Author's Note: It seems that I write the longest author's notes doesn't it? Maybe because its that I'm so worried people will question my motives (or where the plot of this thing is headed. And at one point, I'm not sure where it is. But I shall sort that mess out!)? Hmmm? Ah, I dunno.

Erm, sorry about there not being review responses I got too many to reply! But that's a good thing! If it wouldn't take up a page to reply I'd totally reply to each and every one of you because I like the input you give me. But thank you soooo much for all the reviews you guys:hugs:

I apologize for the long wait…I've been busy with some personal things and other stuff. Whee cosplay! (Anyone going to Anime North? I have like 8 costumes to finish in a month )

Disclaimer: If only I could think of something witty to say. But alas, I can't. I will however add that Shigure is hawt…and now I'm done being a fangirl.

Pieces of You

Chapter Four

I Tried

"'I'll return home,'

Your voice passes me by.

I was stubborn.

I acted all tough.

As I turn back time,

Should I have called to you?

What if I would have shed tears asking you not to go?

And finally,

I can't do anything now."

Kouda Kumi, 1000 no Kotoba (Final Fantasy X-2)

I stood in the doorway panting, ginger colored hair falling over my eyes as I glared at the men positioned across the room. I clenched my fist at my side, bottling up the anger that was quickly growing. I was soaking wet, sore and covered in mud. But I had bought her some time at least. I turned towards that damn rat, hating how he was standing there and looking so calm. Wasn't he aware of what was going on? Did he even care about her? God, he pisses me off. How come he wasn't trying to help when she was going to get…

I cut off my train of thought and reassured myself that she would be fine. However, that didn't change the situation. And knowing Akito, the sick bastard would follow her. I had to do something.

I threw a punch at the wall, creating a rather large hole in the plaster. It was either the wall or someone in the room. For this occasion, I opted for the wall. I heard Yuki coughing from the corner as white dust flew through the air.

"Kyo-kun…I really wish you wouldn't break my house when you get angry," Shigure stated from a chair across the room, looking anything but worried over the 'guest' we had had in our home for so long. What was he saying anyway? I had every right to be angry! This was half his fault! And if I broke his house, oh well!

"Dammit! Shut the hell up!" I shouted, ignoring the pain in my right hand. Despite appearances, throwing your fist into a wall isn't pleasant. "This is your fault! You had it planned from the beginning! You used her and now you're just going to sit there and pretend nothing's wrong!"

I saw him look away, averting his gaze towards the ground. I couldn't tell what he was thinking at that moment. The again, who could ever tell what he was thinking? Whatever was racing through that mind of his…he looked almost sorry. That wasn't good enough though. He wasn't even answering me.

"So…all of you are just going to accept this!" I yelled at them, my body shaking with anger. Shigure remained unchanged in expression, where as Hatori, who had been silent this entire time looked regretful. Akito however, had the most disgusting grin on his face as he walked towards me. And Yuki, the second I looked in his direction he frowned and then stared at the ground. I hoped he felt bad…in fact, I hoped the thought of her having that done to her was tearing him to shreds inside. He should feel bad. Because he wasn't doing a thing to help her.

"They don't have to accept it," Akito began, the grin on his face only growing as he continued, "But they will obey me. As will you. Don't interfere. You want to be part of this family don't you? We don't have room for misbehaving animals…especially disgusting cats." There were only inches separating us now and he smirked as he saw my reaction to those words. I knew my eyes had grown wide at his words.

I aimed a punch at Akito's stomach, hoping to knock the grin right off of his face. Unfortunately, my punch was stopped mid-air as Yuki decided to interfere. He had both of my hands blocked with his own and I was attempting to push my way out of the lock. I growled slightly.

"Gah! You stupid rat! What the hell do you think you're pulling!" I was beyond angry now. First he was just going to sit back and let her get hurt. Now, he was preventing me from saving her.

"Don't be an idiot…" he muttered, "Akito's head of family. You can't do anything now."

"So what?" I shouted, finally shoving him away, "I'm not part of this family, remember?" I smirked, one arm extended back as I rubbed my shoulder.

"Out. Everyone. Except Kyo here."

Everyone turned towards Akito. My eyes widened, as did the others. I had no idea what was going on or what that freak was planning. But this could be my chance to save her. I had to. I promised her she could come home.

