Septic

Title: Septic
Author: Naria Lacour de Fanel
Disclaimer: Characters are property of Natsuki Takaya, not me! I just mess with them because it's fun and non-profitable! WHOO!
Warnings: Evil?
A/N: I seem to be on a writing binge right now, so I'll just go with it! 14 chapters and no mansex...but I am digressing from the fluff and going for the DARK ANGSTY TRAGEDY stuff since it seems the readers liked that. I must admit it is hard to not write fluff when there is a warm, delicious kitten purring in my lap. Good times.

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Life continued on peacefully while Yuki made a full recovery. Even after the revelations the boys had made, they both decided to keep as much emotional distance as possible, but that did not stop them from keeping their friendship alive.

On another blissfully normal day, while Kyo was engrossed in training, Yuki decided to invite Tohru out to the secret base to harvest some vegetables. The onigiri was more than happy to tag along and help. They talked happily, as if nothing had ever changed. They had a great time until Yuki noticed some movement in the trees nearby. The atmosphere instantly changed from being warm and lighthearted to heavy and sinister, and the rat tensed up immensely.

“Yuki? Are you-” but Tohru’s question was stopped by the Prince’s signal for quiet.

“It’s been a while, Yuki,” the pale god’s all too familiar voice purred from the shadows. Both Yuki and Tohru started at the sound.

“Akito!” the rat cursed under his breath. He automatically placed himself between his friend and his god, courage and calm taking over. This was no time to panic or show fear, even though his heart raced. “Tohru, go back to the house.”

“B-but, Yuki!” her voice quivered, afraid of the consequences if she left. Akito snickered.

“Just go! I don’t know what he wants, and whatever it is I don’t want you involved,” Yuki said sternly. “I have some questions to ask him anyway.”

She nodded gently, nervously looking back and forth between the two men, and finally jogged off towards the house. As soon as she was out of sight, Yuki turned back to Akito.

“As if I would still be interested in that girl,” Akito boredly commented with a slight sneer. Yuki said nothing.

“You’re looking well, Little Mouse,” the god mused as he stepped forward from the shadows.

“You as well, Akito,” the rat replied using a polite tone to mask his fear.

“Has Kyo been taking good care of you?”

“That’s none of your business,” Yuki coldly answered.

“Oh, such harsh treatment towards someone who’s only concerned for your well being,” the pale one said with a tone of mock hurt.

“I doubt that you came here just to see how I was doing,” Yuki said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You finally seem to be living up to your name,” Akito said in a disdainful tone.

“What do you want?” Yuki defensively asked.

“You seem so surprised. I really did come to see you, Yuki. Our agreement only said that you would no longer be my prisoner, not that I would leave you alone entirely.”

Yuki looked at Akito distrustfully, but realized he was right. The rat nodded his head, deciding it was best not to argue.

“You’re right, and thank you for reminding me,” he smoothly replied. “I wanted to ask you some questions.”

“Really? A strange request for someone who was just being so rude to me,” Akito huffed.

“My apologies, Akito,” the Prince said politely, attempting to placate the pale one. The last thing he wanted was to make the head of the clan angry...

“I don’t trust you and I am uncomfortable to talking to you,” he continued humbly, on a gamble nonetheless. “I did not mean to be rude.”

Akito arched a delicate eyebrow at that.

“I have to say your honesty is rather refreshing…” the pale one mused. “I like it,” Akito smirked. “Well, ask away and I will answer as best I can,” he said boredly, waffling a delicate hand.

“Thank you,” Yuki slightly bowed, which caused his god to smile all the more. Yuki put on his bravest face and dove in. “You let us go, Akito. That means you broke our agreement?”

“Yes, I did.”

“That means you caused Kyo harm.”

“Oh, yes, I hurt him,” Akito said with a slight chuckle.

“How?!” Yuki accidentally barked, anger tainting in his voice. “He told me you didn’t touch him!”

“Well, my Little Mouse, I didn’t have to lay a finger on his filthy body to hurt him,” Akito snorted derisively. Yuki bristled at the tone, and Akito wagged a finger at him before smiling evilly. “Wouldn’t you feel pain at the sight of the one you cherish most being brutally raped?”

Yuki’s jaw literally dropped, his anger instantly snuffed out.

“R-rape?!” he stammered, shock stunning him. “You RAPED me?! In front of him?!”

“Yes, I did,” Akito crooned, a nostalgic note in his voice. “And you even enjoyed it for a moment.”

