A Child’s Cry in the Night

By: KTH

Rated: M for extreme violence, slight language, implied sexual content, and extreme psychotic behavior on Akito’s behalf.

Genre: Drama, Angst, Romance (squint and it’ll be there), and Humor (mainly the Yuki/Kyo & Ayame/Shigure moments).

Author’s Note: Per the advice of a dear friend of mine (E-nah), I deleted the original story (again) because I didn’t like the plot, nor the way I ended the dream sequence, so now I’m writing a slightly new story based off of two role plays that I either completed or am still in the process of completing. Ichiemaygirl and DarkWolfie89, this is for you!

Characters:

Kohana Sohma (Horse): 16

Hatori Sohma (Dragon): 27

Ayame Sohma (Snake): 27

Shigure Sohma (Dog): 27

Yuki Sohma (Rat): 17

Kyo Sohma (Cat): 17

Kureno Sohma (Rooster) 26

Ritsu Sohma (Monkey): 19

Akito Sohma (God): 28

Tohru Honda: 17

Prologue: Journey to the Past

Laughing.

Giggling.

A familiar voice.

Where is all of this coming from?

I recognize this place.

It’s our garden.

The garden she and I made together.

“Kohana.”

Okaa-san?

“Kohana, do you want Okaa-san to take you to the park so you can play on the jungle gym?”

Okaa-san.

“Yeah, Okaa-san!! But we hafta to leave now or the big kids will take it over!”

A smile.

“Alright, Kohana. Let me go ask your father and brother if they want to come.”

I relish her smile.

“Okaa-san! Just us two, please?”

A sigh.

I loved her sigh.

“Alright, get your coat, dear.”

No!

Don’t get your coat!

Stop putting on your shoes!

Don’t grab your purse!

Don’t get in that car!

“Are we buckled up?”

No!

“Yes, Okaa-san!”

No!

I’m not!

“Okay, then, lets go!”

No!

Shut off the car!

Come back to the driveway!

Turn around!

“Okaa-san, can’t we go faster?!”

“Okay, but just a little bit.”

No!

Don’t go faster!

Slow down!

“Okaa-san, can you hand me my juice?”

“Yes, dear.”

Don’t look down!

Don’t take your eyes off the road!

“Here you are, darling.”

Look out for that car!

Look out!!

“Thanks, Okaa-san!”

LOOK OUT!!

“I’m sorry, Sohma-san, but your wife perished in the crash.”

I can see your faces.

Grief.

Horror.

Nii-san.

You’re crying.

You can’t believe it.

Otou-san.

“Your daughter is in Recovery. She managed to escape with only minor injuries.”

I see realization dawn on your face.

Both of your faces.

“You can wait for her to wake up in her room.”

You nod dumbly, Otou-san.

You start to cry silently, Nii-san.

“I’m truly sorry for your loss.”

You come to my room.

You sit down, Nii-san.

You’re next to my bed, Otou-san.

You both just stare.

Don’t…

Don’t look at me that way.

Don’t give me that look of hate!

Stop it!!

Both of you!!

“IT’S YOUR FAULT THAT YOUR MOTHER’S DEAD!!”

No!

Otou-san!

It’s not!

“IT’S YOUR DAMN FAULT!!”

It’s not my fault!

“YOU KILLED YOUR MOTHER!!”

I didn’t kill her!

“Nii-san, do you hate me, too?”

Don’t give me that look.

Don’t look at me with disgust.

Don’t give me that fake smile.

Don’t put on that phony face.

Don’t look at me with false love.

“How could I ever hate you, Kohana?”

But you do.

“You’re my little sister.”

Then say you love me!

Hold me while I weep!

Comfort me!

Love me!

“Hello there, Kohana.”

No.

Not him.

Oh please, God.

Not HIM!

“Hello, Akito-sama”

NO.

Don’t talk to him!

“Tell me, Kohana, how old are you now?”

Don’t answer!

Can’t you see the evil in his eyes?!

“I’m turning 7 in three weeks, Akito-sama.”

Dear god.

Don’t tell him that.

That’s what he wants to hear!

“Kohana, you belong to Akito now.”

No.

Please.

Otou-san.

Don’t ruin my life.

“He paid me a great deal of money to take you off of my hands.”

How much?

How much did it take?

How much did he pay you to be rid of me?

“Be good to him.”

Please.

Otou-san!

