Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ White Flag ❯ Unacceptable ( Chapter 4 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

WHITE FLAG
A Fruits Basket Fanfic

Written by Miyu, Vampire Princess


AUTHOR'S NOTE:
An Akito x Hanajima romance. Yes, romance. Be afraid. Very afraid. I believe Nightmare Kitty can be blamed for this titanic brainstorm. =P Continuing the twisted romance from Hanajima's POV. Will she have her memories erased? No lemon here. A bit of harsh language and violence though. Standard Disclaimer follows the story.



PART FOUR - UNACCEPTABLE


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Well I will go down with this ship
And I won't put my hands up and surrender
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I'll never forget how tightly Tohru held my hand.

Or the angry looks Yuki and Kyo kept giving their cousin as he drove away from the school. Oh, they had plenty of opportunity to say something. But their surprised eyes only gave way to angry stares as Hatori ushered Tohru and myself to the car.

Tohru was immediately in tears, clinging to me and muttering apologies. I told her it was all right. That it wasn't her fault.

It wasn't really.

Two weeks before I had learned of the Souma family curse. It was nothing too shocking. After several years I had already learned that the Souma's were different from other people. Their auras sang of something unusual. Of course, I had no idea of the true nature of their "unusualness" until that day at lunch. I have to admit that holding a little white rat while he screamed at a surprised, yet terrified, Kyo was quite amazing.

"Hanajima...san?"

"Hai?"

"Will you set me down? Onegai...."

I nodded, setting him down on top of his clothes. "Hai."

"This is bad," Momiji said in a panicky voice. "This is really bad."

"Calm down," Kyo said, although his voice was filled with just as much trepidation. "It doesn't look like anyone else saw." He looked at everyone and shrugged. "Who has to know?"

"Akito will find out," Momiji tired to explain. "He finds out everything."

"But I've always known there was something strange about your family," I inserted. "And this was hardly done on purpose."

"It was an accident," Tohru added.

"It doesn't matter," Yuki joined in with the group. He looked so very sad, even for one so small. "He will eventually find out."

"Perhaps I should speak with him," I said. It seemed like a natural solution since we WERE seeing each other. Although, the others did not know that, and I still did not want to tell them.

"NO!" Everyone seemed to yell in unison, even Tohru.

"What is the worst he can do?" I asked curiously.

No one answered.

Even Hatori, when we got inside his car and took off for the Souma family establishment.

"It is best if you simply stay quiet," he told us. "We will do what we can."

"Does Shigure-san know?" Tohru asked.

Hatori nodded. "And I've called Ayame. Kyo and Yuki will probably come with Shigure if he hasn't already left. Momiji and Hatsuharu too."

"You think everyone will show up?" Tohru asked.

"Why will everyone show up?" I asked.

Tohru looked at me with sad eyes. "This is bad, Hana-chan. Really bad."

I hugged her, not knowing what else to do. She cried on my shoulder while my own heart sat frozen. My mind began to wonder, the strangest ideas coming to mind. Wondering what it was she was so afraid of. Wondering why everyone would show up.

Wondering what Akito would say once we arrived.

He didn't meet me for drinks that same day after school. Nor did he return the one phone call I made to his office. Someone else answered, saying they'd pass a message on to him. I had wondered why our communication had dropped to zero. It was very...depressing. I had come to cherish my time with him so much.

And I had no idea what I had done wrong...until today.

Ayame greeted us in the garage as we stepped out of the car. I had never met this young man before, for I would've remembered how beautiful he was. Long white hair, lean frame. He reminded me of Yuki actually. Was that possible? He smiled sadly at Tohru and myself as we approached him.

"Tell me this isn't so, Tohru-kun!" He looked at me with wide eyes. "Do you really know the family secret?"

"The curse, you mean," I said.

Tears formed in his eyes and he shook his head. "This wasn't the way it was supposed to be. Not for our Tohru-kun! Not for our princess."

"They need your support, not your tears, Ayame," Hatori scolded him.

"Do you understand what kind of trouble you've caused," Ayame said to me accusingly.

"Ayame-san!" Tohru yelled in surprise, but I stopped any further comment. I was slightly insulted that he would think me low enough to hurt my best friend and the increase in my denpa showed it. Tohru gasped. "Hana-chan?"

"For what tragedy may follow, I apologize," I told him. "But do not accuse me of purposefully hurting someone who is like a sister to me."

His eye widened and a single tear fell from his right eye. He bowed in apology. "Gomen nasai. It's just that...."

"That Tohru-kun means a lot to us as well," Hatori finished for him. "We should move into the house. Shigure and the others may already be here."