“Wha-?” Yuki tried to ask, but his stomach churned and nausea threatened to take over his senses. The thought that he had been violated and didn’t even remember it made him physically ill. His knees went weak. Akito had never NEVER done something like that before.

“You-You-” Yuki panted. He couldn’t control his thoughts and his body was starting to panic. Rage. Fear. Hate. Confusion. Sadness. Shock. They all hit him at once, making him speechless. He swayed where he stood and had to lean against a nearby tree to gain his balance. His entire world felt like it had literally tilted.

“I have my reasons. I assure you it was all very intentional,” Akito said coldly. He turned his head at the sound of someone or something crashing through the bushes. “Speak of the devil…” he murmured under his breath.

“That’s enough, Akito!” the cat yelled as he ran full force into the clearing. Yuki, seeing Kyo, felt his knees finally give out, but Kyo immediately scooped him up into his arms. Too far gone to feel embarrassed, Yuki let himself lean heavily on his friend, grateful for the solid strength.

“Oh, but I was having such a nice chat with my Little Mouse,” the pale god teased.

“You leave him the hell alone!” Kyo bristled, arms protectively around the Prince.

“I was doing nothing to him, just answering a few questions he had. I don’t hide the truth, like some choose to.”

The cat physically paled with that.

“You…” Kyo growled.

“Yes, I,” Akito drawled in an annoyance.

“How could you?!” the red-head spat, putting more of his body between the rat and the god.

“He simply asked me how I had hurt you, and I answered his question,” the pale God explained scornfully. “You can’t possibly be angry with me for telling the truth.”

Kyo narrowed his eyes, a threat apparent in their ruby depths. Akito returned the glare.

“You have no place here. Leave. Now,” Kyo growled. “If you don’t, you better hope the real gods are more forgiving than me.”

The pale god stared at the two, his eyes hard and cold. Then, suddenly, he chuckled, a snide smirk creeping across his lips. If Akito’s strange behavior confused the cat, he didn’t show it.

“I see,” Akito said tiredly, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Well, I suppose I can let the two of you continue this little charade of freedom a little while longer. But, do remember, we are of the same family and, ultimately, I am the one who decides what freedom is granted.”

Kyo continued to glare. Akito smiled once more and turned back to the shadows.

“You can’t cut blood ties,” the pale god said over his shoulder. “No matter how hard you try.”

And he disappeared.

Kyo waited until he was sure Akito was gone before hurriedly dragging the dazed Yuki with him back to Shigure’s.

As soon as they arrived, Shigure and Tohru came to them with worried faces. Kyo gave them a careful look that said not to ask anything. Tohru fidgeted with her hands, tears shimmering in her eyes. The dog gave a nod of understanding and gently guided Tohru back into the living room. The cat helped the catatonic Yuki upstairs to Kyo’s room. There was no way in hell he was going to leave Yuki alone after all that! The red head sat the Prince on the bed and stood, anxiously rubbing the back of his neck.

“Wait here for just a sec, I’m gonna go get you some water.” Kyo said, turning to leave.

“He ra-…me?” came a soft broken whisper from the boy on the bed. Kyo slowly turned back around, his heart hammering in his chest so much it ached. He looked upon the shivering Prince and swore to himself then and there that he would do everything in his power to keep Yuki away from theat bastard Head of the Clan! The cat moved back to Yuki’s side, putting a strong arm around his shaking shoulders. Yuki was crying again, and Akito would pay.

“Yes…” Kyo finally admitted, his own voice rough and low. “I didn’t think you’d want to know…”

The rat was silent, though his body shook with sobs. Kyo verifying what Akito said was too hard to take.

“Oh-Oh…god…” Yuki whimpered sadly. His stomach still churned and everything seemed to be slipping away. Why? Why?! What did he ever do to make Akito hate him? Really, what had he ever done? He had never disobeyed! He had never spoken against him! Why would he do something so…so…He felt bile rise in his throat. Yuki suddenly jumped up from the bed and ran full tilt for the bathroom, slamming into door frames and walls in his haphazard run.

The cat ran after him, but was stopped by the bathroom door sliding shut in his face. On the other side he could hear Yuki wretching, punctuated by pathetic sobs and angry curses. The cat didn’t have the heart to force his way in. His ex-rival had been forced into too much already, and he didn’t want to contribute to any more of his newfound friend’s pain. But, damn, it hurt him, too! Kyo could feel his own tears as he helplessly listened to Yuki crying his heart out. Finally, it came to be too much for the Prince’s frail body, and the curse overtook him, as if to further insult him. As if he didn’t feel low enough…pathetic enough…dirty enough…he had to become his rat self…though he welcomed the darkness of sleep that shortly followed after. In sleep he wouldn’t have to feel…anything.
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“That bastard…” Kyo growled under his breath as he descended the stairs. “That sick sonofabitch!”

