Desiderata

By fallen-angel-b

Rated: M

Summary: When Hatsuharu and Yuki Sohma are suddenly and unexplainably drawn to each other, something unbelievable happens. Could their new relationship be the key to finally putting an end to the family curse?

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and this fic. Everything else is property of whoever created Fruits Basket.

Pairings: Haru/Yuki, Kyo/Tohru, Kagura/OC

Note: Another 7 months or so...another update. Sorry guys! This must hold the world record for the most slowly progressing fanfiction story in the history of fanfiction. This chapter answers some of the questions left over the course of this story - I actually wrote it before I wrote any of the other chapters, back when I first came up with the idea for this story! Hope you find it enjoyable!

Hatori sighed, his dark eyes heavy with the exhaustion he so carefully tried to hide. He crossed the room and sunk into his usual chair beside his desk, turning it so that it was on a sidelong angle. The sound of the chair legs scraping against the wooden floor was even more difficult to cope with than ordinary sounds, causing both Yuki and Haru to cringe and put their hands over their ears simultaneously.

"Sorry," Hatori said sincerely, crossing one leg over the other and resting his cheek on his fist, studying them closely with an intense gaze from behind his sleek dark hair. If it was anyone else, Haru would have called what Hatori was doing slouching, except that people like Hatori never slouched.

"You're going to have to learn to block out that kind of sound, you know," Hana said serenely from where she perched on the edge of a chair she had pulled in from the other room.

Haru glared at her contemptuously. What is she still doing here? Who said she could stay? And what does she know about Yuki and I that we don't? He could feel his frustration pushing him dangerously close to turning Black, but he managed to suppress it using practiced self control. The presence of Yuki's warm body pressed up against his from behind reassured him. If Hatori was allowing Hana to stay, then he had a good reason for it.

"In time, Saki," Hatori answered her firmly, not once taking his eyes off the couple on the edge of the bed. "I think these two deserve an explanation first."

"Well it's about time," Haru couldn't help from exploding with annoyance. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever tell us what's wrong with us."

"Haru…" Yuki whispered warily in his ear, gently squeezing his arm. Glancing over his shoulder, Haru could tell instantly that Yuki was just as annoyed as he was, but was wisely keeping quiet so he could receive an explanation faster. Biting his lip, Haru forced himself to calm down, following his boyfriend's lead.

"I can understand your frustration, but I wanted to make sure you were feeling better before I explained anything to you. Too much new information coming at you at once while you were adjusting to your new senses could have been cataclysmic."

Haru spared a glance at Tohru, whose rich green aura was now tainted with streaks of dark brown. Judging by this and her blatant facial expression, he could see that she was just as confused and lost as he felt.

Hatori opened his mouth to speak. Yuki ran his hand up and down Haru's arm comfortingly, but Haru could sense his anxiety all the same. He placed his own hand over the top of Yuki's for support, bracing himself for whatever was about to come his way. At the last second, however, a thought must have flashed across Hatori's mind, because he closed his mouth again and turned his attention towards Shigure instead.

"Since you're here, Shigure, you may as well give them the story," Hatori smiled at him pensively. "You are a novelist, after all. I'm sure you could tell it better than I could."

"Aw, shucks, Hari, you're embarrassing me," Shigure said it jokingly, but turned a little pink all the same.

Haru cleared his throat loudly, catching everyone off-guard. "I don't need to hear a story – I want to hear some answers. I don't suppose any of you realise, but it is a little disturbing to wake up one morning and find you can see colours around people. Yuki and I have been waiting for this explanation for a while now, and it would be nice if you could just give it to us straight out, alright?"

Haru guessed he must have appeared threatening, allowing some of his darker side to momentarily escape, because Shigure and Tohru both looked intimidated.

"Let him speak, Haru," Yuki said firmly and sagely from behind him. "If Hatori thinks it's worth Shigure telling us this, then it probably is."

Haru grimaced, despite the fact that he knew Yuki was right.

"It's true, Hatsuharu," Hatori put in, "this is important – you'll see why later."

Haru glared from the stone-faced Hatori to the nervously smiling Shigure impertinently, eventually rolling his eyes and muttering, "Get on with it, then."

Shigure's smile broadened as the bulk of attention suddenly fell directly upon him.

