Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ To Melt A Frozen Heart ❯ Yes, I Will Die For You ( Chapter 5 )

To Melt A Frozen Heart

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of its characters. I wish though.

########## = at another place

`…'= thoughts

********** = dream sequence

^^^^^^^^^^ = recall

Some translation here…

Ikkou----Let's go

Imoto-chan---- Little sister

That's all for now. Enjoy, minna-san!!

Chapter 5-Yes, I Will Die For You

Yume was very nervous, which was pretty understandable as today would be the first day that she would see Akito again after the assassination attempt. From what she had gathered from the Mabudatchi trio, she is still to remain under the guise of a nurse to protect Akito. It seemed that for some unknown reason, the patriarch had agreed for Yume to continue her duties here, much to the relief of the blossom trio.

It had been two weeks since she had been stabbed, and now, Yume stood before the closed doors of Akito's room. She took a deep breath and steeled herself before knocking gently on the doors.

"Akito? I am coming in."

The redhead did not wait for an answer; she was afraid that she would not have the courage to enter if she heard Akito's voice before seeing him. Immediately, she slid open the door and entered hurriedly before closing the doors again. As usual, Yume was greeted with semi-darkness. The room balcony doors and windows were closed again, and the room smelled musty and stuffy.

Yume waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness before scanning the room for its occupant. Oddly enough, she found Akito resting on his futon, propped up against the pillows. He did not seem to acknowledge her presence, and it was as if the first time that they had met. Annoyed, the redhead strode to the windows and pushed them open in the most violent manner. The exquisite and expansive window panels hit the walls outside and ricocheted back. Yume did not notice; and proceeded towards the balcony doors to do the same thing. The girl only stopped when all windows and doors were opened and that the room was sufficiently bright again.

Akito watched quietly as Yume stormed around the room in a fine fit of anger. It was the first time that he saw her in such a state, and it fascinated him. Normally, Yume was cool and composed; the perpetual ice queen. But Akito quickly found out that when the redhead was riled, she was breathtaking. Her emerald eyes sparkled, her cheeks were flushed, and she slunk around the room like an infuriated kitten. He was undeniably attracted to her fury.

`So all the rumors about a redhead's temper is true after all.' Akito mused.

Yume stood in front of the futon and glared at Akito. Her worries forgotten, she demanded.

"I thought that we had an agreement, Akito? The windows and doors in your room are supposed to be opened for ventilation!! The air outside is fresher and can aid in making you healthier, why can't you understand that?"

Akito stared at Yume in shock.

She was not angry because of his failure to acknowledge her presence, but because of the windows? Because of his wellbeing?

"What?" Yume snapped irritably. "Did you hear what I just said?"

Immediately, the man broke out of his thoughts and unthinkingly replied.

"The servants did not open them," Akito said in the snootiest manner, in the Do-you-really-expect-me-to-do-mundane-things-like-these-myself? kind of tone. Yume could not help but twitch her lips in a slight smile. She was glad that Akito was just like his usual haughty self. Her smile, however, did not last long. It disappeared the moment Akito asked, "Besides, why do you care?"

`Yeah, what is it to you then? Why do you care so much about him? He is just but a client, ne?' an inner voice whispered. `Why are you so concerned?'

"Atashi wa…atashi wa…I am your body guard." Yume replied almost defensively, and Akito's eyebrows shot up. "It would give me even more troubles if you were to get sick. Besides, I am supposed to be your nurse. I have to look after you."

"Is that so?" The patriarch asked in a deliberate manner, and the redhead regarded him suspiciously.

"H…hai." Yume cursed herself, and prayed that he did not notice her faint hesitation in her answer, but one look at Akito told her that he had indeed taken note of that.

The redhead froze as the pair made eye contact.

Confused emerald met amused chocolate.

Almost immediately, Yume forced herself to break eye contact, muttering all the while.

"I must really go and tell off those servants…anyone with common sense would know that open-air rooms are good ventilation…unless…"

`The servants did not care enough to even do something as simple as that?'

Yume felt herself getting riled up all over again.

`This is the Souma patriarch, who is sacrificing his life for all them, and yet they treat him like that? How could they? Did they want him to die so quickly then?'

Fascinated, Akito watched as Yume began to fume again. He could literally see the steam floating out of her ears.

`Now what is she riled up about?'

Unknown to Yume, Akito got up elegantly from the futon and approached her.

