The Rat\'s Bride

I won't give up, I won't give in
In the end, love will win.
XXX

Yuki sat on his bed. He had been listening through the vent as Kyo tried to convince Tohru to back out. They were in the living room and their voices carried.

Tohru seemed unconcerned. She had read the play and agreed to practice with Yuki after her homework tonight.

Yuki was certain Tohru would be willing to play her part if she was convinced that it was for a very good reason.

It had taken a long conversation with Miss Minagawa to make sure none of the Yuki Fan Club harassed Tohru before the play. He had been very subtle to the other three girls in the club, telling them he suffered from outrageous stage fright and that Tohru was the only girl he wasn't afraid of embarrassing himself with.

They took it to mean Tohru was a sexless, meaningless friend. It was Motoko he might have to watch out for. But he would destroy her if he had the chance and she forced herself on him anymore.
XXX

"Miss Minagawa, might I speak with you?" Yuki smiled so brightly Minagawa became stunned. She pressed her hands against her skirt, her pretty face bright with joy.

"It is a very important matter, and very secret. Can I trust you to be discreet?"

"Oh yes Yuki, Yuki-san. I want to speak with you too, about the play." She fiddled with her navy blue hair bows before tightening her pigtails. She followed him to the door of an empty classroom. Yuki turned on a light, sat down at a desk and waited. Minagawa closed the door with a shy smile.

"It is about the play," Yuki said, looking away. "I was very unhappy when they told me I was 'nominated' for the part."

Minagawa looked horrified. "I am sorry; I suggested your name, but they—"
"I know. I spoke with the principal. She is giving us civics credit for the play. If it is for the good of the school I shall suffer."

"Oh, Yuki, I don't want you to suffer. Please tell me how I can make it better." Minagawa was at his side in an instant, her hand on his shoulder. She might have tried to pull him into a hug had Yuki not lifted a hand.

"Please sit down. You are a good friend to think of me so." Yuki looked her in the eye, his smile shy. "But this is about a promise I made. It hurts me treat anyone with harsh words. But I must. It saddens me."

"Yuki, please don't be sad. I will do anything."

"Anything? Really Miss Minagawa, you are very loyal." Yuki leaned towards Motoko, his eyes half lidded. "But you are also very foolish."

"Yuki?" Motoko looked like she was about to cry. "I am not foolish."

"You are, because you think you love me." Yuki watched with smug satisfaction as Motoko turned white.

"No I know I love you." Motoko whispered this. Yuki almost felt bad. But then he remembered how badly Motoko had treated Tohru and his eyes became hard.

"Then why do you hurt my family?"

Motoko looked horrified. "Your family?"

"Yes. Tohru is like family to me. With her mother and father gone she has only us to protect her. She is to be a Sohma one day, through marriage or adoption." Yuki stood. "You claim to want the best for me, but you stop others from treating me like a human. You graduate in three months; we will most likely never speak again. But Tohru will be with me for my lifetime. If she marries we will give her a home in the family mansion. We will live beside her. All of her children will be of the Main house of Sohma. But you will marry and I will not care. I will not attend if you invite me."

"Why? Why do you have to say such cruel things to me? Tohru is stupid. I would make a better friend than her." Motoko tried to throw her arms around Yuki. She was crying.

"I am honest. What did you think we would have? Did you think you could win me by abusing my friends, by bullying other girls away from me? Did you think you could win the heart of Prince when you act like a pauper?" Yuki laughed. It was freeing, to be the one with the whip this time. Akira would be pleased. "If you loved me, which I doubt, you would leave Tohru alone and let me pick the girl I want."

"But, I love you. I know everything about you." Motoko looked angry, as if she had a right to him. "Tohru is oblivious to you. She doesn't know anything. She thinks you are normal, but you aren't, you are Prince Yuki. I would worship the ground you walk on. I would do anything."

"What do you think of mice Motoko? Of rats?" Yuki asked the girl, watching her pretty face freeze. "Be honest. My home has many."

"I don't like them," Motoko answered honestly. "But for Yuki I would overlook them."

"And why do you love me Motoko?"

"Because, because you are Yuki. You are smart and handsome and kind to everyone. You get the best grades and are strong and know how to fight. Just like a samurai." Motoko sighed. "You are Prince Yuki. A real Prince."

"It is because of that you will never be better than Tohru. I never liked the way you treated me like I was a Prince. When I asked you to leave me alone you followed me closer. When I made friends or liked a girl you scared her away. You built a wall around me I never asked for."

"But Yuki…" Motoko looked so sad Yuki almost apologized. But he held strong.

"No, it is Sohma-san. We will never be together. I know what you did, the drama club told me you scared them into submission and promised pictures of me changing. That is betrayal. You love the Yuki in your head, not the real me. You know nothing about me."

Motoko looked smug. "Well, you still have to kiss me. It's in the play. I wrote it in myself. I will make you love me Yuki. One kiss and you shall be mine."

"About that, Minagawa-san, I talked to the principal, she agreed that Tohru would make a wonderful Bride. Tohru has duties other than stalking me and the drama club. I have agreed to donate costumes for the bride and General. My family does not like to hear that Tohru has been abused. Should my cousins spot you making her life hard, then you shall never become a model like you want. My family is friends with most important people in Tokyo. One call and you will work at WacDonald's for the rest of your life."

Yuki smiled when the horror began to sink into Motoko's mind. "But I was the Bride. You cannot treat me like this. I worked hard to manipulate everyone!" She froze when Yuki snarled.

"You know what I like most about being a Sohma, I own the school. I can tell you that you no longer have a job at Silky Threads down on Fifteenth. I made a call. You will find that after the play, should you be kind, you will get an internship to work there in Okinawa, where you will be accepted on a full ride to school.
They will even consider making you a model. But if you hurt Tohru you might find yourself going to work like your mother, or for someone you don't like. Think about your future. You cannot beat someone who holds all the cards."

"But, I love you."

"Very good, you are already learning the lines for the Marsh Maiden. I think green is your color." Yuki walked out, leaving the door open and the light on. He pretended not to hear Motoko break into sobs.

Yuki smiled.