"In order to help you to fully understand your situation, we must go back to the very beginning…to the very origins of the Sohma curse itself. And yes, Yuki and Hatsuharu, before you say anything, this is all directly related to your predicament," Shigure spoke in the emotive, fluent tones of a practiced storyteller, making it easy for all the occupants of the room to lose themselves in the tale. "I'm sure you already know some of the history behind the Sohma family, although I'm equally as sure that from time to time you have also wondered about certain things your elders never fully explained to you, such as where the curse originated from and why it was placed on our family in the first place. This is, in fact, a very complicated story, dating back centuries to Feudal Japan.

"You see, many years ago, the Sohma family was even more rich and powerful than it is today – the second richest and most influential clan in all of Japan, to be precise, with only the royal family themselves ahead of them. There were some that believed the Sohmas were even richer than the emperor. But, sadly, the Sohmas did not have a good reputation amongst the common people. They were known for being greedy, sadistic and unkind in general; because of the way they treated everyone who was not of a higher class than them. Unfortunately, there wasn't much anyone could do about the Sohma clan. They were hated, most definitely, but they were far too powerful and no one could stand up to them."

Haru frowned in concern as he felt the distress signals coming from Yuki and gently ran his thumb over the back of his hand, reassuring him that he was there. He knew Yuki was thinking about his ancestors…the sort of people they were…and how it made him both embarrassed and ashamed to be part of such a horrible family. Haru could sympathize exactly with what he was feeling, not just because he could sense his emotions, but also because he was thinking and feeling the same things himself. His father had already told him some of this history before he died, and he knew Yuki had heard this before too, but that never made it any less shameful.

"One of the most notorious members of the Sohma clan, Tomi Yo Sohma, governed the family during the Feudal era of Japanese history. He was famous for being an especially fat and greedy man, and for having seventeen living children – twelve sons and five daughters," Shigure paused to grin at Tohru's sudden, startled gasp. "Because he had so much wealth and so many children whom he married off easily and happily, Tomi thought the fate of his family secure. So secure, in fact, that he allowed his youngest child, a son he named Makoto, a rare privilege for the time. When Makoto reached a marriageable age, his father gave him the freedom to marry whoever he chose, regardless of their social status, family or class. This was both lucky and unlucky for Makoto, since by this time, he was already very much in love. Not with a beautiful young noblewoman, as one would expect, but with a man. Another boy from a rich family, named Kisho, who was also very much in love with him."

"B-but wasn't that…" Tohru stammered, bewildered, "…wrong?" Haru narrowed his eyes at her, and she added hastily, "Uh, not to say that it's 'wrong' in that sense, but -"

"I understand what you mean Tohru," Shigure responded to the interruption politely, "and I don't blame you for being confused, because I doubt they teach you this in school. But homosexuality in Feudal Japan was actually quite common, before western culture was introduced. Since both Makoto and Kisho were the youngest sons of their large families, there wasn't much pressure on them to marry and produce children from their relatives, so it would have been acceptable for the two of them to be together. That is, if it were not for Kisho's family, who loathed and despised the Sohmas for their cruelty above all else. They didn't listen to Kisho when he tried to explain that Makoto was not like his father or the other Sohmas – he was kind and considerate by nature, if a little unbalanced in his emotions at times. Kisho was profound and thoughtful, often quiet and reclusive but deep in ways most people could not comprehend. The two of them balanced each other out. But Kisho's family couldn't see any of this, and completely forbid the whole union.

"In order to escape Kisho's family, the two of them tried to run away together, but they were caught and brought back by Kisho's elder brother. Needless to say, Kisho's family was furious. They banished their son from the house, sending him to live with the Buddhist monks in a temple miles away so that he would never see Makoto again. The family was so angry, in fact, that they used their psychic abilities to curse the Sohmas for all eternity. To prevent as many of them as possible from ever being able to marry and bare children, they made it so that thirteen Sohmas from each generation would magically transform into an animal from the Chinese zodiac whenever they hugged a member of the opposite sex."

"The origin of your curse," Hana stated the obvious.