Shigure was indeed already inside. He was sitting on the porch of Hatori's office, smoking what appeared to be his umpteenth cigarette. The ground surrounding the porch was littered with butts. He stood as we approached, smiling although his eyes conveyed a much sadder emotion. Strange, I could never read the emotion in his eyes before.

"This doesn't look good, does it Ha-san," he said, taking a large puff then blowing out a cloud of smoke. Hatori only shook his head. "Oh well, it was only a matter of time, I suppose. Saki-chan was always so close."

"Is she here?! Is she all right?" A young girl came running up to us. I say young, for she was only a year or so older than Tohru and I. Two smaller forms followed her along the path and stopped behind her as she reached Hatori's porch steps.

"Kagura-san?" Tohru said, surprised. "You know?"

"The whole house knows by now, baka," said a little boy from behind Kagura.

"Hiro-chan," the little girl standing beside him scolded. She looked at Tohru with large, sad eyes. "Is it true?"

Tohru nodded, motioning to me. "Hai. This is my friend, Hana-chan."

"She knows too, huh?" The young boy, Hiro, said. He looked at me with contempt and disgust. "This is all your fault. If anything happens to Tohru...!"

My denpa rose again, but this time I did not hold back so much. A small burst crackled in the air above him, giving him several tiny pricks of shock. He was surprised, yet uninjured.

"If anything happens to Tohru it is because I failed to protect her," I told him, eyes narrowed.

"Don't make her angry, Hiro-chan," Ayame said, just a little too late. "She can be dangerous."

"Good," Hiro remarked. "Maybe she can put Akito in his place. What did you use on me anyway? Can you conduct electricity?"

"Something like that." I couldn't help but smile.

"Hana-chan," Tohru said, introducing me to the new arrivals. "This is Kagura-san, Kisa-chan and Hiro-san."

"You are all Souma?" I inquired.

"And all cursed," Shigure replied from his spot on Hatori's porch. Was he smoking yet another cigarette? This one looked new.

"Did we make it in time? Huh, huh, huh?!"

We turned to see Momiji running through the front gate, with Hatsuharu not far behind. Had they run all this way from school? To my surprise, Yuki and Kyo followed just moments later. They looked tired and out of breath. Yes, they had been running.

"Let us *huff* go *gasp* with them," Yuki insisted. "Maybe we can *wheeze* convince him that this...isn't as bad...as it looks."

"Yeah," Kyo added. "Even I'm willing to go before that bastard if it'll help Tohru and Hanajima."

I was amazed by how many people actually came out in support of Tohru. They gathered around her like family. I couldn't help but smile. This was how she always gathered strength. And now I knew why she had gotten stronger. It was because of the Souma clan. I suppose Arisa and I served the same purpose, but it was touching to see just how much they cared about her. I felt that much better knowing that someone would help her if I could not.

My stomach bottomed out at the very thought. I had no idea what was going to happen to me -- to us -- and yet I feared the worst. But what was the worst?

"Hana-chan?" Tohru managed a small smile as she grabbed my hand again. She didn't squeeze as tightly, but firmly. "It's time to go."

I nodded, my eyes catching those of the older Souma men. Hatori and Shigure nodded to me. Ayame smiled.

"Let's get this over with," Hatori said.

We walked away, leaving the younger Souma children to watch as we became smaller in the distance. It was a much larger residence than it looked from the outside.

But the surrounding atmosphere got darker the closer we got to Akito's rooms. It is difficult to explain. The air got thicker. It was more difficult to breathe. Perhaps I had not been breathing properly to begin with. I felt like I was being smothered by...evil? There was indeed angry intent, but nothing purely evil. Just...dark. Foreboding.

Tohru squeezed my hand tighter when we stopped before Akito's door. I looked at her, returning her smile as best I could. Inside, I was a puddle of nothing...everything. My heart beat rapidly, like it was trying to escape my chest. I could feel my denpa start to rise and pushed it back down. It would do me no good to get over excited.

Was this the man I had fallen in love with?

Hatori knocked on the door. "Akito?"

"What the hell took you so long?! Bring them inside!"

His voice sent a chill down my spine. This could not be the same Akito that I had been seeing over the past few months. He sounded...evil. His voice held nothing but contempt. If this is what the Soumas were used to hearing, I now understood why they were so in awe...no, not awe, but in fear of him.

I held my breath as the door opened. The atmosphere was truly dark inside the room. Only one lamp lit the large space, with several candles burning in the corners. I let go of the breath I was holding slowly, allowing Tohru to pull me inside as we followed Hatori, Shigure and Ayame inside.

Akito sat with is back to us, leaning into a windowsill on the far side of the room. His hair covered what could've been seen of his face, dark eyes peering at us from underneath long lashes. The stony look on his face could've frozen the blood of any man. His paleness and frailty only accentuated his raw power. This was not a man to be taken lightly.

