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“I’m sorry, Tohru, but no. Absolutely not.”
Tohru knew Kazuma well enough by now that she knew he was serious. He looked every bit as placid as ever, and his voice was as calm, but inside that calmness was a bite of iron, the same iron reflected in the set of his jaw.
There was no changing his mind, not like this.
But if Kazuma was iron, then so too was Tohru. Kazuma himself had more than once pointed out how once Tohru Honda committed to something, she was all-in, for better or for worse. Her tenacity in the face of opposition had been proven time and time again, and she wasn’t about to back down just because the odds were unfavorable.
Not even when dealing with a foe as formidable as Kazuma Sohma.
It was a brisk October evening, and Tohru had travelled back to Tokyo to attend the wedding of Akito and Shigure. It was to be a small affair with only a handful of guests, but Akito had been earnest in wanting Tohru to attend. And Tohru had very, very much wanted to, except for the tricky ‘Kyo factor.’
Technically Kyo was also invited; Akito had awkwardly stressed that he would be welcome. But it was patently clear to Tohru his invitation was for her benefit; as far as everyone else was concerned, he’d be better off staying home.
But it was a long way for Tohru to travel by herself, and she wasn’t quite sure she was up for the challenge. Kyo didn’t have the vacation days to take more time off work, so even if he wanted to go, the point was pretty moot. Still, Tohru had waffled, debating whether or not she should go, and whether or not they could justify the cost.
For a time, Kyo had just let her waffle. But eventually, he’d had to step in.
‘Tohru, it’s fine. Akito's gonna pay for your travel expenses like always, right? And you've got the dress from Hatori’s wedding, so you don’t gotta worry about that. That just leaves a wedding gift and food for the trip, right? We’ll be fine, don’t worry about the cost. And you oughtta know the way to Tokyo by now; it’s just the bus, three trains and you’re almost right on top of the dojo.’
She’d tried to argue further; he’d simply taken her hands and given them each a squeeze.
‘It’s fine . Go. We both know you wanna; you love Akito, and even Shigure for some weird reason.’
He’d rolled his eyes there, and they’d both chuckled; even after a year and half spent half an island apart, Shigure still had a gift for getting on Kyo’s nerves.
‘And,’ he’d continued, drawing his hand under hers and turning hers over, ‘we both know how much you love weddings.’
Both of them had smiled at the ring gleaming on her finger, and they’d both thought about their own wedding coming up the next summer.
Tohru had smiled, knowing he was right; she loved weddings, Akito and Shigure. So when the weekend of the wedding came along, Kyo had walked her to the bus and seen her off with a kiss, promising to meet her when she came back home.
Travelling alone had been nerve-wracking, but Kyo had been right; she knew where she was going, and she’d travelled the route enough times to know how to get there. And while she had missed having Kyo at her side when she arrived in Tokyo, it had been as exhilarating as ever to be back.
She had initially thought about asking Saki if she could stay with her, and for them to have a slumber party like when they were in school. It certainly would have been nice to have more time with her friend, especially since the last time Tohru had been back, it had been for Hatori and Mayuko’s wedding, a Sohma-heavy affair.
But as Tohru had planned out the rest of her weekend, figuring out just she wanted to do without Kyo there, an exciting idea had crept into her mind.
It wasn’t a new idea, not exactly. But it was one that had been banished for a while by then; firmly dismissed after hours of heated discussion that spanned a year.
Banished in spite of Tohru’s earnest wish…
Who knew when she might have another chance like this again?
It had seemed strangely odd to ask Kazuma about staying by herself. Even though she loved Kazuma like he was her own father and knew he viewed her very much as his own daughter too, asking to stay had felt like an extreme imposition. She had practically fallen over herself apologizing for asking, but Kazuma had been quick to tell her she had no reason to; he was delighted she wanted to stay and happy to have her, even offering her Kyo’s old bedroom inside his house, rather than the room Tohru and Kyo usually shared off the courtyard.
She had arrived that afternoon and had insisted on making dinner. It had been a surprise to find that there would be no one else there, but she took the privacy as yet another blessing on her mission. If she was going to succeed, Kazuma’s help could be crucial, and there was no way she’d get it without asking him.
And that was why it was so devastating when Kazuma turned her down.
Tohru knew logically that she shouldn’t be shocked. She knew what she was asking was a lot, but it was a lot for her, not a lot for him. If anyone was taking a risk, it was going to be Tohru; there was very little she actually needed from Kazuma, but that little could make everything easier, if only he was willing to help.
In the aftermath of Kazuma’s refusal, he resumed eating while Tohru simply stared down into her rice, trying to come up with another argument. But how did you even begin to argue with a plain ‘no?’