Shigure nodded. "The next thirteen children born to Makoto's eleven brothers and five sisters were the first to carry the curse of the zodiac. The first-born child of Makoto's favorite brother, who had helped the couple to try and run away, was also the first person to bare the cat curse. Once those thirteen children died, the curse was passed on to the next newborn members of the Sohma family, and so on, right through the ages. Makoto himself was the first to carry the core of the curse, which was planted inside of him, corrupting and poisoning his heart. The dark magic that filled his soul was so powerful and consuming that it began to eat away at him from the inside, effecting his physical health so that he would eventually die young, depressed and in solitude."

The silence finishing Shigure's words was deafening, ringing out throughout the entire room. Haru could sense the disturbance in the auras of the people around him, a reflection of the troubled emotions left there by the story. However, no one was as troubled by it as Yuki, who seemed shaken right down to the core. When he tried to probe a little further, he was enveloped by a series of complex emotions, far too complicated to puzzle out. All he could do was project as much warm and comforting vibes as possible towards his boyfriend, hoping it would help to calm his troubled mind.

At the same time, Haru's own mind felt as if it was frozen over. Although the full mysteries behind the Sohma curse had never been revealed to him before this day, he had always suspected that there was some tragedy involved. But he never expected it to be like this. The real sadness in the tale for him lay behind the fact that he could relate so well to Makoto. He had really felt everything Makoto had when Shigure was telling the story…the love he had for Kisho…his sadness and grief when he lost the one he loved…the guilt and shame he had to live with when his family was cursed for eternity because of him…how he felt he had to isolate himself from the world, slowly dying in the darkness and solitude that engulfed him.

"What happened to Kisho?" Tohru eventually broke the silence, not without a slight tremor in her timid tone.

Shigure sighed sadly. "He went to live with the monks in a far off temple, never to see Makoto or his family again. He lived until he was very old, unaware of Makoto's suffering and eventual death, or anything else that took place outside the temple walls. Or perhaps he was able to use his psychic powers to sense these things. I guess we'll never know."

Haru shivered when he thought about Kisho trapped behind the walls of the temple, helpless and hopeless…separated from the one he loved, never knowing what happened to Makoto or what his fate was…having to live with the knowledge that his lover and his lover's family were cursed for eternity by his own relatives and he could do nothing to change it. When he imagined being separated from Yuki like that…it was enough to drive him insane.

"I can't understand it," Yuki said after another long silence. He spoke without much feeling in his tone, but Haru could feel the inward confusion of emotion coming off him in waves. "This is why the curse originated? Because Kisho's family was so angry at Makoto that they cursed every Sohma…tried to make it so that they couldn't be close to anyone ever again…because they couldn't hug anyone of the opposite sex outside their own family?"

"It was so they couldn't reproduce," Hatori replied evenly. "Kisho's family hated the Sohmas more than just about any other family in Japan at the time, and considering how many people hated the Sohmas…that was quite a lot. They wanted the entire family to die out. If the Sohmas couldn't embrace anyone outside the family of the opposite sex, then what were the chances of them being able to have children? It also would cause the rest of the family great suffering, in one form or another. For those that were cursed, it was the pain of not being able to be close to someone. For those that didn't carry the curse, it was the pain of having to live with a cursed loved one."

"It still doesn't make any sense," Yuki continued to question. "If Kisho's family wanted all the Sohmas gone, then why not create a curse that affected all Sohmas, and not just fourteen of them every generation?"

"Probably because Kisho's family wasn't powerful enough to create a curse that strong," this time it was Hana that provided the answer, startling everyone. "They were yet to fully tap into and explore the secrets behind their power. The zodiac curse was most likely the worst they could conjure up at the time…or at least the worst they could conjure that would fit the criteria they wanted."

Haru had an overpowering urge to tell Hana to either bide her tongue or go away, as none of this was really any of her business, but wisely refrained from doing so. He was beginning to see why Hatori wanted Hana present – she knew more about psychics than any of them ever would, and she might be able to provide them with useful information should it occur to her. Even so, this didn't stop him from feeling exposed and self-conscious with an outsider in the room. With Tohru, of course, it was different. She was pretty much part of the family.

"Besides, the true essence of the curse is more horrible than just this," said Shigure. "It wasn't just designed to prevent us from having children…it was designed to hurt and keep us from leading regular lives. It was meant to cause us as much pain as possible, shattering other relationships…possibilities…dreams. Throughout the years, the curse has always put a great number of restrictions on the family, and no matter how much we may try to defy it, it will always come back to hurt us in the end. Just look at what the curse did to Momiji and his mother, for instance."