"I really have to go and make some changes about the attitude of these servants, and tell Hatori too, come to think of it." Yume mumbled to herself. She was about to turn to tell Akito that she is leaving to find Hatori when she saw him right behind her, giving her a shock. "A…Akito? What are you doing out of bed?"

"This." Akito said simply.

Yume watched in stunned surprise as the man bent down and kissed her on the lips. It was a chaste kiss, and lasted barely five seconds, but Yume could feel his lips so very acutely. They were soft and demanding, just like the man himself. Akito tasted just like the sweet air before a storm, and Yume was instantly addicted. When Akito skillfully tapered off the intimate contact, the redhead was dazed and bemused, much to his satisfaction.

"What was that for?" Yume demanded, infuriated with herself that she had allowed Akito, Akito, of all the people in the world, to do that to her.

The patriarch stared down at her ruffled expression and smiled. It was just a tiny twitch of his lips and the curious lightening of his molten brown gaze, but Yume was once again surprised, because this is probably the first time she had seen him genuinely amused.

She knew that under this kind of circumstances, she should not show delight as Akito would be encouraged by that and would most probably try to take some other liberties with her the next time, but the knowledge that she had managed to make him smile had in turn made her very glad, and thus, she allowed her own eyes to light up in pleasure.

Akito was once again struck by how Yume was looking more and more beautiful to him with the passing of every single day. He had not planned to kiss her earlier on, but when he neared her, the curiosity was just too great and he was tempted to find out what Yume tasted like.

Vanilla.

Yume tasted like vanilla essence. Rich, smooth and creamy. Akito was overwhelmed by it all, and was enticed to do more than just a chaste kiss when he forced himself to break off their contact. He would have wanted to do more, but instincts told him that the two of them were just not ready. There were just too many things between them. Too many secrets and half-truths. They would have to sort those out before they could proceed to a more intimate level.

"That was a thank you kiss."

"Nani?" Yume watched, bewildered, as Akito's amused expression faded into one of grimace and he moved away from her and headed towards the doors, adjusting his yukata along the way. Once he reached the threshold, he turned, and the girl was disappointed to find out that he had his usual implacable expression back on.

"For all that you have done for me."

"Oh." For some reason, Yume was disappointed. He had kissed her because she had done her job well. He had kissed her as a reward, not because he really wanted to. To Akito, she was most probably like a clever puppy that had deserved a pat on the head.

`So what is it to you then?' Her inner consciousness asked again. `Aren't you supposed to be uninterested in him at all?'

Yume shook her head confusedly. Of course she has no feelings for Akito!! How could she? He is nothing but a client, and that is the way she wanted things to remain.

"Are you coming?"

"Coming? Where to?"

Akito looked impatiently at the redhead.

"You have not been hearing me at all, do you? I said that I am going to the park, are you coming?"

"Oh…hai." Pushing all her thoughts to one side, Yume hurried after Akito.

`Really,' Yume told herself as she strolled behind the man. `I feel nothing for Akito.'

##########

They were in the same park that Yume had first brought Akito to, and were seating at the very same bench. Yume stared at her watch. It had been an hour or so since they were in the park, and the two of them had been doing nothing but spending the time seating beside each other in companionable silence.

"Anou…Akito. What are we doing here for?"

The man turned to Yume and shrugged.

"The air is fresh here, is it not?"

Yume nodded.

"Hai." The girl was about to ask if they were waiting for someone when Akito interrupted her.

"Who is Ryo?"

"Nani?!!"

Yume turned panicked emerald eyes to Akito.

"How did you know about Ryo?"

Akito shrugged again.

"You were calling out to him when you were wounded and delirious." Sharp eyes regarded Yume again, taking in all her movements. "So who is he?"

Immediately, the redhead clamped up. Akito could literally feel her pushing him out of her mind and slamming the door on his face. She stiffened and turned frigid.

"Whoever Ryo is, he is none of your business."

Short and anything but sweet, and in turn, it made Akito defensive and angry. Yume's frozen reply had given him his answer. Whoever this Ryo is, he is very important to Yume. But instead of venting his anger like he always does, Akito clamped it down. As difficult as it is for him to admit, caring for a person was an entirely new territory to him, and he does not know how to act in a situation like this.

Akito kept silent.

Yume knew that she had made Akito mad, and she tried to justify it by telling herself that Ryo was entirely none of Akito's business. She had never told anyone about Ryo before, and did not feel that she should start now. It had always hurt whenever she thought of Ryo, and to even try to talk about him was unthinkable. But somehow, after five minutes of tensed silence to be exact, that had not worked at all, and for some unknown reason, Akito's dark mood made her feel unhappy too.