The others hurriedly left, leaving only myself and Akito in the room now. It was silent for the longest time, only the sound of rain smashing upon the roof audible. He was standing by the window, running a long pale finger across the dark wood frame as his grey eyes peered through the water-streaked glass. I noted my own reflection in the glass behind, just now realizing how pathetic I looked. He lifted his hand delicately to the glass, his eyes looking at his own hand but staring past it at the same time. Why was he so hard to read?

"Kyo…you want to be a member of the zodiac, don't you?" he asked, the words sliding out of his mouth sounding persuasive. I quickly turned my head away from the window where he stood, my crimson eyes darting to the floor.

"Just let Hatori deal with that cute girl and be mature about the situation. You can only gain from obedience," he stated, smiling pleasantly. He had called her 'cute'. It was faked kindness, I knew. The way he had said it almost made it an insult. As if he was mocking her. I think he wished she was in the room that moment, so he could smear those false words of kindness on her. She would just smile at him. Maybe even thank him for the compliment. And then he would grin, pleased that his charade had been received so well.

But being part of the zodiac. Wasn't it what I had wanted? To be a part of this family that had shunned me from their 'circle' my entire life. Then why did the prospect of having all that seem to make me nauseous. If I let her get hurt, I don't think that would mean a thing anymore.

Akito turned from the glass window, the place where his fingers had been leaving soft smudges on the otherwise flawless surface. He walked towards me slowly, his footsteps creating slight thuds on the hardwood floor. I couldn't tell what he was thinking from his eyes. Those grey eyes never looked at you, only into you or past you. He knew other's emotions well, he could read people well. He knew how to play with people's emotions and manipulate them to his own motives. But when it was time to even attempt to get a grasp on what thoughts were running through that head of his it was damn near impossible.

I felt my lip quivering slightly as he approached and my eyes widened. Was I scared of him? Without even my own knowledge of the fear? Maybe I was. After all, my entire life, I had lived with the idea that Akito and God were the same person. If this man, who was tormented so much on the inside and so sadistic in nature--if he truly was our God--what chance in the world did I have of disobeying him? Did we all have? I was never much for religion, but isn't God supposed to be merciful? Akito…is anything but that.

Finally, he was only inches from me, his own face hovering only fractions of an inch from my own. I hadn't noticed him getting so close to me, nor had I noticed that I'd backed up into the window, the cold glass sending shivers up my back. I could feel his hot breath hitting my face as he put one arm on the window over each of my shoulders, blocking any chance I had of ridding myself of the situation. To say the least, the position was awkward.

"Does that girl really mean more to you than me?" he asked slowly, his eyes peering directly into my own. I quickly averted his gaze, not wanting those seeking eyes of his to find what he was looking for in my own.

I didn't answer him. In truth, I did, but it'd be a cold day in hell that I would ever admit that to him. He would use it against me…and her. However, my expression must have given me away. And then he started laughing and dropped one of his arms to his stomach, the other still on the window. He was hunched over laughing--more like cackling--in front of me, and all I could do was stare in confusion.

"What the hell--" I began, but was quickly cut off as Akito's laughing trailed away. He looked up at me, that same sick smile on his face.

"Filth remains with filth I see."

That bastard. He could insult me all he wanted, I didn't care. I had grown used to it. But not her. I wouldn't let him touch her. Not even with his words.

"Take that back…" I squeezed out of my clenched teeth. I balled my fist, preparing to hit him in the jaw if he made even the slightest of a cocky smirk, "Don't talk about her."

"Tsk…is the poor cat angry now? You really should learn how to control yourself Kyo-kun," he added with a smile, beginning to walk away. His back was to me now, I could hit him if I wanted. For some reason, I was hesitating…almost as if he was untouchable even if I tried with all my might to reach him. I'd get nothing but air--maybe wind. Yes, a cold breeze.

"Now that I've made you angry…that I've called that treasure of yours filth…you want to kill me, don't you? But you're afraid because you know your place," he explained. And in all actuality, he was most likely correct, "You were born the cat. Your life is worthless…and in due time no one will know you even exist. And if they did…they'll forget. Not because I forced them to…but because that's what happens to worthless memories. You forget them."

I really didn't know where he was going with this, but nonetheless I wanted to smack his head into a cement block a few hundred times. That sick grin of his remained on his face as he turned his head around just enough to glance at me from the corner of his grey eyes. He was searching for hurt, maybe hopelessness. But I wasn't. Not yet. I still had her.

"So…to make this all easier for you…I'll spare you the suffering of watching her drift away from you. I could have made you watched her forget you. But instead…" he trailed off suddenly as I eyed him suspiciously. Before I knew what was happening, I felt his hand on my forehead, bony fingers gripping my hair as he pushed me against the window. I could hear a crunch as the glass began to fracture behind me and then a crash as it exploded into thousands of pieces. I was falling.