There was no point to attack, no weakness to exploit. No logical counter, unlike if he’d given a reason. With ‘no’ you were left with very limited options; it was like throwing everything you had at a fortress wall and hoping it would simply collapse from sheer exhaustion.
Kazuma certainly looked like a fortress then; Tohru wasn’t fooled by that serene expression.
But if he was a fortress, she was a battering ram; Tohru wasn’t going to drop the subject that easily.
“I just don’t understand why, Master Kazuma. You know I don’t want to cause you any trouble, and of course I hate the idea of inconveniencing you at all. But surely for something so important-”
“-Tohru, you’re not going to change my mind on this.”
Kazuma didn’t normally believe in interrupting, but his voice was firm as he repeated himself. He knew Tohru too well to expect her to fold right away, and he was convinced his best and only chance was a firm and repeated ‘no.’
Looking across the table at Tohru, Kazuma noted the reddening of her face and the set of her jaw. He hated having to deny her anything, but he couldn’t see a way to make her happy in this.
“I know I don’t have to ask you what Kyo thinks,” he commented, picking up his bowl and taking a bite of rice. And the arrow struck true as Tohru’s blush deepened, prompting her to busily start eating her own food again.
He knew because there was only one way Kyo could possibly feel, a theory supported by the timing of Tohru’s request: now, during her first visit to Tokyo without Kyo. And Kazuma suspected that if his son had even the tiniest inkling what Tohru was asking, he’d be sticking her on the train back up to Hibe right then.
Kazuma wasn’t about to go that far himself, but he was going to try to nip this in the bud.
Tohru wasn’t going to let him stop her, though; not yet.
“Kyo doesn’t like it,” she admittedly grudgingly. To say she was underselling her fiancé's response was an understatement; Kyo felt so strongly about that particular subject that it had led to the worst fights of their relationship by far. She tried to respect his reasoning but she still felt he was wrong, and that was why she was trying now with Kazuma.
“All I want to do is talk to him, Master Kazuma. That’s all. Just talk, just one single time.”
“And I’m telling you no, Tohru. It genuinely doesn’t matter what you hope to do, the answer is the same. No. Absolutely not. Nothing good could possibly come of it, and you’ll only end up hurt.”
Hearing Kazuma state that so very matter-of-factly, Tohru could feel indignation firing in her. Hadn’t Kazuma always said that he had faith in her? Hadn’t he always said that she could do anything?
“So?” she challenged, lifting up her chin. “I’ve been hurt before, and I’ve always recovered. And that’s assuming I get hurt at all. You don’t know that’s the outcome, it’s possible he’s changed!”
Or that he would change, following their talk.
But Kazuma was shaking his head again. “You didn’t live here, Tohru. You haven’t been involved in this since before your very birth. You don’t understand how old prejudices and hatreds can soak into people, poisoning them from the inside out.”
“Haven’t I seen that poison though, Master Kazuma? I might not have spent my whole life in it, but I’ve seen and felt enough that I’d hope you’d trust me to know what I’m getting into!”
Kazuma sighed again, setting down his rice bowl. She was so angry right then, angrier than he’d ever actually seen her before. It was like having a stranger at his dinner table, rather than the gentle Tohru he knew and adored.
Like a stranger, but at the same time...
Kazuma could understand what she was asking of him. Wasn’t the whole reason Tohru was in Tokyo at all to attend Akito’s wedding? Akito, Tohru’s friend?
If Tohru could forgive and befriend Akito after all she had done, then it stood to reason that Tohru could forgive almost anyway. In that, she was a much better person than Kazuma was himself.
“I do trust you, Tohru, but my answer is still 'no.'”
Tohru stared at him, trying to find any chink in Kazuma’s armor. But then she sighed resignedly; it had probably been too optimistic, thinking any of this would be as easy as just visiting.
“Fine, you won’t help me. I understand,” she said. “I guess I’ll just have to do this the harder way.”
“Tohru...”
She waved her chopsticks at him, trying to dismiss his censure. “No, Master Kazuma, I’m sorry. But I can’t let things go without at least trying once. Even if I get yelled at or insulted, even if the door gets slammed in my face, I have to at least try a single time.”
Kazuma set his bowl back down once again, choosing his words with incredible care.
“I was unaware you even knew where he lived.”
She unconsciously jutted out her chin. “I don’t, but I’ll be at the main house tomorrow and I planned to do some asking around.”
“There’s no way Akito will tell you, either, Tohru. She won’t want you talking to him, any more than I do.”
