The Final Chapter

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Again thank you for reading and reviewing and favoriting. Enjoy the conclusion of Cat Lover

The judge pounded the table to get the rooms attention when I walked back into the room, the murmuring slowly died down. Father swiveled in his chair to glare at me as I walked in and I gave him a steady gaze. Uo-chan stepped forward blocking me from view and staring him down herself.

I sank into my chair and I felt Tohru wrap her arm around my shoulders. "It's almost over." She whispered and I leaned into her for a moment before straightening and giving the judge my full attention.

"I had two cases before me. One the mistreatment of a child; the other slander and insanity. I have to say that it has been years since any cases like this have come across my desk and this has been one for the records. Now I am ready to render judgment."

I sat forward staring at him intently. I could feel eyes on my back and the intense attention the courtroom had as we waited for the judge to tell us his decision. I had mixed feelings about the whole thing. I had gone in with a determination to take my father and make him pay for what he had done to me but…was I any better than he was? He had punished me over and over for not being good enough for him and mother, for being a monster; wasn't that what I was doing?

I stood and the judge looked at me surprised. "I am sorry to interrupt you before you speak." I said bowing, "However I would make one request."

The judge nodded and I looked down at my hands trembling at my side. I fisted them and met the judges eyes. "I would like you to submit a policy to protect children from the abuse that I received. It won't save everyone but I am sure that it can prevent people from blindly lashing out if they think that they might get in trouble. I don't know if it would have stopped my parents knowing that it would cost them most of their money, or jail time, or their standing in society but for some people it might make them pause. I don't want this to be about me getting back at my parents for their behavior, I want this to be a way to help other children who one day might have the same problem." I sat down and for a moment the court was silent then cheering started behind me. I ducked my head as Uo-chan and Michiko pounded me on the back and Tohru touched my arm.

The judge banged the table again for quiet and I looked up at him ignoring the tears that slid silently down my cheeks. He studied me for a moment then nodded. "I believe you are right. I have seen many child abuse criminals get off too easily and with you taking a stand the way you are, there is a chance we can get the laws stricter. Now, Mr. Takahashi, Miss Takahashi, please stand." We stood, our eyes glued to the judge and for a moment I felt like giggling, I could just hear the dramatic music in the background, but I knew it was only my exhaustion creeping up on me. "All charges against Miss Takahashi saying she was violent, a chronic liar, and mentally unstable are dismissed. It is in my opinion that any mental instability she may have was incurred through abuse and neglect, not innate. Furthermore, all charges against Mr. and Mrs. Takahashi are justified. The court fines Mr. and Mrs. Takahashi both lawyer fees and requires 75 of their net worth to be paid to Miss Amaya Takahashi for physical and mental abuse and degradation. Mr. Takahashi you are sentenced to twenty years in prison with chance of parole in fifteen years, your wife is sentenced to thiry years in prison with no of parole for her attack on Miss Takahashi while this court was in session-"

The judge cut off with a gasp as father reached into his coat and pulled out a gun. The world froze as he turned to me and pointed the gun at me. "You may look like an innocent sweet girl but I know what is inside of you." He screamed and leapt forward. I jumped to the side forcing him further and further away from the galley and my friends. I didn't want them to get in the line of fire, Uo-chan started forward and Hana grabbed her arm, Tohru was holding onto Yuki's arm and Kyo was climbing slowly over the railing.

Father lunged forward and managed to grab my arm as I tried to get out of his way. I hit the floor hard and scrambled to my feet as his hand reached for my throat. I scrambled to get out of his reach and he put the gun to my head. "I will show them what you really are." He growled at me his eyes blazing with hatred and madness.

I looked over his shoulder and saw Kyo had stopped advancing, he wouldn't risk coming closer with the gun so close to my head. I could see the anger and fear in his eyes and tried to reassure him with mine, tried to tell him that I would be alright, but I knew the tears in my eyes made me a liar. I looked back at my father when he wrapped his hand around my locket. "Nothing changes when you pull that off." I whispered glaring at him. "I still won."

He pushed me hard, sending me flying into a table. "You won't win!" He pointed the gun at my head and I closed my eyes.

"I already did." I whispered and waited for him to pull the trigger. I heard the explosion and…felt nothing. I heard screaming followed by a second shot and still no pain. I opened my eyes and saw not my father and his gun, but the back of someone who had leapt in front of me.

Aski dropped to one knee the gun in his hand clattering to the floor. Kyo raced forward and caught him before he fell onto his face. My father lay dead a few feet away. I moved forward until I could look at Aski's face and I saw the blood beginning to spread across his chest. "Aski…" I breathed reaching out a hand to his cheek.

Hatori rushed forward and lay Aski on his back and pulled out his medical bag. "Stupid, stupid man, bringing a gun to the court, what was he thinking?" He muttered kicking my fathers legs out of his way.