'Dammit, I was an idiot,' Kyo Sohma mentally scolded himself, sitting cross-legged on the porch of Shigure's house as rain poured down from the overcast sky. He ran a hand through his damp orange hair, staring at the rain slamming into the ground intensely. Rain had never made him a terribly happy person, but lately when it rained it was worse. Because he would start thinking of that night. It had been months now, but he still couldn't get over the fact that she was gone. Things honestly had not been the same lately. He had barely spoken to Yuki at all, and therefore had not talked to him at all either. Even Shigure, who normally was always joking around and talkative was keeping to himself.

The boy was so buried in thought that he didn't notice the shuffling of clothing behind him or the soft pat of foot steps on the wooden floor.

"Hey…"

Kyo snapped around, jumping several feet into the air in the process and got ready to punch whoever it was standing behind him. However, upon coming face to face he dropped his fist and sighed as he sat back down.

"What do you want, Haru?" he asked exasperatedly, his back turned away from the younger teen. He was in no mood to start an argument.

"Hm, don't know really…" he replied, standing behind Kyo with his hands shoved into the pockets of his pants. They sat there in silence for awhile, neither of them really wanting to say anything and watched the rain. Kyo occasionally glanced at Hatsuharu from the corner of his eye, wondering what in the world he was doing bothering him like this. Haru on the other hand, was staring off into the surroundings. Although it looked more like he was staring past whatever was really there and at something else entirely.

Finally, Kyo spoke up, growing aggravated with it all, "Then what the hell did you come out here for? If you came to fight me, I'm not interested."

"No, it's not that," he stated, and sat down next to Kyo, "It seems to me, that some people have been spending a lot of energy on you."

"What are you talking about?" Kyo questioned, raising an eyebrow. He didn't understand half the things Haru said. It was like comprehending a foreign language at times.

"Ah nothing, I guess," he answered and then stood up, turning to go back inside the house, "But by the way, you should think about others if you're going to act this way. It may not seem it, but they think about you." With that, he walked back inside, closing the paper door behind him. Kyo watched his slim shadow fade away from the door and then turned back to the rain and sighed.

'What the hell was that about?' he thought to himself, growing even more confused. He sighed and stood up, not bothering to brush the dirt off of his pants and walked inside. The second he opened the door he regretted it. He stared wide-eyed as a blur of yellow and pink flew through the room followed by Haru and Yuki both bent over onto their knees panting. Kyo turned around and closed the door before even setting foot inside the house. He didn't want to know. He really didn't.

"Momiji! Get back here with that!" Haru yelled, chasing after the surprisingly quick boy. He stumbled over something lying on the floor and flew face first in what had quickly accumulated into a huge pile of garbage in the kitchen. His cursing was muffled out by the 'jungle of decay'.

Yuki scrambled into the kitchen just in time to see Haru fly into the garbage pile and sighed. They weren't having any luck catching Momiji. For being so small he was certainly fast. Yuki looked around the kitchen quickly, hoping maybe Momiji had stayed in one spot for more than five seconds. Unfortunately, Yuki didn't see him anywhere.

Momiji on the other hand, had managed to catch the raccoon that had managed to make its way into the house. Unfortunately, Momiji wanted nothing to do with getting rid of it and was insisting that he be allowed to keep it as a pet. The others weren't going to allow it however. Momiji lived in the main house and Akito would never go for something like that. They had explained the situation to him but he still refused to listen to reason and had grabbed the raccoon and made a run for it.

Currently, Momiji had taken shelter in Kyo's room, huddled in a corner with his knees to his chest and the raccoon wrapped in his arms tightly. He pointed a finger and lifted it to his lips.

"Shhh…be quiet or they'll find us," he whispered to the struggling animal. The raccoon wanted nothing to do with hiding and was busy trying to squirm out of Momiji's grasp. Momiji went to shift his weight slightly, bumping into the table that he had been leaning against and causing it to tilt slightly. The sound of glass sliding against the dusty surface of the stained wood caused him to turn and look up. A glass vase was placed neatly upon the table, although its contents were anything but new. And it looked like it hadn't been touched in months.