“I wasn’t going to ask Akito, I thought I’d just...ask. There has to be someone who can point me in the right direction, and then as soon as I find out I’ll just go by myself.”
And she’d probably do it, too, Kazuma realized grimly. Browbeat someone into telling her with that innocent charm, and then just waltz off, all by herself.
Knowing that, just what choice did he have, anymore?
“I will take you there tomorrow morning, Tohru, on the condition that I accompany you the entire time. Under no circumstances are you to try talking to him alone, or to go back on your own if we aren’t allowed in. Am I completely clear?”
His reversal was so unexpected that it took a moment for Tohru to process. Her words hadn’t been a bluff or meant to manipulate Kazuma. They had been a simple statement of fact: what she planned to do now that Plan A, Kazuma, had failed her. But having his help was infinitely better, and his condition of staying with her? It was no trouble at all.
If anything, she would be relieved to have Kazuma with her, since he’d be able to back up anything she said later to Kyo.
“Alright, we’ll go tomorrow morning, then!”
The next morning when she came downstairs, Tohru was surprised to see Kazuma at the living room table.
“Oh, good morning, Master Kazuma! I wasn’t expecting to see you here.” Like Kyo, Kazuma was a naturally early riser and Tohru knew he tended to spend his mornings out in the dojo. It hadn’t even occurred to her that he might still be home; she’d thought she’d have to go out and find him.
Apparently she wasn’t the only one ready to get going.
After last night’s conversation with Tohru, Kazuma had had trouble relaxing. While he felt that agreeing to be Tohru’s escort was the best bad option, the whole business was highly distasteful.
More than once, Kazuma had debated calling Kyo, but there was no possible way that that would work out well. Kyo would be furious, Kazuma was certain, and no matter how that fury played out, it wasn’t going to help.
And Kazuma doubted it would ultimately stop Tohru, who would just try again a different time.
How long had she already been trying?
How long would she be willing to continue?
Kazuma had slept fitfully once he finally fell asleep. But before he did, he’d decided he needed to make one last last-ditch effort to change Tohru’s mind. Whatever she hoped for, whatever she believed might come from this meeting, Kazuma knew in his heart that it was doomed. If he could spare her the pain of that experience, he gladly would.
Even if it meant annoying her himself.
“Good morning, Tohru. I hope you slept well.” Even though Kazuma himself had slept terribly, he still had his manners and hoped she had fared better.
“I did, thank you. Have you already had breakfast, Master Kazuma? Is there anything I could make for you?”
Kazuma shook his head, a rueful smile tugging the corner of his mouth. “I’m sorry, I didn’t even think to ask you what you might want for breakfast. There are some breakfast bentos in the refrigerator, but nothing in the way of raw ingredients, I’m sad to say.”
“Oh no, I promise this will be just fine!”
Tohru got one of the bento boxes and a pair of chopsticks and brought them to the table, sitting down opposite him. She looked so cheerful and upbeat that it almost hurt him; whether or not Kazuma got her to change her mind, he doubted she’d still be so happy by midday.
He might as well just jump right in.
“Tohru, I wanted to discuss with you what you plan for...this morning.”
Kazuma tried to keep his voice and expression both neutral, but he could see immediately his words put her on the defensive. That didn’t exactly surprise him, but it did make things harder.
“You know what I think. You know what Kyo thinks, better than I do. But I don’t know what you think, Tohru,” Kazuma said quietly, “or what you expect to accomplish with this extraordinary plan.”
Tohru looked down at her bento, not wanting to meet his gaze. She hated disagreeing with Kazuma even more than with Kyo; it felt like she was disappointing a beloved parent. And maybe she was, she admitted to herself, but she couldn’t let those feelings change her mind. Not when what she was fighting for was so important.
Fortunately, she’d had a long time to steel herself on this subject.
“Master Kazuma, do you know that…Katashi…hasn’t reached out to Kyo even once since the Curse broke? Not even once, not even when it actually happened?”
Kazuma did know. He was very much aware of that fact, seeing how Katashi had no direct line of contact to Kyo. He didn’t know Kyo’s phone number, or Tohru’s; didn’t know where they lived, not even what prefecture.
Kazuma knew that was what Kyo had wanted, and what Katashi had wanted as well. If Kazuma had been overjoyed when the Curse had broken, learning the news had driven Katashi into raging hysteria.
Akito personally kept Kazuma informed on the state and doings of Katashi; she, like Kazuma, wanted to ensure that Kyo and therefore Tohru were kept both safe and removed from that man and all his hurtful behavior. Kazuma knew Akito would be highly upset if she had any idea what he was doing that morning, but hopefully she’d respect the difficulty of his position.
