Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Light in My Life ❯ Dissensions ( Chapter 27 )

"Mrs Souma Akito" - I work and save up what money I can. I just got the new Tokyopop releases-- Mars vol. 10 and FAKE. It's got nothing to do with being rich.

It's kind of funny. I didn't get the rest of last chapter finished until this morning, but this one seemed to come without a problem.

27: Dissensions

Yuki and Kyou sat silently at the table. Yuki was looking through a study guide he'd made for himself, and Kyou was absently flipping channels. The uncomfortable silence between them had come so often since the Akito disaster that it was no longer uncomfortable. Although it was less than companionable, they rarely argued. There just wasn't anything to fight about; Kyou flat out ignored Tohru, and Yuki couldn't bring himself to be the same with her.

Kyou sighed, stopping on some news interview. He didn't contempt her, or hate her, or despise her, and wasn't disgusted by her at all; he just couldn't face her. He wasn't sure if he felt jealous, scared, or rejected. Kyou had been very brief with Tohru right after the incident, hoping to sway her into abandoning all hopes of any relationship with Akito.

But right afterwards, she had managed to divide up whatever small amount of time she already had for them--Yuki and Kyou--and make regular visits to Akito. Kyou rubbed his orange hair; Tohru made him so irrational. He had hoped that his blatant avoidance of her would have made her try to spend more time with him, but he had soon grown to realize that his means and desires were selfish, and she had hardly enough time to do the things she had to do as it was. So, the charade had gone on and he had done nothing to fix it.

And how Kyou regretted it. But there was no more he could do, and only hoped he could fix things with her before graduation.

Because as they all knew, graduation would mean changes for the worst.

Yuki lifted his head from his book, watching Kyou's expressions change as he channel-surfed. He almost felt sorry for the cat, who had been struggling so much to get just a bit of Tohru's attention. It was sad, really; the most violent, most temperamental, most independent member of the Jyuunishi being turned into mush by a girl. But Yuki knew he was no exception. He had been making Tohru's life even more difficult than it had to be, but every time he saw her... he saw her kissing Akito. It was an image that haunted him and try as he might, one that he could not forget so easily.

There was one particular incident that year which made him shudder. Tohru held her returned test, her face flushing white. Uotani and Hanajima peered over to look at it, and they cast each other worried looks.

Yuki peered closer, noticing the "15" score listed on the top. He held in a gasp. Since two years ago when she had been sick, she had never gotten less than a C on any test. Tohru looked ready to burst out crying, but she valiantly held in her tears as her friends patted her back and assured her that the re-test would be a cinch.

Tohru raised her head, immediately seeing his eyes on her. Yuki quickly turned away and realized his mistake too late when Tohru excused herself from the classroom. She had later been found in the hallway, almost unable to breathe from the heavy sobs which wracked her body. The nurse had tried to send her home sick, but she refused to the bitter end when Shigure had to be called to take her away.

Yuki had done nothing but stand on the sidelines, watching as his best friend suffered in silence. Every day she became weaker and he cursed Akito for putting her through her blender routine.

But he had done absolutely nothing to help, and he felt drained from trying to rest the guilt on somebody else.

Shigure had been faring fine, but it was obvious that he noticed it too. Every morning he would come downstairs--his eyes half-closed from sleep--and jokingly say something about his little flower's wonderful breakfasts as he sat at the table without realizing there wasn't anything there. Then it would be up to him or Yuki to go and wake her, only to find her alarm going off and with her sleeping right through it.

Yuki jumped as he heard the a loud knock at the door. Recovering from his surprise, he settled back to reading, assuming it was only Hatori dropping Tohru off at the house. He did so every once in a while, but it was becoming more and more often. And each time, she seemed more tired when she came inside; Yuki began to assume the truth that Tohru was often too exhausted to walk herself home.

Shigure walked past them, knowing the routine as he went to open the door.

Kyou and Yuki glanced up as he heard Shigure hold in a gasp. "A-Akito-san, I never expected to see you here," he greeted, lightly stuttering. Such a thing rarely,--if ever,--happened.

The two boys jumped to their feet, staring at the entryway. Both were too stunned to move further as a familiar man stepped into the room, pausing before turning to face them.

His eyes were narrow and deadly. Chills seemed to radiate from his body, and Yuki shivered as Akito's gaze focused on him, then moved on to Kyou. Shigure could only watch on helplessly as the clan head walked painfully slowly toward where Yuki stood, paralyzed.

"I can't allow this to go on," he began, his voice almost impossible to pick up in its low sweetness. The danger lurking in his tone could have terrified even the most steel-hearted of men. Yuki unconsciously gulped as Akito's dark eyes were focused on him. "I can't let you two blundering, incompetent morons to go on destroying her."

All present knew who "her" referred to. Kyou shivered in anger, barely restraining himself. He had been bristling since Akito entered the room, but that latest insult and false accusation was almost too much for him. Kyou moved to open his mouth and object, but Yuki raised one hand and took one step forward.