"Ryo was my accomplice. We always did the assignments together."

Akito started at the quiet voice. Turning, he regarded Yume solemnly.

"You don't have to tell me. It is none of my business after all."

"Iie." Yume reached out her left hand and covered it over his right one, which was resting on the bench seat. Unconsciously, she squeezed it, as if trying to gather strength and courage from Akito. "Maybe it is time for me to tell someone about Ryo. He would have wanted me to get over him and move on with life."

Akito turned his right palm over so that the two of them are now holding hands. He tightened his hold on her in a silent show of encouragement. Yume smiled in gratitude.

"As I said, Ryo was my accomplice. He was also my onii-chan."

"Was?" Akito questioned quietly, but in his heart, there was a great relief. Ryo was her brother, not her lover, like he had thought previously.

"Yes. Was." Yume said quietly. Emerald eyes clouded with grief. "Onii-chan loved me deeply and in turn, I adored him as a baby sister does. He always gave me the best that he could provide, and would care for me before he does himself. Do you know why? It is because of his promise, given to me when our parents died of a car accident fourteen years ago. Ryo promised that as long as he lived, he would make sure that I would never get hurt."

RECALL

"Don't cry, Yu-chan. Daijoubu." Everything will be all right." A nine-year old boy assured his five year-old sister. They had just been driven out of their house, and had been circulated all over their relatives' houses for the past few months.

"Kaa-san and tou-san are gone, how can everything be all right again?" Even at a tender age of five, Yume was a distinct worry-wart, the more serious one out of the two siblings.

Ryo stared at his imoto-chan. Her worrying traits were so like their kaa-san, and he could not help but smile, even in a time like that.

"Daijoubu, Yu-chan. Onii-chan is here, and I promise that I will protect you as long as I am alive. You won't be hurt as long as I am by your side."

Awkwardly, the boy, even though merely a child himself, swept his little sister up in a tight hug, the kind that their parents used to give them. This hug, although clumsily given, heralded the start of many such embraces which would be administered to little Yu-chan over the years.

Yume stopped crying and hugged her brother back. "Do you promise?"

Ryo closed his eyes, and the hardship that he would most undoubtedly face soon rose before him, an intimidating challenge, especially for such a little boy like him. But the thought that his little sister; the only real family that he had left now, gave him the courage to fight on. He tightened his hold on the most precious thing in his life.

"Hai. I promise."

RECALL

"And he was right. Ryo never allowed me to pine for anything. He would give me everything in his ability of giving, and made sure that I was happy. WE were happy. He started out as an assassin years before me, and at first, he didn't want me to follow in his path. `It is a filthy job, Yu-chan. A sinful one. I don't want your hands to be dirtied by blood.' That was what he told me. He did not want me to burn in hell, I guess. But I could not just stand by and watch him like that. I knew without doubt that my happy-go-lucky, always smiling and cheerful onii-chan had chosen this job because of me. He had chosen what he had deemed as `dirty' occupation because the money that it yields would be used for my benefit." Yume smiled sadly. "My brother was prepared to burn in hell for me, and I would be damned if he is going down alone."

RECALL

"IIE!! I want to be an assassin too, nii-chan!!" A fourteen year-old Yume confronted her brother.

"No means no, Yu. And don't even try to bring that topic up again." Ryo was quiet and very serious, totally unlike his usual self. "It is no joke."

"But why can't I?" Yume challenged angrily. "You thought me how to use the katana since I was ten!! I know how to fight too!!"

At that, Ryo finally erupted.

"Yume, urusai." He never called her by her full name unless he is mad, and when he said her name all quiet-like, it was a clear indicator that Ryo was furious.

Any sane person would have heeded her brother's command, but Yume was never well known for her common sense.

"No, I won't shut up. I won't stop until you give me a good reason why I can't be an assassin!!"

"Okay then." Ryo's green eyes were sharp with anger. "Do you think that it is so easy to be an assassin? Do you know what it feels like when the katana that you are holding pierces through flesh and bone? The sickening sound of a person drowning in this own blood, gurgling away as he stare at you with confusion in his dying gaze? To have to steel yourself to kill a defenseless person, knowing that this person would not live to see the next sunrise, and not being able to tell them to cherish today, to tell their family how much they loved them. To be the cause of someone's dead parent, or spouse. Do you?"