"You know, I think this helps me to understand Akito a bit better. The way he is…why he treats people the way he does…why he's sick all the time. None of it is really his fault, his heart is just tainted," Tohru said thoughtfully. "That is, if he is the one who currently carries the core of the Sohma curse, like Makoto did."

Hatori nodded curtly. "The curse was designed to hurt and to destroy. The one who carries the core, like Makoto and Akito, is forever tainted by the blackness of its intentions. All Sohmas who carry the core die young, because the curse will gradually eat away at them from the inside until there is nothing left. There is nothing anyone can do to prevent this from happening. Because I'm the family doctor, it's my job to do as much for Akito as I can to ensure that he lives as long as possible. Unfortunately, though, the curse also taints the subliminal mind of the one who carries the core, causing them to feel dark emotions and do horrible things. They are, in every sense, evil."

"The one who carries the core is also the unquestionable leader of our entire family," Yuki added for Tohru and Hana's sakes, "regardless of their age or gender. Just like the zodiac curse, the core of the curse chooses to inhabit the soul of the very next Sohma child born after the death of the old curse holder. This generation, it chose Akito. Even though the carrier is always destined to be evil, we Sohmas have no choice but to obey the wishes of him or her. The curse forces us to."

"So you see, we are all effected by the curse," Shigure concluded, "whether we are a member of the zodiac or not."

Haru's thoughts were again of Makoto, and all the pain he undoubtedly felt from having to be the first to carry the burden of the curse. He knew that, if it had been him in Makoto's place, he would have blamed himself for everything. It was no wonder Makoto had died so young…such a horrible, solitary death, isolated and alone…tortured by the pain he had caused his whole family until the curse eventually and inevitably destroyed him.

He clenched his hand into a fist as anger flooded through him. The Sohmas of that time may have been bad people, but Makoto wasn't. He was irrational, but he was a good person, trying to make up for the pain he had caused. He hadn't just loved Kisho – they had really been connected. It wasn't right that Makoto and every single generation of his family after that should suffer just because of his love when they had done nothing wrong.

"Why is it that the Sohma family is so large?" Tohru asked curiously. "It's always seemed like there's so many of you, big enough so that people like Haru and Yuki can be together even with the same last name."

"Well, Tomi Yo Sohma did have seventeen children, the first sixteen of which went on to have at least a dozen children each of their own. Those children that weren't cursed by the zodiac had many children as well, and so on," Shigure explained with a grin. "The Sohmas continued to have so many children that soon the family was large enough to occupy a small village. Because the Sohmas were so influential, many of their daughters' husbands had to change their last names to 'Sohma' when they married instead of the other way around, explaining why so many of them have the same last name. Yuki and Haru don't actually have any blood relationship unless they go back over ten generations."

"Hang on," Haru said slowly, "it's great to be finally getting a lesson in family history, but I have to wonder, what does this have to do with me and Yuki exactly?"

"We were getting to that," Hatori said slowly, "but we needed you to understand this first."

"You see, just before Kisho was sent away to live with the monks, his psychic powers gave him a vision of the future," continued Shigure. "He wrote hastily to his beloved, describing what he had seen, sending his letter with a faithful servant. This was at great risk to both his and the servant's life should anyone from his family find out, but he knew he had to let Makoto know, if only to give him hope. For he saw a descendant of the Sohma family inherit psychic powers of their own, stronger than anything his own family could even imagine. That descendant would fall in love, and the strength of that love with their astounding abilities would be enough to break the family curse, liberating them from years of suffering, pain and evil corruption."

Haru felt as though all his breath had been sucked out of him. His eyes immediately went to Yuki, who gazed back at him intently, his aura tainted by conflicting emotion.

"Does Akito know?" Tohru spoke softly into the reflective silence.

Haru felt Yuki tense behind him, and watched as the auras of every person in the room darkened with black thoughts. All attention immediately returned to Hatori, who sighed heavily and unclenched his fist so he could put his head in his hands. The reaction and his aura revealed nothing but darkness in his mind. Fear swept over Haru like a wave of rushing water – he knew the answer could only be bad.

