YEAR OF THE CAT
by meethzoonk

Category : drama mystery romance
Rating : PG-13
Summary : When a century-old wooden box is found in the attic, Kyo discovers that he must find a way to avoid the destiny given to him by his ancestors. Mystic changes follows, a love triangle, and a race against time till the clock strikes twelve on New Year's Day.
Disclaimer : I own absolutely nothing, for this story is based on the characters and situations of Fruits Basket created and owned by Natsuki Takaya. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended either.

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Prologue.

It was the same thing over and over again, repeating endlessly for the past few weeks. The same dream of horror and bloodshed. The exact feeling of coldness swept through him the minute he closed his eyes. A never-ending terror inside his mind…

Where am I?

He was in a place, inside a majestic room, running away from the battle outside. He could hear them ringing in his ears, the screams of the dying and the dead. He remembered having visions of broken limbs, parts of what was once a human being, scattered all over the battle field. And monsters with red fiery eyes, descending live men down their scaly throats, tearing soldiers limb to limb and throwing its pieces away like used waste.

Then his sight returned to the room. He was still running, this time, he realised, guided by a soldier wearing a red battle uniform.

"This way, Sohma!" cried the soldier. The soldier ran towards a vast picture and swung its hinges, revealing a secret passage behind it. The boy called Sohma turned to the soldier in red and drew in a surprised breath as he realised that the red on him was blood, still flowing fresh from an open wound. But there was so much blood on him and so much people dying at their feet, that the boy was sure that part of it wasn't even his own.

"You're hurt," the boy said.

The soldier smiled at him and winced as he put his own hand against his wound, "Don't mind me, just go inside. You have to live!" the soldier said.

"What about you? You will follow me in, won't you?"

"I am no one important." said the soldier, "It doesn't matter if I die. But you Sohma, you can't die. Only you can protect the box. Now go, before they come!"

They? Box? What -- ?

"Don't be stupid!" hissed the boy, "Of course it matters! To me, it matters. You trusted me before anyone else did. You will not die that easily and I will not let you."

The soldier smiled proudly, and for a moment the boy thought he saw a last glint of joy in his eyes, "I thought you knew me better than to let myself die easily, Sohma." the soldier said, half-jokingly. "If I were to die, then I shall die in honor. I could die in battle, but if I were to choose, then I shall die protecting you." There was an edge of finality in his voice.

The boy stared at the soldier somberly, "You can't be serious.."

"But I am. I was appointed by your father to protect you and I shall protect you with my life. It is my destiny."

The boy called Sohma looked taken aback. Yet, he understood the soldier's earnestness. The man before him had the same glint in his eyes as those who are ready to glare in the eyes of Death. But he doesn't want him to die, even if it is his destiny to protect the one heir of the cat jyuunishi. To hell with the jyuunishi. The soldier's life was much more valuable to him than any other thing in the world.

"I d-don't want you to die." he stammered, trying to hold back the tears in his eyes. "I especially don't want you to die for me. That's stupid. You're stupid to think so!"

The soldier looked sadly at him. "Sohma.."

Suddenly, something banged on the wall beside them, and the whole room shook. The soldier glanced quickly at the said wall and turned back to the boy, his hands clutching tightly on the boy's shoulders, "You hear that!? They're coming… you have to go!" he whispered frantically.

The boy shook his head stubbornly, "I won't go into safety by myself. I won't leave like a coward. Come with me!"

"Don't make me force you! If I go with you they'll find you too! Please go, or I will have to make you!" the soldier insisted.

The boy sulked heavily, "Why does this have to happen to me? To you? I didn't want to be born with the curse of the Cat! All I wanted was to live a normal life with you as my friend by my side! Not my protector!"

"But that's impossible, Sohma." The soldier looked sad again.

He laughed darkly and nodded, "I know. But where will I be once you're gone? I'll be alone again. Living isn't living when you're alone."

"As long as you don't die -- "

"But what's the purpose -- " the wall banged hard again, and pieces of broken wood scattered from the ceiling. The soldier looked at the cracked wall in panic and tried to push the boy inside but the boy fought back, pushing him back in anger.

"What's the purpose of living if you can't die in the first place?" he continued, "What's the purpose of dying if you don't live in the first place? I don't understand. If I have to live I want to live with you, and If I have to die I'd like to die with you, Kidou!"

Kidou? Could that be the soldier's name?