"Sorry Miss. Takahashi. I tried to get here sooner." He whispered looking into my face. His eyes were tight with pain and fear. He winced as Hatori cut the shirt from his chest and touched my hand gently. "Mom let out that Mr. Takahashi had brought a gun meaning to kill you…if he lost." His eyes fluttered and I gripped his hand tightly. "I ran all the way here with her gun to protect you."

"Why? Why would you protect me?" I whispered.

"You understood…what it was like to be…the unwanted child. And I wished I would have tried to help sooner…sister." His eyes opened and met mine. "Mom also let out that…I was a product of their affair."

"Stop talking, you'll be fine." I said pressing a finger to his lips. "Try not to move to much." Kyo touched my arm gently and I leaned back to look at him. His eyes were filled with grief and fear, he didn't think Aski would survive. "I don't even know your first name." I whispered turning back to my half-brother.

"Tomi." He said softly, he squeezed my hand gently then closed his eyes.

I looked up at Hatori and he met my eyes unblinkingly. I could read in his face what he was thinking; there was little chance of Aski…of Tomi surviving. I closed my eyes and felt tears stinging at my eyes. Tomi and I had just learned that we were siblings…just learned that we were both unwanted by our parents, maybe especially the father we both shared. And now I wasn't going to get a chance to get to know him, help raise him as he should have been raised. No matter the tough façade he presented, he was only fifteen and had plenty of life that he should be able to live. I touched the locket at my throat and remembered that I had placed a small picture of Ama in there before coming to court today, he needed the protection that she had given me all this time. I fingered the chain and pulled it from my neck, many of the gallery had fled, only the Sohma's, Michiki, Tohru, Uo-chan, and Hana were still in the room though I could hear security running towards us.

The world started to slow down as the locket went over my head. I felt the world take a breath and when the locket was fully off I closed my eyes waiting to shift and the screaming to start, but nothing happened. I placed the locket in Tomi's hand and held his hand closed. "Help him."

Kyo leaned forward and wrapped his arms around me, as if to protect me from changing into our cat form. Nothing happened.

Hatori dropped his medical bag and Shigure jumped to his feet. Yuki grabbed onto Tohru's arm and Haru sat down.

Back at the house Kagura started to cry and Ayame to laugh, all over the place, the Sohma's felt a warm wind blow through their hearts and the world was set right.

Kyo was holding me and neither of us was changing. The curse…was gone. I felt relief and exhilaration rushing through me, I was being hugged by Kyo and wasn't changing. But I looked at Tomi bleeding, because he had sacrificed himself for me and…I wasn't sure it was worth it.

I turned into Kyo's arms and started to cry.

I held Kyo's hand and looked down at the gravestone. It had been a long year, the publicity that surrounded the death of my father and the institutionalization of my mother, the attempted murder of me, an abused child speaking out against my father.

I got my wish, the laws were being rewritten and strengthened each day to protect other children from going through the horror that had happened to me. I ran my free hand down my rounded tummy and the diamond on my finger sparkled. Kyo and I had been married almost nine months and the baby was due in around three. Yuki and Tohru were expecting their first any day now. After the breaking of the curse, Yuki hadn't wasted any time proposing and convincing her to marry him. Tohru was so happy and excited about her first child though in odd moments she would begin to cry wishing her mom was there with her. It helped a lot that her grandmother had moved in with her and Yuki in their own place to help take care of her and the baby when it came, Tohru, being Tohru was a bit of a klutz and her grandmother helped keep her from harming herself or the baby doing chores that would put unneeded stress on them. Michiko had married Timmy a few weeks back, he decided that she wasn't too young and she finally got the man she'd loved for so long.

I squeezed Kyo's hand and bent down to lay my flowers on the grave. Kyo placed his own as did Yuki, Tohru, Uo-chan and Hana. I turned to my side and smiled at Tomi before helping him place his own flowers on the grave. Tomi had survived and for that I was immensely grateful, he had been shot in the stomach more than the chest and though the bullet missed all the vital organs, on its way out it had hit his spine causing him to lose the use of his legs. He didn't mind though, it turns out that he had a hidden talent as well. He could play the piano beautifully and he didn't need to stand to be able to do it. Tohru sat at the front of the grave and smiled her sweet sad smile. "Hey mom. It's us. We…we wanted to thank you. If not for you and the way you raised me, the way you sacrificed everything for me, and the way you…died trying to keep our family going."
Tohru's voice cracked and Yuki reached down to tangle his fingers in her hair. "There is no way that we would be where we are today. I miss you everyday and I love you so much. Thank you for being the great mom you were." She stood with the help of Kyo and Yuki and gave her mothers grave a last smile. "I hope I can be half as good as you were."

The sun shone down on us as we left. This was our family now, all of us. We had become so close, it almost seemed too quickly but we were meant to be family and none of us would have it any other way.

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