This was the man I loved.

And he was truly frightening.

"Don't just stand there," he said in a quietly lethal voice. Each of his words was emphasized with venom. "Come in. Sit down."

Hatori and Shigure ushered Tohru and myself to the pillows that had already been set up in the middle of the floor. Actually it wasn't much of a set up. If it was meant to be in a specific design, it was lacking. It looked like someone had just tossed them on the floor carelessly. I took the one closest to the window, Tohru sitting on me left. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the Ayame move behind us, while Shigure sat to my right and Hatori to Tohru's left.

When we were seated, Akito stood from his pillow by the window. He didn't look at us, but his posture, his gate, everything spoke of power. I wonder why I never saw it before. This is not something easily hidden. I suppose he did radiate some aura of strength, of knowledge, of darkness, even when we were seeing each other. But it was not as overpowering as this. I was not comfortable around this man. I was scared.

But what frightened me even more than the threat to myself was the threat to Tohru.

"Do I need to explain to you...Miss Honda...Miss Hanajima...why you've been brought here?"

"It was an accident," Tohru quickly blurted out, but a glance from a very angry Akito stopped her from saying anything more.

"Accidents do happen I suppose," he said, his eyes falling on me. The darkness was consuming him. His eyes were shrouded in shadow, a slow fire burning there. "And what about you? Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"Nothing you have not already heard from others," I told him.

"It's not her fault," Tohru whispered. I could tell she was holding back tears.

Akito strode forward quickly. He stopped just before us, kneeling in front of Tohru. He stared her down until I saw my best friend shrivel into a little ball. "No? Then I suppose this is all YOUR fault!"

Tohru tried not to cringe, but did so unwillingly under the weight of his stare, the harshness of his words.

"It was an accident, Akito," Hatori spoke up.

"Shut up!" He moved so fast that I could not see, only heard, the slap he gave to the doctor. "I did not ask you to speak!"

Ayame made a strangled noise behind us and I could feel the tension pouring from Shigure.

"Please, don't hurt them," Tohru muttered helplessly.

"It's all your fault!" Akito yelled at her.

"It was an accident--"

"You broke my faith in you!"

"I didn't mean to--"

"I trusted you!"

"Gomen--"

"I let you stay with us when I should've thrown you back out onto the street!"

"But I'm grateful--"

"And this is how you repay my kindness!"

"Please...I'm sorry...."

I reached over to take Tohru's hand as she covered her face in horror, but Akito reached down and grabbed my wrist. The look in his eyes was all I needed to know that my concern wasn't acceptable to him. Surprisingly though, his grip wasn't too tight, but it wasn't loose either. He tossed my arm back at me, not too roughly, showing me a bit more compassion than he did to Hatori.

"I bet you had a good laugh at my expense, didn't you Saki," he whispered to me. "Playing me like a fool."

His words stung, but I was not a crier like Tohru. If he wanted to make me cry, he'd have to try harder. "I'm not laughing."

"Did you find it disgusting, our secret? Or perhaps horrifying?"

"Your curse is not disgusting, or horrifying," I stated, faltering only a little under his intense gaze.

"You know NOTHING of my curse," he practically spit at me.

I saw the emotion behind his eyes, saw as his anger and his hatred warred with the growing affection he had felt for me. I watched as his anger won out, saw the slow burn of his hatred as his eye bore holes into mine. His name escaped my lips before I could stop it. It was not affectionate or frightened. Just a simple statement. One that was all too familiar to him.

He stood, looking away quickly as he walked back to his bed. Strange, I hadn't noticed the bed before. It was sitting on a raised platform, with decorations all around it and what appeared to be soft sheets. He turned back to us, sitting on the edge.

"You have broken the trust of the Souma clan, allowing one of your _friends_ to learn our secret," he said in a formal tone. "Do you remember the penalty for this action, Miss Honda?"

Tohru nodded, her eyes still shut and tears still falling.

"What is the penalty," I asked. Apparently I was the only one in the room who didn't know. I had expected him to say something like "life imprisonment" or "death", although neither punishment truly fit this crime. He looked me right in the eye as he answered:

"Her memories will be erased. Every moment ever spent in the presence of a Souma will be erased from her mind forever."

Tohru's tears fell faster, and it was Shigure who gave the outburst this time. "This is too harsh, Akito. Tohru has done so much for our family."

"She is a nuisance and a traitor," he replied bitterly. "She knows the penalty for her actions. Do not plead for her, Shigure."

Tohru's entire body shook from her crying. I could fell tears prickling at the edges of my own eyes just watching her. I could not stand to see her like this, all broken. She didn't even look this way the day her mother passed away. This was...unacceptable.


