Chapter Text
Yuki Sohma watched the paramedics place Tohru Honda onto the stretcher. He glanced at Kyo, who was standing back and looking down at the ground. The lead paramedic looked around the small group. "Since she's unconscious, we need someone to accompany her. Who will it be?"
Yuki glanced at Akito, who was trembling. Shigure stepped closer to the family head. Yuki sighed and was about to take a step forward. He suddenly pivoted and strode to Kyo. He grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. "Kyo will."
Kyo's head shot up as he stumbled forward. He stared in terror. "Wha? No! I...I...can't! Why me?" Yuki ground his teeth and glared at Kyo.
"Shut up, you stupid Cat," he hissed. "You are the one who made her cry, but you're also the one who knows the most about Miss Honda." His other hand shot out to grab the front of Kyo's shirt. "So you better not chicken out or run away." He pulled Kyo off balance and then steered him towards the waiting paramedics. He raised his voice to its normal level and smiled pleasantly. "Kyo can answer your questions. And you can work him as hard as you want." He continued to steer Kyo along the path to the ambulance and gripped his shoulder until Tohru was loaded. He then pushed Kyo in and helped close the door. He ignored Kyo's pained stare as the siren blared and the ambulance sped off.
"Well, that was particularly brutal, even for you." Yuki pinched his forehead at the sound of Shigure's voice. He took a breath and turned with a neutral expression. "Not that I have anything against brutality in this instance. A delicate touch would never work on Kyo. To be honest, it would have likely backfired, assuming you would even entertain the notion of trying." He smiled and then sighed. "It would be best to travel to the hospital. The family has already arranged for a driver to collect us. I hope it's one of the less annoying ones. At the very least, they want Akito-san examined. And that would give us the opportunity to be updated on Tohru-kun's condition."
Yuki turned and began walking towards the the road where the car would be waiting. "We shouldn't waste any more time." After all, we need to make sure that stupid Cat doesn't make things worse.
Junichiro Sohma made a note of Tohru's vital signs and then turned his focus onto the boy sitting across from him. "Can you tell me exactly what happened to Miss Honda?"
Kyo blinked a few times and looked down. "I wasn't there when it happened, but she fell. I guess the cliff collapsed under her." There was a beep, and Junichiro focused on Tohru's heart rate. Kyo looked up in panic. "What's wrong? Is she gonna be okay?"
Junichiro frowned. "Her heart rate is going up, as is her respiration. Breathing," he said in response to Kyo's blank stare. "It's odd because there's no apparent cause for distress."
Einosuke glanced into the rearview mirror. "Maybe she doesn't want to hear the Cat's voice," he said in contempt. Junichiro managed not to roll his eyes. As an Insider, he knew the family's view of the Cat, but it was a ridiculous statement.
However, that ridiculous statement hit Kyo like a ton of bricks. His eyes widened in shock before he shrunk into himself. Junichiro's chest tightened, and he gritted his teeth for a moment. He schooled his features into a neutral expression before continuing. "I'm certain we'll find a logical cause. But I need to continue my examination. Does Miss Honda have any health conditions?" Kyo shook his head. "What about her family?" Kyo started to speak but paused. "I need you to talk so I can help her."
Kyo motioned for a pen but spoke. "She's an orphan. The only one worth a damn is her grandfather." Tohru's vitals spiked again, and Kyo froze. He looked guilty, and his left hand twitched. Junichiro placed a clipboard on his lap and handed him a pen. He took it with his right hand and absently reached out with his left to grasp Tohru's hand. The beeping slowed down, and he looked at the screen in confusion. "Is she getting better?" There was a slight spike, and Junichiro frowned.
"Miss Honda does appear to be reacting to you. I want to try something. Please let go of her hand." Kyo did, and there was a noticeable spike. "Could you hold it again?" Kyo did, and the vitals immediately calmed down. "She seems to take comfort in your presence. But your voice is causing some distress. Would you have any idea why?"
Kyo's mouth twisted as he wrote on the paper. She was crazy enough to think she loves me, and I rejected her. That was the last thing I said to her. Of course she doesn't want to hear me. I hurt her. All I ever do is hurt people. But at least she's still alive. That's better than our moms. Junichiro's eyes narrowed.
"What happened to your mothers? And why do you think you hurt people?" Einosuke scoffed.
"He's the Cat. It's what those monsters do." Kyo shrunk even more, but his grip on Tohru's hand remained strong.
He's right. Everyone who gets close to me ends up hurt or dead. Kyo kept writing, and Junichiro's eyes followed the text in dawning horror. Kyo revealed watching both his and Tohru's mothers die, the blame his father placed on him, his jealousy of the Rat, as well as his guilt about the pain he caused Tohru and his master. Everyone would be better off without me around. I'll stick around until Tohru's awake, but I'm not talking. I don't deserve to. I'll keep quiet until it's time for me to go. She'll never have to see or hear me again.
Junichiro swallowed as he looked at the boy who was the Cat. He'd heard the stories about the monster in human form who deserved scorn, but all he could see was a boy. A boy who had seen too much suffering and pain. A boy who deserved empathy. A boy who clearly loved the girl in front of him enough to give up on life in order to let her go. A boy whose trauma was so great he didn't realize he was making a terrible mistake. A boy who needed help. Junichiro sat straighter as the ambulance approached the hospital.
Einosuke won't help me. I don't know if anyone will. But I will do everything in my power to help this boy. He deserves happiness just as much as anyone else. And I am going to help make it happen.