He doubted his son would feel so generous.
“Yes, I’m aware, Tohru. I’m also aware that everyone, including Kyo, feels that lack of contact to be for the best. You know that not everyone was pleased when the was Curse broken, and unfortunately Katashi is very much in that category.”
Tohru gripped her chopsticks tightly. “I just don’t understand why. I know that he must have suffered under the Curse himself; with everything that the Sohma Family felt about the Cat, he had to have suffered himself, too. He and Kyo can’t fix everything between them, I know, but there’s finally a chance for them to get back some of what they lost!”
Tohru’s eyes were flashing and her face was flushed, sincerity pouring off her in waves. “Kyo lost out on so much in his life, Master Kazuma, and it’s not fair. None of it is fair, none of it! And some of it he can’t ever get back. Some of it is impossible, I know.”
Like getting his mother back, or his childhood.
“But not all of it!” Tohru continued. “It’s possible, even now, that there could be some kind of accord between Kyo and Katashi. Why wouldn’t Katashi want to make the most of what he has now? Why wouldn’t he want to finally embrace his own son?”
She was so earnest and passionate; to her, the question was simple.
Sometimes, Kazuma could envy her innocence.
And he sighed, smiling a little sadly at her. “Some people would rather cling to old, outdated hatreds than try to move forward. Katashi has spent Kyo’s lifetime believing him to be a monster and blaming him for everything that went wrong in his own life. Not everyone is capable of change, Tohru. There are some things even you can’t fix.”
“But everyone deserves at least a chance, Master Kazuma! I have to at least try, no matter the results.”
Tohru and Kazuma were a study in contrasts as they set out, Kazuma’s expression one of stony resignation and Tohru’s that of resolute optimism. She admittedly hated that he was unhappy, but the fact he’d finally given in and was helping her was worth any discomfort she might feel from the silent walk.
Kazuma didn’t say a word until the two of them were deep in the maze of Sohma houses. But as they approached the block where Katashi lived, he finally broke his silence, needing to state a few things.
“Remember, Tohru, that I won’t allow him to touch you.” The warning, quietly delivered, shook Tohru slightly, but her resolution never wavered at all.
“He might not be willing to talk to you at all, which would honestly be my preferred outcome. If he does...” Kazuma shook his head, then let out a soft sigh. “You need to be prepared to hear some ugly things. He does not, and never has, held back when it comes to Kyo.”
Kyo had said a lot of very similar things himself; that much, at least, Tohru already knew.
“I know, Master Kazuma, and thank you.”
No one could say that she hadn’t walked into this with open eyes.
Eventually, the two of them stood on the doorstep of a large house. Kazuma glanced at Tohru; this was the last chance to change her mind. But instead, Tohru leaned forward and rang the bell.
After a minute, the door was opened and a maid stood there. “Oh...can I help you with something, Sensei?”
Kazuma wished he could say ‘no,’ but instead he forced himself to smile. “Yes, we were hoping to speak with Mr. Sohma this morning. Could you see if he’s available?”
The maid withdrew, then returned after a couple of depressingly short minutes. “Mr. Sohma says you can come through.”
Tohru took a deep breath, following the maid along through the house and into what appeared to be a study or den of some kind. Shelves of record albums covered one wall, and there was a song playing as Tohru and Kazuma waited to be acknowledged.
She was incredibly grateful for Kazuma’s presence. She’d planned to just show up on her own if she had to, but would she have even been allowed inside?
Would she have had the nerve to push in, even if she wasn’t?
The wait seemed almost agonizingly long. It wasn’t until the song ended that Tohru saw an arm reach out from an armchair to turn off the record player. Then Katashi Sohma finally stood up, turning to fix Kazuma in his baleful glare.
“Whatever it is you want, Kazuma, state it quickly, then get out.”
His eyes didn’t even flick to Tohru; as far as he was concerned she didn’t exist.
But Tohru wasn’t deterred or intimidated. Instead, she took the opportunity to study this man: Kyo’s birth father, half of Kyo’s DNA. She searched in Katashi long, almost painfully thin limbs, in his slim body, his yellow-tinged skin and his angrily twisted face, for any clue; any reminder of Kyo. Any faint resemblance between this man and the one she loved.
Maybe there was a faint similarity about the eyes, and they both shared the tall, slender Sohma male build. But beyond that? Where Kyo was strong and healthy even disregarding his muscles, Katashi’s entire being looked sickly. She knew he drank; did that account for his yellowish cast?
Or was that a natural result of years spent harboring festering hatred?
Suddenly, Katashi turned and fixed his glare on Tohru. “And who is this anyway, Kazuma? You know I have no time for any favor-seekers, and I don’t need any new servants, either. She looks small and weak anyway,” he said, his voice cold as he looked her over in turn.
Kazuma wasn’t sure what to say, initially. This was Tohru’s mission, and he didn’t want to hamper her efforts, doomed as they might be. But it made sense, Katashi looking to him.
“Katashi, I’m-”
“-I’m not here to ask you for a favor, Mr. Sohma!” Tohru’s voice was strong and confident enough that it took both men by surprise, with even Kazuma completely unprepared. Katashi stared at her in suspicious shock, his brow furrowed in a way that reminded her eerily of Kyo, and, emboldened, Tohru took a breath. “I’m not here to ask you for a favor,” she repeated, “and I’m not here to look for a job.” She glanced at Kazuma, who stood silently beside her, then lifted her chin as she said, “I’m here to talk about Kyo.”
Whatever Katashi had expected, it clearly wasn’t that. And whatever reaction Tohru expected from him, she didn’t get it.
He practically sprang away from Tohru and Kazuma, his face practically contorting in disgust and rage.
“I don’t need to talk about that Thing!” he spat out. “That Thing is an abomination, a demon sent from hell itself to destroy everything it touches! It’s a monster that ruined my life, and it was never, never held accountable!”
Katashi’s pupils were enormous as he looked at Tohru, his own hands clenched into fists and his whole body shaking. Then he looked from her to Kazuma, fixing his anger on the other man.
“You know I have no business with you on this, Kazuma! It’s your fault! YOURS! Because of your meddling, because of your shameless manipulations, that THING is free to roam unchecked, free to sow misery wherever it goes! If you hadn’t corrupted the Family head, twisting her with your warped and disgusting logic, she never would have done it! Never would have changed her mind!”
Katashi raised his fists to his chest, clearly wanting to lash out at Kazuma physically but having just enough self-preservation to know better. “The Family head would have locked it up, just like she should have! Locked it up, and thrown away the key, just like all monsters deserve! Instead...instead...”
Katashi dropped his face into his hands, his whole body convulsing. ”Instead it’s just out there,” he practically sobbed. “Like a feral beast, completely unrestrained.”
Tohru had been listening in horror, but she finally found her voice. She couldn’t just listen to this, couldn’t just stand there and accept it.
“Kyo is NOT a monster, Mr. Sohma, he’s not! And now that the Curse is broken, he doesn’t even transform! He’s a normal man now, just like you!”
Katashi lifted his head from his hands, his eyes wild and his face twisted in rage. “That Thing is not normal! That Thing never was normal, and it never will be, either. Whatever demon-magic freed it from its demonic form, it still is and always will be an ABOMINATION!” He practically screamed the word, stepping towards Tohru. “That Thing is a monster! It ruined my life, it KILLED my wife! My poor Ichiyo, who had to give birth to a monster!”
He was shuddering again, holding and shaking his head. “It killed her. It killed her. Ruined my life, made me an outcast and laughingstock, and because that wasn’t enough it killed her, too! And now it’s walking free, and it will always be walking free, because you couldn’t leave well enough alone!”
Katashi’s hands shook as he took an angry step towards Kazuma. Kazuma stood as stone-faced and silent as ever, looking at Katashi with his trademark placidity. But when he spoke his voice was cold, colder than Tohru had ever heard it.
“I can’t take the credit, Katashi, but I will rejoice in any small part I played in saving Kyo from that future.”
“LIAR! Everything was fine, everything was arranged. They were going to take that Thing and lock it up until death, but then something changed! Something changed the Family head, something changed the plan. Something stopped that Thing from answering for its crimes! And you’ve always been deluded, Kazuma,” Katashi snarled. “You always let that Thing manipulate you, twist you. You allowed yourself to be taken advantage of, to let that monster prey on your soft nature, and your weakness!”
“You’re wrong!”
Katashi’s eyes snapped back to Tohru, who was trembling from head to toe. But her jaw was set, and her eyes were blazing as she glared at Katashi, her hands tightly clenched into fists at her sides.
“Kyo is not a monster, and he never has been! The only monsters are the people in this Family who thought it was fine to push down a child, a baby, even, to lock him up and blame him for everything wrong in their own lives!”
Katashi took an angry step towards her. “Are you daring to say that I deserved what happened to me? Or to my wife? That we deserved this? NO! That creature is to blame, it’s always been to blame! It did it, it did everything!” he cried, his voice pitching upwards. “It doesn’t deserve to be free, it doesn’t deserve to live!”