The soldier looked hard at him, and words seem to flow more from his eyes rather from his mouth. The boy called Sohma looked up at him hopefully. He thought the soldier had reconsidered. He thought the soldier would let him fight with him. But he thought wrong.

"I'm sorry." murmured the soldier, resting his hands on the boy's chest. "I can't take the risk of endagering you. I don't think I can handle it if you die…"

"But - "

"Goodbye," with that, he shoved the boy hard into the passage. As the boy stumbled to get up, the soldier slammed the entrance shut, without a crack of light, sound, or even air. "No!!"

The boy called Sohma stood up abruptly and banged on the entrance gate, "Please open.. please open.." he said repeatedly as he clawed desperately for an opening, but there was none. "Kidou.." he whispered. But none, he could do. None, but sit down and listen to the sound of silence.

Listen.

He pressed his ears against the gate with slight hesitation and tried to listen. He heard…

He heard sounds of shattered walls, breaking glass, and something break into the room.

He heard a slash of sword and a scream.

He heard the soldier's last words.

He heard something break.

He heard something rip apart…

"No.." the boy gasped and pulled himself from the gate, putting one trembling hand over his mouth. "He's dead…" he realised. He heard him die. As he staggered away from it he couldn't stop himself from shaking. All the grief he was supposed let go through his tears seem to flow through his whole body. His grief was beyond tears.

He could only imagine his death, them, carrying his decapitated head in their fists, like they did to the other soldiers in the battle. Crushing his head so easily like a soft shell, and laugh at it without any sense of guilt.

As his back touched the wall, he let himself slide down to the floor. He took out a small wooden box from under his clothes and looked at it with pure vengeance. "All for this box…"

He twirled the box with his fingers and chanted something under his breath, the black and white beads on his wrist vibrated as he did so.

"If this box is so important…" he took out a knife from his pocket and engraved his family name into the box, along with the year beside it. "Then I will die with it.."

What!? Hey, wait, no. You can't just…

With the box gripped tightly in one hand, and his knife in the other, the boy called Sohma mumbled the same last words the soldier had said, and drove the sharp end of the blade through his heart.

A jet of blood rushed freely from his death wound, more blood streamed, so much blood, and within moments he was covered in them. His clothes, soaked in red. The black and white beads on his wrist gleamed crimson. His orange hair slowly turned as red as his eyes which was left open to stare into eternal darkness lifelessly.

As the secret entrance burst open, and the monstrous beasts entered, all left in its path was nothing but a lifeless corpse, looking so much like a broken marionette drenched in scarlet liquid.

It's too cold. I can't feel myself…

**

Sohma Kyo bolted awake, and sat up in a steam of cold sweat. He grasped his throat numbly, feeling nauseated. His whole body shivered in the coldness, or maybe rather in fright. He didn't know. All he knows now is his fingers and toes are numb, unable to feel. He rubbed his eyes sleepily and looked around him.

He paused.

"Ahaha.. stupid Kyo." he laughed hollowly. No wonder he felt cold, he had fallen asleep on the roof and snow had fallen last night. He stood up right and admired himself for a short while. He was covered in snow almost from head to toe, probably looking like an abominable snowman with orange hair. He sniggered mentally at the thought as he brushed them off.

Seeing the big gap of snow where he had been sleeping, he reckoned he must've thrashed in his sleep. Good thing, or he might have froze. He shuddered and sat back down, legs crossed, and looked up into the night sky. He glanced shortly at his watch and realised that it was three in the morning. A few hours earlier from his usual wake-up time.

Still though, he couldn't help but think about these dreams he had been having…

He brushed an amount of snow off his head and buried his head deep in his arms. He remembered the blood, the grief, the pain he felt in the dream. But he doesn't remember what it's actually about. There might have been a very familiar-looking boy in it, but he wasn't so sure. A sense of unexplainable terror blocked him from remembering it.

Yet these dreams had been playing over and over in his mind for more than two weeks now. Could this be a preminition? No, he thought. It felt more like something from the past, not something that hasn't happened. Then maybe it was his past life? Kyo scratched his head puzzledly. Obviously, there's no proof it wasn't. But there's no proof it was either.

Kyo had learned something called the animal instinct when he was little. Being a jyuunishi, his instincts were usually stronger than ordinary human beings. For all he knew, these dreams could be a warning.

Then again, it was nothing he should think about. "Lousy dream." Kyo mumbled. He laid back down and stretched his arms and legs drowsily.

What can a dream do to you anyway? It's just a dream… he lay awake, staring into the dark sky until the break of dawn.

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