Soft brown water swirled about in the vase, still unsettled from their sudden movement. Three crippled irises stood weakly in the murky water, their stems drooping slightly. Looking as though the would crumble if you touched them, papery leaves clung onto the browned stems as if by the tips over their fingernails, their wrinkled surfaces curling. And most unfortunately, the once bright purple petals of the irises now were a dim purple, the edges turning a faded brown. A clear milky white line was visible at the top of the vase, a sign of how far the water inside that vase had actually diminished for it was now a few centimeters from the base. Momiji frowned at this, finding it entirely sad in his own way. He was someone who observed things from afar, and often saw things through a different perspective.

Forgetting the animal he had been trying so hard to conceal, he knelt before the small table, reaching out a small hand to touch the dying flowers. As he did so, a soft breeze shifted in through the small opening in the glass window, causing the limp leaves and petals to begin struggling with their will to remain attached to what they were accustomed to. The breeze died and slowly but surely everything feel back into place just as it was. Except in this case, the flowers were only blown closer together.

Momiji smiled, resting his head on the table and gazing softly with bright blue eyes at the wilted flowers.

"Haa-chan! What do you mean I have been infected!" Ayame gasped, jumping up off chair he had been sitting on in Hatori's clinic, "That will not do! I suggest you change your diagnosis at once!"

"Ayame, the…" Hatori trailed off, forgetting what it was that had bit Ayame to begin with between all the 'forthwith' and 'simply wonderful' filled responses. He turned to Shigure, "What was it again, a raccoon?"

Shigure nodded in response, causing Hatori to begin rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration. How did he ever manage to become such a normal person when he was growing up around these two his entire childhood?

"You see, what happened was--" Shigure began, but was quickly cut off by Hatori holding up his hand to signal a stop.

"Please, that's all I need to know." He had decided to save himself the trouble of having to listen to anything else. He knew it would be something idiotic anyway--he knew Shigure and Ayame well enough to know he was right. Which was only more depressing when he thought about it.

He spoke up again, getting back on topic, "Ayame, the animal broke the skin, there's honestly no way to know whether or not it was carrying any diseases unless you happen to have it with you. And from what I've gathered, neither of you do. So I'm recommending you to the hospital in town for treatment."

"Oh! But we have Yuki, Haru, Momiji, and Kyo fetching the thing as we speak!" Ayame added cheerfully, seemingly forgetting the bite he had suffered.

"You're kidding, aren't you? Shigure, you didn't leave them all to catch that thing did you?" Hatori asked, his eyes widening.

"Why yes, we did!" he replied with a grin, "We figured it would save time that way! And I can't be wasting my novelist's salary on exterminators!"

"There was this faint glimmer of hope that both of you weren't completely insane that I had," Shigure began, massaging his temples as he felt a headache coming on, "But now, its gone. Completely gone."

"Do tell us where you have come to this conclusion forthwith, Haa-chan!"

"Oh no! Tori-san is upset with us, Aaya!" Shigure mocked sadness.

"I thought it was obvious…"

"What?"

"Well, this raccoon supposedly bit Ayame and in all likelihood could be rabid. So you decide to leave a bunch of high school students in your home--unattended nonetheless--to catch this thing."

"Oh, you do seem to be right," Shigure agreed, laughing a bit to himself, "But I think its too late to worry about it now! If any of them break my house I'll just have to punish them by taking the money out of their account."

"That wasn't quite what I was getting at."

Author's Note: DONE! MUAHAHA! What'd ya think?

And erm…question. I'm a little ahead with the manga now (on chapter 67) and I was wondering if any of you minded spoilers in this fic? Or do you mind stuff from beyond that too?

OH! And I must ask. Does anyone else think Haru is a mini-Gackt (a Japanese musician)? Really…I do. I was watching Hey!Hey!Hey! (a Japanese music program) and not paying too much attention as to who was on. I glanced at the screen and went, "Hey…he would make a good Haru cosplayer…" Five minutes later or so I realized it was Gackt and fangirled because its rare to see him on TV in the US. But still…he looks like Haru…or Haru looks like him. I wonder if Takaya-san is a Gackt fan? (I've seen Gackt wearing a bracelet like Kyo's. Maybe she got it from him?)

Please review…especially after I put my heart and soul into that author's note! If you don't I'll be heartbroken. (That and I really like hearing what you have to say )

EDIT: Oh, someone JUST mentioned Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. And I'm a huuuuge Kingdom Hearts fan. I hadn't played the game when I started writing this, but the title got me thinking about memories being a chain that you could link and unlink. Which is where what Tohru said in chapter one came in. I got a GBA a few weeks after writing this first chapter, just so I could play the game, and turns out Namine says something exactly like it oO I was proud of myself for getting something like that from a title. :shrug: