were not waiting patiently, blame the ants and Jaredono. Yes, I mean you. You see, you were kind enough to mention looking forward to seeing Shigure at the dinner meeting. And I said (oh-so-eloquently) `Huh?' That's right, I forgot about Shigure! (I'm going to paying for that one for weeks...hehehe. *wiggles eyebrows and winks* Or so he promises.) Anywho, thanks for the tip-off, I can't believe I forgot about my man. Blame my muse (the one I use for writing, not the one I use for CENSOR, CENSOR, and CENSORing). I hope this was worth the wait. We're getting into all those schemes you've been mentioning. Although I don't think I'm going to do much on Kyou and Tohru right now, they will get their moments later.

Ha-san (and AnGeL), thank you for the sexy review. *blushes scarlet* Wow, to think I inspired you, the poster-boy for perpetual priggishness (say that three times fast), to actually let yourself be (willingly) seduced! Praise of the highest order, though I'm a bit jealous you expended all that *ahem* energy on another woman...but at least it was AnGeL-chan! (Psst! Fill me in on the details later, girlfriend!) And update your fic soon!

*Abundant and plentiful reviews = abundant and plentiful chapters-and responses!*

Tsukitani