Four Years Later
Tohru held Niko's hand as they walked around the park. He was smiling and chattering away. She smiled sadly at him.
"…and guess what mama. Akito-sama said that if I was a good boy he'd let me visit you again soon," he finished happily.
She felt a familiar flare of sadness and anger at the man who had taken her son away. She ruffled Niko's red hair. The colour was a mixture of her brown hair and Kyo's orange hair.
"That'd be great Ni," she said, smiling down at him.
She glanced at Hatori who was walking along beside them silently. This wasn't surprising. He normally was on these outings. After Kyo died he had seemed to lose a bit of himself. Tohru had been surprised. She didn't know that he'd cared about Kyo that much. He seemed to love Niko at any rate.
"I'm gonna go play on the swings, mama," Niko said.
"Okay be careful sweetie," she said, watching him run towards the swings.
She and Hatori sat on a bench. After awhile she said "Ha'ri?"
He stared at her with those dead eyes.
"Is Akito treating him any better?" she asked, worriedly. She knew that Akito wasn't very kind to Niko. He held the fact that he was the cat and also Kyo's son against him.
Hatori's eyes grew guarded and he said slowly, "Well he seems a bit less cruel. He's taken to treating him the way he used to treat Yuki."
Tohru couldn't decide if that was better or worse.
Absently, she said longingly, "I wish Kyo was here."
Pain flashed across Hatori's face and she was shocked by the show of emotion.
"What's wrong?" she asked. She knew that he wasn't only upset about Kyo's death.
He sighed.
"Kagura is pregnant," he said.
Tohru gasped. She knew what it meant. She had been sixteen when Niko had been taken away. Kyo had died two months before he was born so he hadn't been there to stop Akito. A year after Niko had been born Yuki had made a deal with Akito so that he could marry Kagura. It had been dangerous considering what Akito had done to Hatori when he had asked to marry Kana but Akito had been surprisingly calm. His request was that he be given their first child if it wasn't cursed. He only had control over the cursed Sohmas so he needed permission to take a child free of the curse. Yuki had known that it was a dangerous gamble but he had love Kagura so much so he agreed and now chances were he would have to give up his baby.
Tohru watched Niko play and felt her heart break for Yuki and Kagura.
"Tell them I'm sorry," she said to Hatori and he nodded.
She thought back to when Yuki had told her that he loved Kagura. She'd smiled brightly even though she'd still been hurting from losing Kyo and Niko.
She supposed it was for the best seeing as she couldn't really hold Niko without him changing into a kitten. The few times she'd seen him when he was a baby she'd had to hold him away from her body. Even now she still had to resist the urge to pick him up and hug him close. That was part of the reason why Hatori always came with her when she was allowed to take Niko out. He did the things that she couldn't.
"Tohru," Hatori said, softly.
She stiffened as she recognized the tone and then she turned to him.
"It's time to go," Hatori said, apologetically.
Sighing she called "Ni!"
Niko slipped off of the swings and hurried towards them on his little legs. She smiled sadly at him.
"Time to go sweetie," she said.
"Okay mama," he replied playing with his bracelet (the same as the one Kyo had worn). It was a habit he had of doing when he was unhappy.
Hatori got up and she took Niko's hand and followed him. They got into Hatori's sleek black car. Tohru took her usual seat in the back with Niko and he started chattering away again.
When they reached Shigure's house she leaned over to kiss Niko like she always did.
"Goodbye sweetie," she said smiling at him.
"Goodbye mama," he replied, pouting slightly.
"Goodbye, Ha'ri. Thank you," she said.
"Anytime. Goodbye Tohru," he replied.
She watched as they drove off and then headed towards the house. She hadn't left when Kyo had died or when Yuki had moved out to live in an apartment with Kagura and Shigure seemed to enjoy the company. So she stayed. For him and because she had nowhere else to go.