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Disclaimer: do I really have to repeat myself?

A/N: wow thank you guys so much for the amazing reviews!!! I am really happy that people seem to be enjoying my story now. Well anyway, on with it already!

Chapter Five

Haru barely made it to his room before he felt exhaustion overwhelm his body. Vaguely aware that he was still bleeding he fell onto his bed after making sure the door was shut securely behind him. I wish I had a lock for that door. This was his last thought before his body finally gave in and darkness took him.

The next morning as per usual, Momiji bounded down the hall to wake up his significantly less perky cousin. "Haruuuuu," he called through the door, "come on, we're going to be late for school." Only slightly dejected when there was no reply the blond tried again, "oh come on sleepy head, it's a bright beautiful day and it's time to get up!" still no reply. Now Momiji was getting worried, Haru hadn't even spoken long enough to tell him where he could 'shove his good mornings'. There was definitely something wrong.

Fearing the worst, Momiji took off down the hall in search of the family doctor. Strangely the energetic bunny was slightly out of breath by the time he found the dragon seated behind the desk in his office. "What is it Momiji? I'm busy," came the bored voice from behind some rather important looking documents.

"It's Haru." Momiji replied catching his breath, "I went to go wake him up for school but he wouldn't respond."

This caught Hatori's attention, "are you sure he wasn't just sleeping?" Or ignoring you...he added to himself.

"But Hatori he always hears me, and at least acknowledges me long enough to tell me to go away." The blond explained, "I'm really worried about him." Sighing in defeat the dragon rose from his seat and allowed Momiji to escort him out of the room after gathering his medical supplies just in case.

Returning to Haru's room after sending Momiji off to school assuring him he had everything under control, Hatori knocked and waited a moment for a response. Once again nothing could be heard from inside the room. "Haru, are you in there?" no response. "Hatsuharu Sohma open this door right now." Still nothing. Suddenly remembering the ox's meeting with the head the previous night worry edged its way into the doctor. "I'm coming in" he warned before opening the door to find Haru passed out on his bed with blood covering his face and once white sheets. Hatori got busy at once inspecting his patient and cleaning his wounds.

It was roughly two hours before he was completely satisfied that he had managed to locate, sterilize, and bandage all the wounds that covered the ox's body. What scared the doctor most was the clearly visible evidence of the sexual abuse the boy had endured. The blood and semen that had covered the teen's entrance served as enough proof of the horrors that had been inflicted upon him. Haru I am truly sorry you had to endure all you have. All I can hope for now is that you find a way to move on from this and not let it rule you.

Kyo sighed, another day wasted at school. There are much more productive things I could be doing...like Haru. The boy blushed at his own thought. Come to think of it he had yet to see the ox so far that day. I hope nothing bad happened to him. Again all of his worry from the night before came flooding back to him. Spotting Momiji he reluctantly flagged him over.

"Hey! You seen Haru today?" Kyo asked attempting, unsuccessfully, to sound nonchalant about the subject. Fortunately for him the rabbit seemed too preoccupied to notice this detail. The entire way to school the only thing the young blond had been able to think about was Haru. I wonder what's wrong with him. I mean I know Hatori said that he could handle it, but what if something is seriously wrong? Seconds later he was pulled roughly out of his thoughts by a blunt smash to the head. For once this act wasn't followed by a customary 'wahhh, Kyo's hurting me' but was instead followed by a quiet blank stare.

"I asked if you had seen Haru today?" if Kyo hadn't been so worried about the ox he would have been mildly concerned for the rabbit who was looking a little less than enthusiastic, which was a rare occurrence indeed.

"No I haven't," was the reply. Kyo rolled his eyes and began to turn away before Momiji grabbed his arm, "that's what's strange." Raising a questioning eyebrow Kyo silently urged him to continue. "I went to go wake him up this morning but there was no response, not even to tell me to go away."

"Are you sure he wasn't just still sleeping?" The neko asked.

The blond shook his head, "That's what Hari asked, but he always at least says something. When I finally got Hatori to go see him he told me to go to school before I could see what was wrong, but I got a really bad feeling." Kyo didn't wait to hear if the boy had anything else to say, he immediately took off for the main house. Dammit, he'd better be alright.

Standing outside the ox's bedroom Kyo found himself hesitating to open the door for fear of what he might find. Deciding on a course of action he raised his hand and knocked lightly on the door. From inside there was an audible groan then, "Dammit Hatori go away, I don't need anymore drugs."

"Haru?"

"Kyo?" Haru sounded surprised and a little fearful. Kyo made up his mind and with a deep intake of breath he turned the knob and inched the door open. The room was dark; the ox had most likely covered the windows with something. After fumbling a moment or two to find a light switch the cat finally felt the cool plastic under his hand and flipped the switch. Florescent lighting filled the room making the figure on the bed hiss at the sudden brightness.

Gathering his courage, Kyo turned to face the object of his affections, his eyes meeting a bruised, battered and broken Haru. Eyes that once shown in a good humored boredom (if that's even possible) were now eerily devoid of life. Even the haunted look that had recently took to shining dully whenever the cat was around had vanished, leaving in its wake a nothingness that seemed to swallow the neko whole. "Haru," Kyo struggled to find his voice, "what the hell happened to you?"

Kneeling down beside the bed he reached a hand out to tenderly cup the ox's face. An alarm went off deep inside of Haru as he saw the hand come at him.

(Flashback)
The head of the family had crossed the room and backhanded Haru sending him sprawling to the ground.

The teen turned away from the touch and Kyo felt his stomach drop as he saw a flicker of sadness, anger and...shame in the ox's stormy silver eyes. "What has he done to you?"

Haru, who had been silent until then suddenly sprung forward to sit back on his heels while rubbing vigorously at his arms as if trying desperately to clean away something that only he could see, "No, don't look at me. I'm dirty. Why won't it come off?" Tears stung the backs of his eyes and began to pour over, "Kyo why won't it come off?"

"Haru look at me!" the cat pleaded. "I want to help you but I can't if you won't tell me what's wrong" he explained as he reached out and grabbed the ox's hands in his own to try and calm him, and also to try and prevent him from rubbing his already damaged skin raw. Thankfully this seemed to bring the boy back to his senses...well as much as possible at the moment. Relief evident in his voice Kyo calmed slightly, "there now, tell me what happened. What did Akito do to you?"

"He showed me my place in this family." Haru stated with a hollow laugh. Kyo looked at him inquisitively. Haru elaborated with an ironically sadistic tone of voice, "my place beneath him."

At first Kyo didn't understand. His place beneath him...what is that supposed to mean? Then it dawned on him. "...no..." falling back using his arms as support Kyo drew away from the boy who still sat with a look of disgust on his face.

"My body is disgusting," the teen commented angrily, "I'm dirty and I can't wash it away."

Finally getting a hold of himself Kyo inched his way back toward the frightened ox, "Haru...Haru look at me." Finally getting the boy's attention by using both hands to grasp Haru's delicate pale face he brought it inches away from his. "You are not dirty, what happened to you wasn't your fault. You didn't deserve what happened to you, and I should have stopped it. I had a bad feeling about you leaving and I should have said something, done something to make you stay. But I promise you now Haru, I will never make that mistake again. I will never let him hurt you again." Haru looked up sadly into Kyo's eyes.

"Kyo..." his voice made him sound so lost, it broke Kyo's heart.

"shhh shhh" Kyo soothed, "Haru I promise that I will always protect you." And what he thought would take all the courage in the world, what he thought he would never get to do came effortlessly from his lips, "Haru I love you."