Yuki closed his eyes, gaining every last ounce of courage in his body, all his frustrations and pains at letting Tohru confront the world on her own encouraging him to finally open his mouth. "What is the meaning of this unexpected visit?" Yuki asked.

Akito's eyes widened. Shigure stared as the clan head's eyes narrowed to slits, his hair almost standing up. it was at that point that Yuki noticed the much larger threat that Akito had become; his clothes no longer slipped from his thin shoulders, but his strong neck could clearly be seen. His skin was a more vibrant color, and his hair was full and looked more groomed than he remembered.

"You disgusting rat!" Akito shouted suddenly, clenching his fists. He didn't turn a household item into a dangerous projectile, and he didn't lunge with raw anger. Instead, the man kept his ground and could only vibrate with rage. "It's your fault!"

Akito's eyes turned to where Kyou stood, the cat staring at both Yuki and the clan head with clear surprise. "What do you want to accomplish by crushing her?!" he cried. Kyou's eyes widened further.

"Crushing her?!" he replied loudly. Instantly regretting his words, he could do nothing but continue. "Its been her visits to your house every day that are destroying her!"

Akito stared at him blankly, before he suddenly laughed. It was a sick, sweet sort of laughter; the sound of a mad man. He stopped suddenly, focusing his eyes on Kyou, then Yuki.

"From what I've heard, you two are supposed to be some sort of support." Akito watched them for a reaction, gauging his words. He had something to accomplish here. "But its your blatant inattention and her constant, illogical and irrevocable concern which caused her to faint at my door today."

Akito felt himself calming to a level of more rational thought. "From this day forward, Honda Tohru will be living at the Honke with me. There will be no objections."

Kyou and Yuki were in too much of a shock to react as Akito turned, slightly nodding to Shigure before leaving the house without another word.

Yuki's knees gave out from beneath him, and he kneeled on the ground silently before he hunched over, holding his face in his hands.

Kyou stood, staring at the wall, still posed ready for battle. He started trembling, his eyes growing wide as what had just occurred began to register. He yelled something incoherent, darting with blinding speed toward the door. Shigure grabbed him by the arm, and Kyou spun to face him, teeth bared. He screamed, ripping his wrist away from the overpowered dog. As soon as he gained his freedom, the cat was suddenly subdued, reduced to leaning against the wall. His body shook, his fingernails digging into the skin of his palms and drawing blood.

Yuki stared into his fingers, drawing his hands slowly away from his face. It was their fault. A year of misery for Tohru: it was their fault. And now she was gone.

***

Tohru sat in Hatori's room, sipping some tea. Hatori was working on his desk; at least, that's what he appeared to be doing. He drew his pen absently across a blank piece of paper, his eyes unfocused. He had never seen Akito look... determined. It was a familiar irrationally angry expression combined with an overpowering need to do something important.

Although Hatori had been slowly growing used to the change in the clan head, he wasn't expecting the man to leave Tohru as he took off in his car. It reminded him of a hero in a movie.

Something that was exactly opposite of Akito in every way. Hatori looked at Tohru for the hundredth time that day. She stared blankly at the floor, her hair blocking her eyes and a blanket on her back spilling off her shoulders. He hadn't attempted to talk to her since Akito had left in a rush.

Hatori glanced up as he heard the sound of a car pulling up outside. Tohru's reaction was similar, and she quickly set down her teacup. The door opened to reveal Akito, who looked to be positively shivering with anger; something which Tohru completely failed to notice.

"Akito-san!" Akito looked up, his face relaxing as he saw her. Waiting a good twenty seconds--as usual--before answering, he replied, "Hello, Tohru." She smiled brightly, but it didn't last very long.

"...There's something wrong, Akito-san," she said suddenly. Hatori raised his eyebrows when Akito only fixed his eyes on Tohru.

"You're going to be living here from now on," he stated, his voice cold. The girl stared at him, before her head dropped.

She lightly nodded her head. "Y-yes, Akito-san," she replied. Her shoulders trembled slightly but Hatori could only stare at Akito. The man walked around her, leaving the room into the hallway without a word.

Tohru sank back to the ground, tears running freely from her squeezed-closed eyes. A sob erupted from her throat, and the dragon could only pat her back.

Hatori's mind was in a whirl. What just had gone on? Whatever it was, it called for an investigation.

***

I stood in the hallway, listening as Tohru cried on the other side of the door. There was really nothing else I could do for her. It would take time for her to appreciate what I had done, but I was willing to wait for her to come around and realize that she didn't need those animals after all. She was too good for them.

I knew Hatori would be snooping about; he always got that way when it came to Tohru. I instructed one of the maids to prepare a room for the lady as I passed and she gave me a strange look. At the Honke, we didn't get visitors.

It just didn't happen.

All I could do was wait... forever, if I had to.

Suddenly, nothing else really seemed to matter. The curse, the animals, the Sohma family, the Honke, nothing. I didn't care if Kyou and Yuki rose up against me, and I didn't care if the family went up in arms about a woman living in a room in the same hall as mine. Nothing else mattered... nothing except Tohru.

She would come to see that I was what she needed, and then, she would be mine forever.