Shocked, the teenager stared as Ryo's eyes turned regretful.

"I have already come to terms with all those. Sure, I feel something whenever I kill, but I push it away because it is my job. Occupation ethics. Assassination is not all adventure, Yu."

"But I never regarded it as an adventure, nii-chan." Yume said quietly after a long silence. Turning eyes filled with determination to look at Ryo, Yume continued. "I want to be an assassin because you are one too. I want to be just as good as onii-chan is."

The white-haired man was still not very convinced, and Yume continued. "At least let me give it a try. I won't do it again if I don't like it, okay, nii-chan?"

Ryo regarded his younger sister for a long moment, and Yume held her breath. At last, he sighed and smiled.

"I guess I don't have a choice here, do I?" Ryo touched his forehead to hers. "Baka. Yu-chan need not follow nii-chan's footsteps. Just be yourself and do what you want."

"But I want to do what you are doing." Yume was determined.

Ryo shook his head slightly.

"We shall see then, carrot."

RECALL

"I killed my first at the age of fifteen, and Ryo was wrong. In fact, I took to assassination like a duck to water. The guilt took some time to get over, but other than that, I had no complains with my occupation. Gradually, Ryo realized that I had not been kidding when I told him to let me to join him and we began doing assignments together. Two years passed like that, and one day, we were about to carry on our assignment. We were supposed to assassinate one of the triad bosses. It seemed that this person was getting too powerful, too fast, and his elders wanted him dead at all costs. By then, my brother and I had made quite a reputation for ourselves, and thus were hired on to do this job. I thought that it would be an easy kill, and had decided to do this without my brother's help. I went the day before we had planned to attack. Never was I more wrong. Let's say that I had gravely underestimated the man whom we were supposed to assassinate." Yume's smile was bitter now, and Akito kept silence, willing her to continue.

"Before I knew it, I had all but fallen into their trap and the boss ordered for me to be tortured." Emerald eyes darkened with memory.

"You were whipped, weren't you?"

Yume stared at Akito.

"You saw the scars."

The patriarch nodded and Yume continued.

"It was only for one day that I was captured, but by the time Ryo came to rescue me, I was hardly recognizable."

RECALL

Katana wielded in both hands, Ryo ran fluidly through the corridors to the underground chambers. He had created enough pandemonium and had shut off all security systems earlier for all the triad guards to immediately abandon all duties to protect their leader, whom they would find was already dead. Ryo thought it appropriate for revenge for capturing Yume. Thinking off his sister, Ryo felt himself getting angry all over again.

What did that baka think she was doing? He was never going to let her on any assignment ever again.

Keeping his thoughts in check, Ryo skidded around a corner only to be greeted by the most horrifying sight. It took him a while to recognize Yume. His little imoto-chan had been whipped, and savagely so too. Yume was shackled and chained to the ceiling so that she was hanging freely. Blood flowed freely and dripped from her body in great amounts. A closer inspection saw that her back had been ripped to shreds.

Ryo's emerald eyes darkened with grief; how Yume must have suffered so. He had failed in his promise to protect her. Hesitantly, the man approached his sister.

"Yu, Yu wake up." He took the keys that had been hanging from a nearby wall and begun freeing her from her chains.

Yume's eyes fluttered open.

"Nii-chan?"

"Hai, I am here to bring you back home now, Yu." Ryo supported Yume's bloodied form when she was finally free from the chains and wrapped her with his cloak. "Ikkou, I need to get you to a hospital."

"Hai, nii-chan." Yume closed her eyes wearily; content to be in her brother's arms.

Taking advantage of the pandemonium of the situation, Ryo was about to slip off with his beloved burden when they were noticed. Immediately, the siblings found themselves being attacked from all angles.

"Put me down, Ryo." Yume commanded weakly. "I can stand. You need to concentrate on the fight."

Ryo nodded grimly and quickly lowered Yume onto the ground; he turned his attention to the fight immediately. Yume watched as her brother held his own against the dozen or so men that kept coming at him. So engrossed with observing the battle, Yume had failed to notice a man creeping up behind her. But Ryo had. With a malicious grin, the man was about to plunge his knife into her back when Ryo pushed her away and intercepted.

The next few moments seemed to happen in slow motion. Stunned by what she had just seen, Yume looked on wide-eyed as Ryo pitched forward, the knife still stuck to his back like some kind of nightmare. Just then, the police arrived, but Yume did not care. To her, everything came to a standstill and the world consisted of only her and her dying brother.

