Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Light in My Life ❯ Demands ( Chapter 15 )

I apologize for the... slowness of this chapter. The power went out earlier today when I had done over two pages, and I lost all of it, and I had trouble remembering what I said. But, so is life.

15: Demands

It had been such a boring day. Everyone was preparing for the New Year's party in the Inner House, so there was no way I could find any sort of peace until the sun went down. Hatori and Momiji had been missing most of the day, and Shigure had stopped by to help out and see how the party preparation was coming along. This activity forced me to retire to my room near the outside of the Honke, where I could be free of the hustle and bustle. I hated activity and loud noises, and the quiet presence of my birds put some semblance of calm in my life. Calm was what I craved, but I was always the one to break it... to break the calm. It wasn't my fault.

Nothing was my fault. It was all those damn animals' faults. Everything was.

I leaned out the window, sighing. My little white bird tittered at me, but I couldn't sympathize with its exuberance. I missed Yuki at times; not because he was the rat--the strongest, the smartest, the most clever member of the Jyuunishi--but because he was so much fun to make miserable. He was a strong spirit wrapped in a weak one; he could be made to cry so easily, but his heart was difficult to break. I was proud of myself. I had made him cold, I had made him ice. I had made him fit his name of Yuki: snow. He was like the snow, which was falling just outside my open window.

But this snow was a gentle, bright sort of snow. I hated the cold, and I hated the snow, and the ice, and the rain... but I hated the sun, too. I hated what was exuberant, honest, what was real, and what was not quite perfect.

I had let the girl stay with them. Why? Because I wanted to hurt them. I wanted to make them see that no one, no one but me could make them truly happy. I wanted them to love her, to cherish her, and eventually cause her to be broken. They would be broken, just like Hatori. Then they would love me.

Eventually, she would learn the cat's secret. Eventually, she would be unable to bear the weight of the curse, unable to do what I could. And she would destroy everyone who loved her, and they would come to me, looking for solace and happiness. I would give it to them, and they would love me.

I crossed my arms when I heard the sound of people talking. My bird was startled, and flew away; a single feather fell on the face of a surprised, brown-haired girl. She followed behind Shigure, who was talking merrily about something or other.

She had wide, green eyes. She looked average in every meaning of the world; brown hair, ribbons, and she wore a pink, turtle-necked dress with a brown jacket over it.

I stared at her. This was the girl I had permitted to live at Shigure's house. She stopped walking, and looked at me with surprise and innocent wonder. Was I that interesting to look at? I lowered my eyebrows and drew back into the house with a swish of my yukata.

Tohru lightly knocked on Akito's door. "May I come in, Akito-san?" she asked. There was no response. Assuming him to be asleep, Tohru opened the door. She walked across the room, taking the bouquet of sunflowers and lilies to the desk. She set them inside the vase, humming pleasantly as she arranged the flowers.

Akito had hoped his harsh words towards the girl the day before would have gotten rid of her, but he was wrong. Although the thought of the miso soup she had obviously made herself seemed good to his tongue, his brain objected vehemently. Hatori had attempted to bring him dinner, but he had refused to speak nor open his lips to the meal. The doctor had given up swiftly and left.

The smell was there again. Akito dared to sniff the air, and sure enough, there it was. The scent of roses, tinted by a fruity sweetness. That slut! She was probably wearing perfume. Sweet, alluring perfume, so she could seduce them, his family, and turn them against him!

Akito's mind went off on a tandem. She was probably plotting at that very moment. "Why are you wearing perfume?" he asked finally, his train of thought circling in like a hovering vulture. He was testing to see if his prey was dead; then he would swoop in for the meal.

"E-excuse me?" Tohru asked nervously. She looked genuinely confused.

Akito told himself he wasn't paranoid; his fears could probably be chalked up to illness. But it went without saying that he was angry. His chest hurt as he spoke, and his mind was fuzzy.

That was how it had always been. "Perfume. You're wearing perfume," he snarled at her in a barking whisper. Tohru stared at him, and he began to wonder if maybe she was as stupid as he thought she was. Maybe more.

"N-no, Akito-san," she replied quietly. "I don't w-wear perfume." He hissed. She wasn't wearing perfume? The smell pervaded his nose, making him absorb it, feel it. And he hated it.

"Leave."

Tohru raised her head, looking surprised. "Akito-san...?" she asked. Akito glared at her from beneath his deep purple-blue locks.

"Leave," he snarled at her. Tohru nodded hastily, quickly standing up. She looked flustered, and kneeled down beside him to pick up her things.

"Akito-san..." Tohru addressed him as she stood up, walking towards the door. "Why?" Akito blinked, finally turning in his futon so he could see her just over the blankets.

"Why what?" Akito was growing frustrated. The strange smell was causing him to become distracted, and he wanted that stupid girl to go away before he thought more of it. He couldn't stand her presence. She was so determined to be by his side, it was making his mind become red and diluted with gross, destructive thoughts.

"-to leave?" Akito blinked. He had completely missed the first half of her sentence, but he understood the meaning.

How dare she question his orders? Akito began to fume. "LEAVE!" he cried, his voice coming out as a hoarse, choked croak. Tohru immediately rushed by his side, offering a glass of water. His throat clenched and unclenched, and he was unable to move as she lightly put the glass to his lips.

"Please, drink!" she said, touching his face with one thumb. He jerked from the contact, and a bit of water fell into his mouth. The liquid trickled down his sore, scratchy throat. He relaxed against the steady flow, swallowing the smooth fluid, his tongue trembling against the cup's glass rim.

"Shh," Tohru said unconsciously, her thumb still on his cheek.

Akito coughed suddenly, the water trickling down the wrong pipe. Tohru immediately put down the cup, closing her eyes as he continued to cough painfully. Nervously, she put one hand underneath his head, propping it up. She patted as lightly as she could on his shoulders as he convulsed from wracking spasms in his throat.

He began to calm slightly, his breathing becoming more regular. Tohru slowly lowered him back to the bed, before standing up. She bowed slightly as he opened his eyes, turning to the door.

Akito's mind rose from its fog, giving him a clearer view of everything that was happening. He sunk into the pillow, watching rather blankly as Tohru opened the sliding door and stepped out. She closed it behind her, and her footsteps could be heard echoing down the hallway.

Akito stared at the door. Something had happened, and he couldn't place it into thought just then. He was in a blank state as his mind tried to sort through the mass of jumbled emotion and confusion tumbling about inside of him.

It was a few hours later that the door opened again. Hatori stepped into the room, announcing his arrival. There was no reply, as usual, from the futon in the center of the room.

The doctor made his way toward the desk, where Tohru's canvas bag still sat. Raising one eyebrow, he noted the new flowers. The girl always managed to confuse him. He ruffled through the bag, and found everything was still there and in place. Why hadn't she taken it?

"Should I order you lunch?" Hatori asked. Akito opened his eyes, shaking his head.

"No..." he trailed off. Hatori raised his eyebrows. The frail man's voice was now more than just a whisper, and it seemed as if it had recovered most of its luster. "Have.. have that strange girl.. come back."

Hatori looked away. "Yes, Akito-san," he said, walking back across the room. He paused at the door before opening it. It was a bad idea, but he had to do it.

Besides, it was the only thing Akito had requested in four days. He wasn't going to object.