Katashi’s eyes were wild, his whole body shaking as he turned away from Tohru to glare at Kazuma. “It’s your fault, Kazuma, everything is your fault! You even claim to love that Abomination, when everyone knows it to be incapable of love!”
“That’s not true!”
Tohru was scared; there was something terrifying in how Katashi was speaking, in how he looked, how he sounded, how he spoke of Kyo. She was more afraid of him than she’d ever been of Kyo’s True Form, but she couldn’t just stand there and listen while he spouted those hateful things.
“Master Kazuma loves Kyo because Kyo is deserving of love! He’s not a monster, or an abomination, or a...thing,” she said, practically spitting out the word herself. “He’s a man, a good man, a kind man, a wonderful man! And that’s why I love him, and why I’m going to marry him!”
Tohru’s words hung in the air for a long moment while Katashi stared at her in stunned silence, processing. Then suddenly, he started laughing: a crazed, disbelieving laugh.
“You... love…that thing? You stand here in front of me, trying to defend that monster, and all the time it’s because you’re planning to...marry it?” Katashi shook his head and his laughter abruptly died as he gave her a look so venomous it almost made her recoil.
And to think, this was the man who’d once helped create Kyo…
“Disgusting!” Katashi continued, his face and voice full of loathing. “To think that any person, any true woman, would be so willing to debase herself like that. To let that monster rut and paw at her…it’s too sickening for words.”
Katashi shook his head again, his mouth adopting a feral snarl as he looked at Tohru, disgust and outrage in his eyes. “There’s no way any woman would allow that to happen, no real woman who knew what that thing was!” He let out another little wild laugh. “You can’t be human, can’t be normal yourself. Only a monster would lie willingly with a monster like it!”
Suddenly Katashi was lunging at Tohru, and her eyes flared wide in fear. But before she had time to react any more, Kazuma was between them, the front of Katashi’s shirt tightly held in Kazuma’s outstretched fist.
Kazuma’s face was still stone, and his voice steel. “You won’t touch her, Katashi.”
Katashi’s own face was still a mask of anger, but there was fear mixed with outrage in his eyes. “It’s not natural, Kazuma, it's not right! It’s not possible! They’re monsters! Both of them!”
Kazuma let go of Katashi’s shirt, pushing him back and away. And Katashi stumbled backwards towards his chair, afraid, now that his initial adrenaline rush had worn off.
“Get out!” he shrieked, panic in his voice. “Get out of here, both of you! You stay away from me, Kazuma, you and this monstrous whore!”
Kazuma saw no need to stay any longer. Taking Tohru’s arm, he led her quickly out of the room, then out the front door and away from the house. She was shaking from the very first moment he touched her, and she continued to shake the entire walk back to the dojo.
On the way, Kazuma attempted to console her. Things had gone...about as well as he’d anticipated, but he could tell from Tohru’s expression that it had been infinitely worse than she’d feared. She’d handled herself beautifully, in Kazuma’s opinion; there was no fault to be found in her courage, or her convictions.
But he knew that this was not the outcome she’d wanted, and even though he’d expected this, his heart still broke for her.
Back at the dojo, Tohru excused herself and went straight to her room. Kazuma looked after her sadly, wishing there was more he could do. But it had to be hard, especially for a person like Tohru, to realize just how much ugliness there could still be in the world.
But even if Kazuma himself couldn’t offer her comfort, there was one thing he could do and he knew it was time.
“Hey Dad, what’s up? It feel weird having Tohru staying there without me?”
Kazuma could hear Kyo’s smile over the phone, and he felt as though a knife was twisting in his guts. Kyo was happy right then, yes, but Kazuma didn’t harbor any delusions he’d stay that way. The only question was how angry Kyo would rightfully be, and how long that anger would last.
“Hello, Kyo. It certainly is a new experience, though I’m always delighted to see either of you.” Even when Kazuma was roiling with inner turmoil, he was still pleasant. “You’re done with your morning classes, now?”
“That’s right. I don’t gotta be back 'til one. What’s wrong?”
Kazuma sighed; in spite of his best efforts to sound natural, Kyo had managed to pick up on his upset. He wished he could be surprised, but they knew each other too well.
Taking a breath, Kazuma spoke very levelly. “I think you need to call and talk to Tohru just now.”
“What happened?” Kyo’s own voice was level, as level as Kazuma’s, but Kazuma could hear the undercurrent of concern.
There was no point in hiding it. Even if Kazuma believed in lying, which he didn’t, it wouldn’t do any good to try concealing the truth. Everything would come out very soon either way, and Kyo needed all the facts to properly help Tohru. She needed Kyo now; no one else would do.
“I took her to see Katashi today.”
There was a very long silence, almost painfully long, then Kyo’s voice almost exploded over the phone.