"Onii-chan." Yume whispered. "ONII-CHAN!!"

The girl crawled to the fallen body of her brother, and with the remaining of her strength; she turned Ryo over, careful not to jolt the knife that is hilted within his back.

Ryo smiled weakly at Yume.

"Daijoubu ka, Yu-chan?" He gasped out.

Yume shook her head frantically.

"Iie, nii-chan. Save your strength. Help is coming. Please, save your strength. Don't talk now."

"Yu," Ryo's smile was sad this time. "You know that it is too late now. That idiot had punctured my lung, and you know it."

Ryo struggled to breathe, and Yume cried harshly, tears leaking from her eyes.

"Promise me something, Yume." A trickle of blood flowed from his mouth, and Yume wiped it away. "Promise me that you will live on, okay? Be happy."

Yume wanted to yell at her brother for asking such a ridiculous thing. How could she be happy if he died? But she could not refuse his wish, not when he was giving her that look of trust. Grief-stricken, she nodded blindly.

"H…hai, nii-chan, I promise" She forced herself to smile, but the tears came down even harder at that attempt. "You are such a baka, nii-chan. You should not have done that."

"I promised to protect you…" Ryo hacked violently, and both knew that their time together was almost up. Yume gripped Ryo to her even tighter.

"Onii-chan, iie."

Ryo gave a last smile.

"You know that I love you, Yu." With her name on his lips, Ryo closed his eyes and breathed his last.

"I love you too, nii-chan."

RECALL

"It was all my fault. Had I not underestimated my opponent, Ryo would not have died. It was all my fault." By now, Yume was weeping silent tears. They fell pathetically from her chin, but she took no notice of them, her green eyes opaque as she relieved the past. Yume was jolted, however, when she felt a hand wiping away her tears.

"Sumimasen, I…I shouldn't have said all that." She pushed away his hand and turned away, trying hard to compose herself. Akito was having none of that. Deliberately, he turned her to face him again.

"Why are you so upset? What had happened had happened. It is already over. You pulled through it, didn't you? Get over it."

Yume was so surprised that she stared at him. It seemed that there are a lot of layers to this person whom she knows as Akito. He never fails to surprise her. Most people in his position would pity her and be sympathetic; but Akito had cut straight to the chase and had in no certain terms told her to stop living in the past instead. For some reason, she felt infinitely better after the recount.

"Hai." The girl said quietly. "Hai." Now it was more failed with conviction. "You are right. It is over already. Nii-chan would not have wanted me to be like this." She took a deep breath. "Arrigatou, Akito."

The man was about to shrug when she interrupted his actions with a kiss. Unlike the earlier one, this one was initiated by Yume and she poured all her feelings into it. Akito was taken slightly aback, but he got over it quickly. Unconsciously, he placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her nearer to him. Taking charge, he deepened the kiss. With a whimper, Yume's eyes fluttered open in surprise and she opened her mouth to question Akito's motive. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the man slipped his tongue inside. Yume felt her eyes slip close again. This kiss felt…good, even better than the previous one. Tentatively, Yume used her tongue to explore the insides of Akito's mouth, much to his delight. The pair kept the intimate contact until the need to breathe interfered, and even then, they disengaged from each other in the most reluctant fashion.

Panting heavily, they stared at each other. Yume was horrified. She had just kissed Akito! She was not supposed to do that, but somehow, it had felt right, and she touched a hand to her kiss-swollen lips.

`What does he think of me now, I wonder? He must think that I am very forward." Yume thought, amused. Telling Akito about Ryo had made her feel like a new person, which would explain her impulse daringness. `I should just apologized and tell him that it is all because of the heat of the moment.'

Thus settled, the girl was about to apologize when Akito spoke first.

"Will you have an affair with me?"

Lol…evil cliffie, ne? Ne? ^^ Hahah. Man I can't believe that it took 5 chapters for them to kiss. But at least they kissed twice!! And is Akito a little OOC? I am very worried about that. Please readers, please tell me what you think. I don't mind flames really. You know, I think that this story will most probably have an R rating later on. Not as soon as you want, but sooner than you think. ^^ Another chapter about Yume's past, and I think that this is all there is about it. Poor Ryo. He was such a man of character. I love him so much though. *huggles him* ^^ Please review and tell me what you guys think about this chapter, okay? And lastly, please excuse any spelling, tenses and grammatical errors that I might have in this chapter. Gomen nasai!!

Until next time, ja ne!!