Challenge # 100 Fuse Box

Title: Turning Point
Author: Shauna, Shoomy2003
Rating: PG-13
Words: 1,079
Characters: Tohru, Akito, Yuki, Kyo
Summary: Yuki runs after Kyo to bring him to his senses while Akito confronts Tohru.(I started writing this before seeing the scans and this is what could happen in chapter 121; nothing more, nothing less. Also, I've only read a summary, not a translation, and I have seen the actual scans.)

Warning: THIS IS MAJOR SPOILER INFORMATION FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T READ ABOUT/SEEN CHAPTER 120. You have been warned.

The rain was falling steadily.

The trees were swaying slightly in the wind; a foreboding, cold sound.

Tohru turned to a noise behind her; the sound of unnatural rustling reached her amid the resonance of wind and rain.

Strangely, as if from a dream, Akito stepped out from the bushes. In her hand she clutched a knife.

There was already blood on her hands.

Tohru's eyes widened. Her sopped, dirty feet squished in the mud a little further as she turned completely toward Akito. A flashback of the summer house came unbidden to her mind.

--bloodpainfearangertogetherforever—

Akito's head dropped. A feral grimace formed on her face, her face livid with an unnamable emotion. Her bare feet couldn't feel the wet grass and mud beneath her.

The grimace turned into a grin.

Yuki was sick of running, but he knew that he had to catch up to him.

Him being that stupid baka neko who just turned down the one good thing that had happened to him in a long time.

"I never wanted to fall in love with you…"

Yuki frowned. How could he have said that to her? After what she said?

Yuki felt his resolve harden and his speed picked up. It wasn't before long that he could hear Kyo's adrenaline-laced footsteps pounding through the forest.

As Yuki rounded a tree, he could see Kyo's form darting around a small sapling.

He was close.

Close enough to hear that Kyo's breath was labored; the rain was probably making him feel more sluggish than usual.

Yuki pushed himself a little further—around the sapling that Kyo had just bypassed, over the bush that Kyo had just jumped—and felt an angry bubble form into his throat.

How dare he do this! How dare he run away! Hasn't he realized yet that it doesn't make it better? Running only makes it worse!

A burst of adrenaline filled Yuki; he caught up to the red-haired boy.

Yuki lunged and tackled Kyo to the ground.

A low chuckle caught Tohru off-guard.

Dark leaves from a nearby tree fluttered around Akito, making the atmosphere seem even more ominous.

"You think… that you can beat me?"

Akito gripped the knife in a fist until her knuckles turned white.

"You really think that you can take the Junnishi away from me?"

Akito's fist began to shake.

"You really think… that you have the right… to fall in love with that monster?"

Akito threw her head up to glare directly at Tohru, her angry eyes catching Tohru's only to find that…

Tohru snapped.

Tohru too had fists. Tohru too was shaking. Her eyes were veiled by the wet hair shielding her face.

"He," Tohru ground out, "is not… a monster."

Tohru's face became visible beneath the hair as she looked up at Akito. Her eyes were filled with such an emotion that Akito was surprised at the intensity.

A feral smile made its way to Akito's lips.

"The only monster that exists in the Sohma family," Tohru continued, her eyes taking a self-righteous glint, "is you."

The boys tumbled to the ground, skidding on the wet mud and leaves.

Yuki felt the remaining air whoosh out of his lungs; his blood rushed in his ears creating a roaring that blocked out all other noises. Kyo's body jarred beneath him as they impacted the ground, sliding messily for a few feet before stopping.

Kyo shoved Yuki off of him, crawling on his hands and knees to distance himself before attempting to take off again.

Yuki's breath came labored; putting a hand to his chest, Yuki propped himself up and crawled after Kyo.

The mud squished between his fingers and under his knees. Kyo kept losing his grip on the downward slope they had crashed upon.

"Stop…" Yuki wheezed; it hurt to breathe.

Kyo didn't stop. Instead, it seemed like he was going to try and get up.

Yuki's sweat burned his eyes and nose, his breathing was getting worse. A fleeting thought filled his mind.

My bronchial tubes…

Kyo was crouching on the ground; as he moved to run, he lost his footing on the mud and crashed back to the ground, sliding a few inches.

"DAMNIT!" Kyo screamed, his voice hoarse from running. Kyo grabbed a glob of mud and lobbed it into the air angrily. "FUCK THIS!"

Kyo turned furiously to Yuki, "AND FUCK YOU TOO!"

Yuki closed his eyes, his breath coming hard; a slight whistling sound reverberated from his lungs with each intake and exhale.

They were both silent for a moment, one fuming while the other fought to breathe, before Yuki softly wheezed, "Go back."

Kyo's eyes glared down at Yuki's sodden form. "And why the fuck would I do that?"

Yuki panted slightly, his hand gripping the shirt on his chest as if to give him more room to breathe. "Because… you shouldn't… give… up…"

Akito's glare lightened a little.

"What did you say?"

Tohru's fists seemed to shake harder, but she didn't respond.

Akito gripped the knife harder as she felt her sweat and rain-slicked hand loosen a little.

Kyo's face screwed up in anger and frustration. "I'M NOT GIVING UP!"

Yuki's breath began to even a little; it still came with a wheeze and a pain to his chest, however.

Kyo glared hard at Yuki. "What would you know anyway? Why do you even care?"

Yuki's eyes opened finally and he slid them over to Kyo. "I know… that you've loved her longer than you care to admit…"

"I won't trample…"

Kyo grabbed a fist of mud and flung it at Yuki. Yuki didn't even flinch as the mud splattered against his shirt, pants and face. Kyo punched the ground.

"No. You're wrong."

Yuki looked at the defeat in Kyo's eyes. "When will you stop running?"

Kyo stood, slipped slightly, and sat back down…

Akito brought the knife up level with her chest.

Tohru wasn't even looking at her now. She could do it. She could kill the stupid girl that was taking away her Junnishi.

Just like Kureno. She'd be better off dead.

Akito lunged.

Posted December 18, 2005