"As long as he is alive, Akito is the curse, Tohru," said Hatori. "He knows everything about it and nearly everything that goes on in this family. The bulk of the family all live under the same roof so Akito can keep his eye on them. Shigure, Yuki and Kyo were allowed to leave the main house only after much persuasion and with the exception that they could not live too far away from him. The corrupted curse carrier always has a strong desire to protect the curse – to keep the curse in place – so they can keep a firm grasp on their power."

A small gasp from Tohru prevented him from going any further, and all turned to her curiously.

"I-I just thought of something," Tohru turned a deep shade of red from all the unwanted attention, "to do with Akito. If he knows about the prophecy Kisho made, then this must be why he tries so hard to separate Sohmas who are in love from their partners by all means necessary, like with Kisa and Hiro, or – or you and Kana, Hatori."

At the mention of Kana's name, Hatori's pastel blue aura suddenly flared with a mixture of contrasting, vibrant emotions. The colours faded away almost as quickly as they had appeared.

"I used to think that it was just because he didn't like seeing people falling in love for some reason, but really, he was trying to stop them from breaking the curse because it would cause him to lose all his power," Tohru continued. "He's scared of Sohmas falling in love, because he doesn't want their love to end up breaking the curse. So he keeps all Sohmas away from their true loves."

"I agree with you, Tohru," Shigure answered her when Hatori remained silent. "Even in ones as young as Kisa and Hiro, there has always been a danger in Akito's mind of a Sohma rising up against him and overthrowing the authority the curse has bestowed on him. With Hari and Kana, there was even more for him to fear, since Hari already had psychic powers. He was even afraid of you for a while, Tohru."

"Of me!" Tohru cried, aghast.

"Yes, of course. You were allowed to keep your memory of the curse because he hoped it would repulse you and keep you from falling in love with a member of the Sohma family. As long as you kept our secret and didn't threaten his power, Akito could let you live with us. Still, he knew that if either Yuki or Kyo fell in love with you, it might bring about the end of the curse. But when he went to visit you, he saw how you interacted with both and realised he had nothing to fear."

"Well, I guess it would seem silly…Kyo…in love with me," Tohru trailed off, an unmistakable sadness in her voice. Haru and Yuki only looked on her curiously.

Hatori cleared his throat awkwardly to break the silence.

"I don't suppose you know this, Saki and Tohru, but there have always been a lot of arranged marriages in the Sohma family. Because of the curse, no two people can be together without receiving the permission of the leader of the family first. The curse carrier always prefers to marry Sohmas to people they don't want to be with so there is less chance they will fall in love. Since Sohmas can't go against the wishes of the curse carrier, they have no choice but to marry who they are betrothed to. Most Sohmas get married within the extended family circle these days, to prevent bringing too many outsiders in."

"That's all very well and good," Haru said in frustration, "but what I'm really interested in is how much Akito knows about me and Yuki yet…that we are – and I am assuming from all this that we are – 'supposedly' the ones to end the curse."

Hatori frowned pensively. "So far, all Akito knows is that you and Yuki have both come down with pneumonia, brought on by the bad weather, and are living in a room close to my office so I can treat you and keep an eye on you both until you're better. He has no idea that you two are the ones to fulfill the prophecy, but, knowing Akito, it won't be long before he uncovers the truth, and when that happens…"

"He won't rest until he kills us both," Haru said blandly when Hatori trailed away.

"I wasn't going to put it so blatantly, but yes, that's exactly what he'll do," he finished reluctantly.

Before Haru even had time to detect the sheer terror in his lover's aura, two arms wrapped protectively around his waist, pulling him back against Yuki's warm body, which pulsed with vibes of fear for the one he loved. Haru clung to him as well, their shared emotions consuming them.

"But what if it isn't me and Haru?" Yuki said fretfully. "How can you know for sure?"

To everyone's surprise, Shigure actually smiled, despite the ominous cloud of worry that hung so threateningly over the entire room.

"You know, Makoto was said to have asked a very similar question of Kisho, all those years ago, on their last meeting."

"And…?" Haru and Yuki prompted in unison.

"And Kisho had just smiled at him and answered, 'A Sohma will be able to tell. They'll just know.' And believe me, boys, we know."

