Septic

Disclaimer: Lemme see...if I owned Friuts Basket at this point Akito would have died because his little white bird went crazy and pecked his eyes out, and there would be random Mabudachi Trio sex all over the place. So, since these fab-o things didn't happen, it's safe to say that I'm not Natsuki Takaya.

Warnings: Uhm...I guess the characters are a little OOC but...YEAH!! Right now there's not sex...but soon, my friends, soooooon...

A/N: AYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!! This is kinda a short chapter, but I decided to post it anyway because I didn't want to make those of you who like this story to wait any longer for another update. I hate it when authors do that! >_< But I am also a hippocrite, so I'm trying to fix that!! n_n Bon appetit!

//= thoughts and ::=flashbacks

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Yuki struggled to catch his breath as he was once again rammed into the wall by his clan head. Akito laughed maliciously as he joyously tortured the rat.

“Someone had to take care of that filth tainting our family, I’m simply glad it was someone so fitting,” Akito said, face to face with the horrified Yuki. He tried to hide his terror, but Akito’s scathing words simply brought to surface all the doubts he held within himself. He was a terrible person who had done the most shameful thing…He had hurt an innocent person for his own pleasure, as Akito was doing now, but this tortured person was not innocent by any means…

“Did it feel nice to punish that thing for ever being born, Yuki?” Akito hissed.

It had been relief at the time…but the consequences were far too much…too much to handle…too much to risk.

Akito slapped Yuki hard across the face. Yuki nearly cried out in shock. The frail god gripped the rat’s hair, pulling his neck back at a painful angle.

“Pay attention, Yuki! Listen to your god…” Akito snarled maliciously. As Yuki released a repressed whimper, the pale one gently released Yuki’s hair, smiling to himself. He leaned in, his lips whispering into the suffering rat’s ear. “How long was it before you realized you nearly murdered your own cousin?”

The rat had a hard time controlling himself…his body shook beneath Akito’s weight as he felt his chest tighten once again. But he reused to give up on his punishment…this is what he wanted. What he needed. What he deserved…

“I bet it felt wonderful killing your own flesh and blood. Didn’t it, Yuki?”

//I hadn’t believed…//

“Unwanted of the Sohma clan…”

//He hadn’t deserved so much pain…//

“Filth to be swept away!”

//It’s my fault.//

“And it is your doing.”

//Yes, my doing.//

“…this cleansing will be by your hands…”

//Kyo…//

“Your doing…”

//I’m so sorry…//

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The disciplining continued for several hours, Yuki eventually became unresponsive to everything, being so wrapped up in his own dark thoughts. Akito lost interest and left a broken Yuki to wallow in his fresh emotional and physical wounds.
And Yuki could do nothing but hope that a dreamless sleep would come soon, it was the only thing that could stop the tears.

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“Kyo?” Tohru questioned.

The cat looked to her from his place at the window. Yes, he was moving about now that he had recovered almost fully, however, everyone still thought it best to keep him in the hospital. Tohru had brought his attention back from his thoughts.

“Hm?” He grunted As As soon as he looked at her, she dropped her head.

“Kyo…It’s almost time to go home,” she whispered, looking down.

“You make that sound like it’s a bad thing,” Kyo scoffed. Bad thing? Him coming home a bad thing?

“Oh, no! No, Kyo! I didn’t mean it like that! I’ll be very glad to have you back at home,” Tohru babbled. “Sorry…”

“Just say what you wanna say already,” Kyo said, not as fiercely as normal.

“Yes…” she nodded. “I just want to know…what will you do-”

“To that damn rat?!” Kyo nearly yelled. Tohru ducked her head once again.

“Y-yes…I’m worried…”

“That I’ll do the same thing to him,” Kyo said, voice disturbingly calm as he wrapped his arms around his waist. He shook his head. “No…I’ll get him in a fair fight. I won’t sink to his level. Even if the bastard does deserve it! I have more honor than that.” Kyo resumed looking out the window. “Damn rat…”

“Kyo…” Tohru whispered. But Kyo was lost in his own thoughts.

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//Does everyone think I’m so out of control that I’d nearly kill Yuki, like he did to me?! I wouldn’t do that to anyone, since I’ve been through it now. I was scared, even though I never really thought about it…I almost died at his hands.

::My side was hurting so bad that I couldn’t breathe, let alone fight him…::

Almost died.

::The first blow was the worst…the world exploded then, and I couldn’t see or breathe...I could only hear…and feel… The pain was too much for me to handle, and I just wanted to fall down and die…::

What did I do to deserve so much hate? What did I do that was so terrible that I had to die for it?

::I remember the kicks and punches afterwards, but they were nothing compared to that first hit…I remember hearing my ribs crack and my head hurt so much. I must’ve landed wrong. I instinctively fought back, but nothing would stop him…::

I was almost gone…I almost left all of this behind…

::He yelled and screamed at me with each kick…::

Kagura…Haru…Shigure…Master…

::Calling me a coward…a liar…a fake…::

Tohru…

::Telling me I was unwanted and unloved.::

I almost had to leave you… I almost had to leave you all…

::Calling me filth as he killed me…::

Why?!//

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Tohru stayed in the room with Kyo even though he had turned his back to her. She knew he still needed time to recover, but she would not leave him until he asked her to leave. She knew that everything hadn’t sunk in yet, and it would only be a matter of time… Her heart ached as she sat quietly, on the other side of the room, listening to his soft, almost silent sobs. She respectfully remained quiet as she felt her own tears drifting down her cheeks.

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The day came when Kyo could return home, and he very calmly did so. All of the Zodiac, save for one, welcomed him home to Shigure’s. And even Kagura was gentle with him as he settled amongst his family. The only one missing was the rat…but Kyo felt he was not quite yet ready to face his enemy. For that is what Yuki had become, an enemy rather than a petty rival. Kyo wanted to be ready, he wanted to prove to Yuki that his lack of honor would get him. He wanted to prove that he was indeed the better warrior, but he wanted to do it in a fair setting in a fair fight. He did not want to batter Yuki into oblivion, although his subconscious screamed for revenge, but rather, he wanted to show Yuki what true retribution was... Patience and forgiveness, hard lessons for people so young to understand… Things the rat apparently didn’t understand. Kyo never wanted Yuki to do such a thing ever again… it taints a warrior’s soul. And though Kyo despised Yuki as a person, he greatly admired the rat’s abilities as a fighter and honor as a warrior. Kyo would wait to be at his best so that he could finally show that damn rat that Kyo was more noble than he could ever wish to be.

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I'm so sorry!! I'll try to update ASAP, but stupid college is naggin' as is my craptacular job!! Please don't poison my food or anyone else's for that matter!! GOMEN!

Kyo: it! it! When am I gonna kick some ass?!

Naria Lacour de Fanel: Kyo, you're not going to kick ass, you're going to teach Yuki a valuable lesson...

Kyo: Same thing!!

Yuki: Fanel-san, why do I have to be punished?

NLDF: Uhm...because I said so...

Akito: Tell them the truth, WENCH!!

NLDF: *tremble*tremble* Well...

Kyo and Yuki: *glare* What?

NLDF: Akito said he'd give me the Mabudachi Trio if I let him to mean things to Yuki!!!

Akito: Eeeeeexcellent...*grabs Yuki*

NLDF: *lassos trio* Most excellent!! ^_^

Mabudachi Pretties: We never agreed to this!!!

NLDF: I know...BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!