“Why the hell would you do that, Dad? You'd no right to take her there, none! You never should've done that, especially not without asking me first!”
Kyo’s voice was loud and aggressive, practically shaking with rage. Kazuma couldn’t think of the last time he’d heard Kyo so angry, and definitely not the last time it had been directed at him.
Though he couldn’t argue that anger wasn’t justified.
“She had no business being there, none! And I’ve told her that, over and over! Why the hell'd you think it's a good idea, you know what he’s like!”
Kyo’s voice was still shaking, but he took a deep breath, and he sounded a bit more composed as he asked,
“What'd he do to her?”
In spite of Kyo’s voice being much softer then, it was somehow much more terrifying. Kazuma could almost believe Kyo could kill someone, when he was speaking about them in that tone.
“Nothing. I was there, and I made sure of that.”
“So he tried, then.”
“He never laid a finger, or anything else, on her.”
Kyo’s responding laugh was as cold as ice. “So he tried to attack a woman. Bastard.” There was another long pause, then Kyo’s quiet voice came again. “What'd he say to her?”
The way Kyo asked that question almost broke Kazuma’s heart; he knew Kyo was steeling himself to hear the worst.
“Nothing that would surprise you,” Kazuma replied. He saw no reason to rip open any more old wounds then he had to; nothing Katashi had said had been unexpected, or all that new. Repeating it would serve no purpose, other than to cause Kyo even more pain.
Another silence. “He know who she was?”
“At first, no. But he does now. She told him she loved you, and she was marrying you.”
Kyo laughed hollowly. “Bet he loved that, didn’t he?”
Kazuma sighed, hating the venom dropping from every syllable Kyo uttered. “You would have been proud of her, Kyo. I certainly was, prouder than I would have ever thought possible. She wouldn’t let him attack you, or me, for that matter. She was quite aggressive in our defense, I must say.”
Silence. Then, “She shouldn’t've had to.”
On that, they both agreed.
Back in Hibe, Kyo ended the call and set down his phone, then turned and punched his pillow so hard it left an imprint of his fist in the mattress beneath.
It hadn’t once occurred to him that Tohru would try this; their last fight on the subject of Katashi had been nearly four months ago, and he’d hoped the topic had finally run its course.
He’d been so blind to think she’d let it go.
Kazuma had been cagey, but Kyo knew his true father well enough to read between the lines. Katashi had always been awful, but it was an entirely new kind of low for him to turn his vitriol on Tohru like he had done. Kazuma said that Katashi hadn’t touched Tohru, and that was good, but the way that Kazuma said it meant Katashi had tried. If Kazuma hadn’t been there, what would have happened?
And what had Katashi said, that Tohru had to hear?
She’d told Katashi she loved Kyo, and wanted to marry him. Kyo could believe that, and he could imagine the defiant way she probably would have said it, too. But how would Katashi have responded to that? What would he have said then?
It was just as well that Kyo was all the way up in Hibe, because at that moment he could have killed the man without blinking an eye.
Tohru was burrowed into the blankets of her futon, trying to get the ugliness of the morning out of her head. She’d been warned; she’d been warned over and over again, first by Kyo, and then by Kazuma. She’d been told Katashi’s poison ran deep, but she’d still thought that somehow, maybe, she could reach his heart.
She didn’t know what was worse; the fact that she couldn’t, or that she’d had to hear the awful things he had said.
She couldn’t believe that anyone could think such ugly thoughts, especially to think them about Kyo. It made no sense that Kyo, who was so wonderful and caring and perfect, could be viewed like that by his own father.
Even now, with the Curse gone, Katashi hadn’t changed. He still saw Kyo as nothing more than a monster, somehow…
The entire thing made Tohru feel sick.
Dweedle dweedle dweeeeeeedle. Dweedle dweedle dweeeeeeedle.”
Reaching an arm out of her futon cocoon, Tohru grabbed her phone and drew it under the blanket. Tomorrow morning was Akito and Shigure’s wedding, and she had plans that night with Akito; she needed to be sure she didn’t miss any calls.
It wasn’t Akito calling, though.
She paused, looking at the screen displaying a photo of Tohru and Kyo, up on the roof at Rin’s house, formerly Shigure’s house. Haru had taken that photo the night they got engaged, and both of them were beaming from ear to ear.
How could Kyo’s own father think that man was a monster?
Tohru took a deep breath, then answered the call. “Master Kazuma called you, didn’t he?”
“Yeah.”
Neither one of them saw any point in beating around the bush; might as well get everything out in the open.