"It's something instinctive," Hatori tried to explain. "Shigure, Momiji and I have been able to feel it since you both underwent the shift in the transformation. Something is already starting to change in the curse. I'm sure the other eight members of the zodiac know it too."

"It does make sense, Yuki," Tohru admitted. "You and Haru falling for each other so suddenly…and all the strange things that have been happening lately…and now you have psychic powers, like Hana."

Hana smiled warmly at her friend. "Not quite like me. Theirs will be far more powerful. It's taken both of them less time to adapt to their new abilities than any psychic I've known before. Also, their transformation suppressed some of the effects of the curse, at least temporarily. When I was treating them neither transformed, even when I had to practically embrace them. And Yuki's female teacher did not cause him to transform when she carried him to the nurse's office at school after he passed out."

"I didn't think of that," Haru admitted, remembering that dreadful day. He had been so worried about Yuki, he hadn't realised the teacher should have caused him to transform the instant she picked him up.

"Does this mean the curse has already been revoked?" Yuki asked hopefully.

"It won't be that easy, I'm afraid," Hana answered in a sincerely apologetic tone. "This curse has ancient holds on your family and is deeply ingrained into your bloodline. It won't be easy even for the most skilled psychic to lift. I believe this state only lasted during the transformation, as the overwhelming effects it took on you both physically and mentally briefly also overwhelmed the curse. Since you are all connected through it, that would explain why Shigure and the others were able to sense a change."

"And shouldn't Akito sense this change too?" Yuki pointed out.

Hatori and Shigure exchanged anxious glances.

"As long as he knows nothing about what's really going on, he cannot make a judgment," Hatori resolved to answer. "We will keep your relationship and your abilities hidden from him as best we can. We can't let him stop you from fulfilling Kisho's prophecy, or there will no longer be any hope for the future of this family."

Haru felt Yuki hold him tighter, and willingly welcomed the embrace. Haru wanted to doubt they could be the ones the prophecy spoke of, even though part of him knew there was no way of denying it. The fate of the entire Sohma family now rested upon their shoulders, and he was sure neither of them had any idea what they should do about it.

"So what happens now?" Haru asked openly, hoping someone would have the answer.

He only received echoing silence and shadows of doubt in everyone's auras as a response.

"Yuki and Haru should run away," Tohru said suddenly, her voice filled with firmness and strength Haru had always known was within her, but had never seen her express before. Her usually calm emerald green gaze locked onto him, piercing and filled with both fear and a determination to put an end to it. "Run away as fast as you can…go as far away from the main house as possible, before Akito finds out about you and hurts you."

"You don't know Akito like we do, Tohru," Yuki answered sadly, "he would hunt us to the ends of the earth if he had to…if that's what it took to keep him from losing his power. No matter where we went, he would eventually find us. Besides, how can we stop the curse if we aren't anywhere near its source?"

"We don't even know how to end the curse yet," Haru said dryly, causing Yuki to cast him a sharp, yet pained look. He immediately felt bad for saying this, because he knew how scared Yuki was by everything – even more afraid then he was. Seeing Yuki so distressed made him feel highly upset, and he was overcome with the empowering need to do everything he could to make Yuki feel better. At the same time, he knew he had to hold back the urge until later, when everyone else left. He was sure he and Yuki were bound to have a long discussion as soon as they were left alone.

"They'll be plenty to time to worry about that later, Hatsuharu. For now, let's just focus on keeping you both healthy and alive," Shigure replied with a wry grin. "And as nice as the idea of running away might seem to you both at the moment, I must say I have to agree with Yuki on this. It would be best if you stayed here for a while, close to people who can help you."

"What do you think, Hatori?" Yuki turned to the other man, seeking a second opinion.

Hatori didn't hesitate to nod in the affirmative. "Yes, I believe hiding in plain sight is the best option for now. If you were to leave, then Akito would suspect something amiss and, as Yuki so eloquently put it, trace you to the ends of the earth. As long as he doesn't know the truth, you're safe and far better protected here."

Haru and Yuki both nodded, knowing that this was the only considerable option, regardless of how much ideas of staying right near Akito terrified them both. Not just because they were afraid of losing their own lives, but because they were afraid of losing each other's and ruining the last chance to save the whole family from a dark and horrible curse.