Don’t shatter my heart.

You’re all I have left.

“I never wanted a child I couldn’t hold.”

What about Nii-san?

He was wanted by Okaa-san.

She couldn’t hold him.

You liar.

You’re lying to me.

You LIAR!

“One cursed child is enough.”

NO!

Don’t sell me to that monster!!

“Don’t make me waste my time, you pathetic wretch.”

I don’t want to go with you.

Monster.

“Stop struggling!”

Don’t stop struggling.

Don’t let them drag you into that car.

Fight them.

Resist.

Kick.

Scratch.

Bite.

Anything.

Please.

Do something!

Please!

Don’t stop!!

“NII-SAN! HELP ME!!”

Why are you standing there?

Can’t you see my hand reaching out to you?

Don’t turn away.

“Why did you let her go?! Go catch her!!”

Look at me.

Look at my tears.

Look at my small arms wrapped around your big one.

Listen to my sobbing.

“HA’RI, PLEASE! DON’T LET HIM TAKE ME AWAY!!”

Don’t raise your eyebrow.

“PLEASE!!”

Don’t narrow your eyes.

“HA’RI, DON’T LET THEM TAKE ME!!”

Don’t yank away your arm!

Don’t push me away!

“HA’RI!!”

Love me!

“HA’RI!!”

Be my big brother!

“NII-SAN!!”

SAVE ME!!

“NII-SAN!!”

“Make sure she doesn’t try that again.”

No.

“She needs to be in prime condition.”

Nii-san.

Don’t let them knock me out.

Don’t make them shut me up.

Grab me away from them.

Rescue me!

Don’t turn around.

Don’t walk away!

Don’t go inside with Otou-san!

Don’t let them make that fist.

Don’t let them drive it into my stomach.

“Night, kid.”

Darkness.

Nii-san.

Kohana bolted up from her futon, taking deep gulps of air. She was drenched in a cold sweat. She loosened her sleeping kimono, trying to regulate her breathing and gather herself together, but her deep breathing turned into full blown sobs as she lost the fight to manage her uncontrolled emotions.

“You’ve got to get me out of here, Ayame-nii,” a small voice called out. Ayame Sohma only stood there with his back to the voice, trembling with bottled up rage that had accumulated over the span of nearly ten years.

“You know I’m trying, Kohana, but I’ve come up empty handed so many times it sickens me,” he said, clenching his fists.

“Try harder…for me!” she choked out, voice raw with emotion. Ayame turned around to face the lithe figure of Kohana Sohma shivering on the floor in the middle of her bare, dim room. She slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, weak and in pain from her latest beating at the hands of Akito. Kohana lifted her head and looked at Ayame with her smoldering grey eyes, far too old and filled with too much sorrow for someone like her at the tender young age of 16. Long stands of her silver-blonde hair hanging in her face.

“He would suspect me first, Kohana,” in a regretful tone.

“I’m going to die if I stay here any longer than I already have, Ayame-nii!” her voice cracked as tears began to stream down her cream-colored face. She sucked in a shaky breath. “He’s going to kill me if I do.”

Ayame strained to hear her barely audible whisper, which caused him to freeze with shock. She was baring her soul to him, something Kohana rarely did unless she was greatly tormented. Otherwise, she’d keep her feelings caged up inside of her where they would fester. She did this to protect herself and others; to let them think that she was okay when in reality, she wasn’t. Shigure, himself, and Kyo where the only ones who knew the actual horrors that she’d been through, and even though they’d all claimed to love and want to care for Kohana, they had let her continue to experience said horrors. He hated himself for it, but after this, after what she did just now, Ayame knew that he would hate himself even more than he already did, contrary to what others believed.

TBC…

Author’s Note: Not bad, if I do say so myself. Better than what I had before. It’s got more angst. Tee hee. I know, I know, in the manga Rin is the horse, but I hate Rin; she is the bitchiest person on the manga besides Akito, who was just recently unveiled in the manga to be a woman (finally for crying out loud)! But in this Fanfic, she’s a he, like the anime; all male. But ‘he’ is a total bastard and this whole story is way too dramatic and depressing so far; so much that you want to cry. Then why the hell is she writing this, you ask yourself? Because I simply can.

Next Chapter: Morning Surprises

Please review, for your input fuels my drive to write, and with enough drive, the next chapter will be kick ass.

KTH signing out.