From just that one word, Tohru could tell Kyo was angry. She wasn’t surprised; he’d always had strong feelings on the subject of her talking to, meeting, or even seeing Katashi. Every time she’d made even the slightest suggestion to that end, he’d shut her down without a hint of compromise.
After that morning, she could begrudgingly understand why.
At least for now, he was trying keep his temper in check. “Why’d you do it, Tohru? You know how I feel about him, and how I feel about you being around him!”
Tohru felt like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar, especially considering how things had turned out. She had been so blindly optimistic, but she’d only managed to prove Kyo had been right.
At the same time, she couldn’t regret trying. “I know, Kyo, and I’m sorry I went behind your back. But I needed to try-”
“-No, you didn’t, Tohru!” Kyo’s voice was much more explosive, much angrier. “That man’s a fucking bastard, and he’ll always be a fucking bastard! He was like that when I was a kid, he was like that when I was in high school, he was like that when the Curse broke and yeah, he’s still like that now. He’ll probably stay like that until he fucking dies, and when it finally happens I’ll say ‘good riddance.’”
Kyo had been working on his temper since before they started dating. It had been a very long time since she’d heard him this angry, but she wasn’t scared. Hidden within his anger, she could hear the fear…
Kyo took a deep breath. “He tried to do something to you, didn’t he? Dad wouldn’t confirm it, but I could tell anyway. Dad had to stop him, or protect you somehow, didn’t he?”
Tohru thought about lying, but knew she’d never pull it off. “Yes.”
“Fucking bastard! Dad never should've brought you there!”
Kyo’s vitriol was almost enough to stun Tohru, but she was quick to jump to Kazuma’s defense.
“Don’t be mad at Master Kazuma, Kyo. He didn’t want me to go there, either, and he spent a long time last night and this morning trying to change my mind. He had a lot of the same reasons you do, actually.”
“'Cause they’re damn good reasons! But it doesn’t matter if he tried to stop you first when he still took you in the end. He should've known better, Tohru, and he did know better!”
“I didn’t really give him a choice, Kyo! When he refused to help me, I told him that was fine, I was just going to go to the main house instead and ask people for help until someone could point me to the right house. After that, Master Kazuma agreed to take me, as long as I stayed with him the whole time.”
Kyo swore again, but he was slightly softened toward Kazuma. Tohru had put him between a rock and a hard place, and at least that way, he’d been able to protect her.
Though he shouldn’t have had to in the first place.
“Tohru...what did he say to you?” They both knew Kyo didn’t mean Kazuma.
Tohru set her jaw as she responded, “Nothing.”
" Tohru...”
Of course he didn’t believe her. But she knew what his reaction would be if she told him, and she wanted to spare him that pain if at all possible.
“Nothing important, anyway. He said all sorts of nasty, terrible things about you, and he yelled quite a bit at Master Kazuma. He blames Master Kazuma for how Akito changed her mind about...the house.”
By mutual accord, they rarely, if ever, talked about that place.
Kyo snorted. “He would.” There was a pause, and then he said softly, “Dad said you told him about us.”
She straightened up slightly, and her voice was both proud and defiant. “I did. I told him I loved you, and I was marrying you. And I would tell him that again and again, even without Master Kazuma to step between us!”
So that was what had pushed the old bastard over; Kyo had wondered.
“I wish you hadn’t gone there, Tohru.” His voice wasn’t angry anymore, just sad. Sad about what she’d heard, sad about what she had to be feeling. Sad he couldn’t be there to comfort her properly...
Sad he couldn’t put his fist though Katashi Sohma’s face.
“I’m not.” Tohru’s own voice was still oddly defiant, and at the other end of the line, Kyo’s eyes flared.
“What?”
“No. I’m not!” Tohru said, lifting her chin in the air. “Yes, it was pretty terrible, actually, and I have no desire to ever be around him again, but I’m glad I did it, Kyo,” she said with a smile. “I’m glad I can finally understand what brought you to Master Kazuma, and to truly see and appreciate what a wonderful father he is. And I’m glad that I got to tell Katashi, myself, what a wonderful man you are, and how much I love you.”
Kyo was shaking his head that whole time she was talking, picturing exactly how she had to look right then: head straight up, shoulders back, jaw set and eyes shining.
Tohru’s unmistakable ‘taking on the world’ face.
And when Kyo replied, he was actually smiling. “You’re something else, Tohru,” he said, and she giggled.
“There is one thing that I’m a little sad about though.”
“Oh?” He steeled himself, waiting to hear something new and terrible, wondering just what Kazuma had kept back from him.
“I’m sorry Master Kazuma didn’t actually punch him. I don’t think I would have held back, myself.”