“Kyo..” Tohru helplessly whimpered. She wasn’t sure what to do. After Kyo and Yuki had returned, Shigure told her to stay in house and wait for things to calm down, and then he left without saying where he was going. Hoping to distract herself, she had set to making a lavish dinner, knowing that everyone would need the comfort of a good meal. She tried to ignore the thumping and banging upstairs, and the sudden silence afterwards did nothing to soothe her. Something was terribly wrong. And, sure enough, about an hour later, Kyo finally came downstairs. She wasn’t surprised that Yuki wasn’t with him. No doubt Akito had said something horrible to him again. No doubt Yuki would be down fort he count for a while.

Kyo had come downstairs mumbling and cursing under his breath. When she asked about Yuki, he just looked at her with his tear streaked face. She gasped in surprise. It wasn’t the tears, it was the sheer fury and animosity in Kyo’s eyes. Tohru had never seen a look so full of hatred.

“Is Yuki…?” she whispered.

“Akito did this to him!” Kyo barked. “That twisted-”

“Is Yuki okay?” Tohru interrupted with an uncharacteristic stern expression. Kyo grit his teeth and composed himself.

“Yeah. He just transformed. I put him in bed.” he said carefully. The girl’s face softened.

“Are you okay?”

“No,” Kyo hissed. “I’m not.”
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“Why don’t you just tell them, Akito?”

“Tell them what?” Akito asked, voice airy.
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“He did this. He keeps hurting Yuki.”
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“That you couldn’t stand to see them break apart, so you forced them together again?”

“What makes you think I did that?”
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“He wants to break him and tear him apart until there’s nothing left.”
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“I’ve was there. I saw how upset you were when Yuki hurt Kyo…that your plans had been ruined.”

“Well, it had been rather upsetting. All that work gone to waste.”
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“He wants to destroy every bit of happiness Yuki can have.”
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“You should tell just them.”

“And why should I?”
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“I can’t let this go on.”
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“Because you want them to love you, not fear you.”

“Ah, but fear is such a powerful tool, Shigure. It keeps them guessing and conveniently under my thumb. They are much less likely to misbehave and incur my wrath, to follow a path I find to be much safer. That is why I keep using it against my Little Mouse. And fear so opportunely creates a strong bond between people…”
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“I can’t let him destroy what we have.”
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“That’s not what you want, Akito. I’ve seen you shed tears over this.”

“I think you, of all people, would understand,” the pale god hissed.

“Yes, I do, but, they will ever understand what you’ve done for them. They’ll never know how hard you tried to force them together. They will never know how much you gave up, or how much you really love them.”

“Yes, well, they don’t need to know that.”
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“I can’t let him destroy Yuki.”
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“And why not, Akito? Why do you force yourself to play the villain?”

“Because I am fully aware that my insanity is just as strong as my love for my family! I hold no illusions that I will ever get better. I cannot always control myself or my fickle sanity! I’ve been a villain in the past, and so I am a villain now. Whatever it takes. Whatever they need.”

“So you can protect your heart from dissapointment?”

“No, to protect them, you, everyone I love! I’ve let my pain and fear consume me for too long, so I have become septic! I have poisoned myself and am dying on the inside. I know the signs, Shigure, and while I must live with this, I refuse to let anyone else I love do the same to themselves!”
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“I can’t let him destroy what I love.”
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“They will know one day, Akito.”

“If they do, make sure it’s after I’m dead. I want nothing for what I have done.”
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“I’m going to kill him.”

She could do nothing as she watched the cat stride past her and right out the door.

And Tohru finally understood. It wasn’t just hatred she saw burning in those ruby eyes…it was murderous intent.

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Yeah, sorry about the weird dialogue. In case it's too confusing, it's Kyo talking in between the whole Akito Shigure convo. I was going for...something there, I'm not sure what. Oh, and Akito's "You're finally living up to your name" comment, for those who don't know: "yuki" in Japanese can mean "courage" depending on the kanji. I'm lazy, so I didn't check to see what kanji were in Yuki's name. It's a pun, deal with it! ^_^