Haru sighed to himself. It was all up to them now. From now on, he realised numbly, every decision he and Yuki made together could be fatal to the whole Sohma family. It was the first time the reality of it fully set in, and it scared him more than anything else in the world.

"But Hatori…" Yuki began awkwardly, "what exactly are we supposed to do?"

The room fell silent again at this question, none entirely knowing how to answer it. It was what Haru had been afraid of, and he felt highly overwhelmed.

"You needn't be so afraid," said Hana, as always seeming to know what he was thinking. "These things are matters of destiny…beyond our control. When the time comes for you to end the curse, you'll both just know what to do."

Haru blinked at her in surprise, only just remembering she was still there. He suddenly felt angry…not just at Hana for being there, but at the whole world…that fate had decided to throw yet another obstacle in his way. Naturally, he lashed out at the first person he saw.

"What are you still doing here?" he demanded. "Why have you been here all this time? Just what is your place in all of this? It's none of your business!"

He felt vibes projecting from Yuki towards him, trying to calm him down. At the same time, however, he sensed that Yuki was just as curious to know the answers to these questions as he was.

Hana looked from Haru to Yuki and then back again, smiling pensively all the while.

"I thought you would have figured it out by now."

"Figured what out, exactly?" Haru answered, annoyed.

Hana smirked, causing Haru to wonder if she actually enjoyed tormenting them like this.

"That I'm not just an ordinary psychic."

"You're not?" Haru resisted the temptation to roll his eyes at her. Is there such thing as an ordinary psychic?

The smirk left Hana's face and was replaced by an emotionless expression. Not a single colour tainted her aura of deepest purple. She moved her head so that her long black plait swung over one of her shoulders in its trademark fashion, but never once took her coal black eyes away from his face. Haru only stared back at her, refusing to allow her to know he was slightly intimidated by her.

"No, I'm not," she said darkly after a pause. "I happen to know more about you and your family than you realise. You see, I come from an ancient family as well. Do you remember Kisho's older brother – the one that brought him and Makoto back to their home after they ran away together? Well, he is my great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather, give or take a few generations. My family are Kisho's closest descendants alive today. In other words, the Sohma curse derives directly from my inherited psychic abilities."

Haru knew his mouth had fallen open with shock, but for once, he didn't care.

Hana went back to smirking at him again. "So…does my being here finally make sense to you now, Hatsuharu Sohma?"

Note: A lot of loose ends tied up here, I think. I hope everyone reading this is liking the directions I'm taking. Any comments or suggestions are, as always, greatly appreciated. I'm looking forward to getting some feedback now we are getting into the heart of the story!

Thanks for reading, please review!

Replies to Reviews

PocketxFullxOfxDreams: Sorry, sorry, and sorry! I do try very hard to update but life and all its insaneness gets in the way so often! The sad thing is this chapter has been sitting on my computer written for all this time. I really do enjoy writing this story so I will try to update as often as I can, but there will most likely always be huge gaps in updates. Thank you so much for enjoying this though, and sticking with it! It really is the only thing that makes writing it seem worthwhile.

I really loved reading all the comments I got from you as well! It made me so happy. I also love that you really seem to get what I'm aiming for with the characters. I like to try and write about what I think they are seeing and experiencing, not just what I hope the reader will get out of it (though it's always great when the reader gets something out of it, of course!). But I do often wonder if I bore people will all the details sometimes, so I'm really glad you don't think so!

Also glad you like the colours for the auras. I tried not to put any thought into them and just kind of picked them straight away, that way there wouldn't be too much deliberation and they would hopefully suit the characters better xP

Trimacle: Thanks for reading! I had this chapter sitting on my computer for months without updating, very sorry about that! I hope you liked it though!

BLACKxWHITExHARU: Apologies for taking so long to update! I'm so happy that you are enjoying reading this story. I will try my very best to update whenever I get the chance. Hope you like the new chapter!

Melissa Brite: So glad you like this story. Hope you enjoy the new chapter too!

DriftingXDreamer: Thanks for reading this story! I'm so glad you are liking it, and don't mind being taken on such an emotional rollercoaster xP. Let me know what you thinking of the new chapter!