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There will be no white flag above my door
I'm in love and always will be
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"Then perhaps you will allow me to plead for her," I told Akito. I heard another hiss behind me and Shigure whisper my name, but I ignored them. Akito raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, his jaw tightening and his fists clenching.

"What happened was an accident, whether you believe it or not. But I was the one involved, not Tohru. So if anyone is to be punished it is me."

His smile was evil and the shiver of cold it sent down my spine was difficult to suppress. "Don't worry, Saki. Your memories will be erased too."

I paused for a moment, stricken by his words. It would not be difficult for me to lose my memories of Kyo and Yuki. Or those of the writer and the others. What I couldn't let go of were the past several months...even if they were spent with the devil. As I gathered myself, I shook my head.

"That is not acceptable," I said, my own anger rising although I managed to suppress my denpa.

His smile disappeared. "This is not a debate."

"Then I will make it one," I replied calmly.

"You have no right!"

"I have every right!"

It was as if time itself stopped. I could feel the surprised stares of the three Souma men, as well as the wide-eyed, frightened stare of my friend. I don't think they've ever heard me talk above my usual calm, whispery voice. I may have raised my voice once or twice in Tohru's presence, but apparently she had forgotten them.

But what intrigued me was the look on Akito's face. He was definitely surprised, but not as horrified...or perhaps shocked...as I would've expected him. Perhaps he shouldn't have been all that surprised.

He has seen parts of myself that I don't easily share with others. Parts that even my closest friends don't see very often. He got me to open up just that little bit more. His calm presence was always reassuring, and his somewhat regal manner always kept me in awe. Now I understood his regalness...his godhood.

But his calm presence was less than reassuring.

"If you fight me, you cannot win," Akito said through clenched teeth.

"I am not looking for a fight." My voice was still angry, but not as loud as before. "I am looking for a fair solution."

"What could be more fair," he asked incredulously. "She has given away our secret, betrayed out trust--!"

"I knew there was something strange about the Souma family long before the...incident...two weeks ago. That _accident_ only confirmed what I already knew was true. That the Souma family is not like everyone else.

"Tohru is not to blame, and I will not allow her to be blamed for something that is, inherently, my fault."

Akito seemed amused. "Are you asking me to forgive your friend?"

"I am asking that her memories go untouched and that mine are erased," I replied. "I can not stop you from punishing her in another manner, I am certain. But I can do this for her."

"Does she mean that much to you?" he asked, eyes narrowed.

My response was chosen carefully. "She means a great deal to me." 'So do you.' I managed a small smile. 'I love you.' "But do not let that influence your judgment."

He jumped at my response. My assumption was correct. Everyone knew the punishment, but they did not know of my involvement with Akito. Otherwise they may not be surprised. Still. There was a flash of something...familiar...behind his eyes, but it was gone in the next instant.

"You have one week," he told me; taking a step closer, weary of my denpa in the background. "Then you will come back here, and your memories will be erased."

"No, please..." Tohru still begged in the background.

"I will return here in one week."

Before he turned around, I saw a hint of satisfaction in his smile. By erasing my memories, he will try to erase his own. But the sorrow that lay hidden behind the dark depths of his glance would hinder that process.

I prepared for graduation and went about life as usual. My parents knew nothing about what was to happen, and I felt no need to tell them. My memories of them would remain intact, Hatori had explained. And with my own depressiveness growing, their worries were the last thing I needed on my mind.

I believe I saw more of the Souma clan in that one week then I had ever seen in my lifetime. Momiji brought me chocolates (my favorite kind). Yuki tried not to look at me with sad eyes and Kyo was most...helpful...with the most trivial things. Even Haru hung around more. Kagura stopped by the school one day just to say hello.

And Shigure invited Arisa and I to join them for dinner after the graduation ceremony was over.

I let Tohru's happiness be my sorrow. I was doing this for her after all. She was so happy the day of graduation. Her promise to her mother was fulfilled. What she would do now was anyone's guess. I withdrew from the crowd gathered outside the restaurant as they chattered nonsensically. I was happy to see her happy.

Meanwhile my heart was falling apart.

I suppose I fell for Akito much harder than I had thought. After our meeting with him, I should've hated him. Should've loathed him for making me chose between him and my best friend. But was I really choosing? Even with my memories of him, all the Souma erased, I would still have Tohru.

And while I treasured Tohru, she was not the one I wanted.

I loved Akito.

It hurt. More than I was willing to admit. I still kept our relationship...what there was left of it...hidden from my friends. And in only a few days time, I wouldn't remember it to be bothered.

Hatori was waiting for me the day I arrived. Shigure was there too. And Yuki and Kyo as a show of support. I would not recognize them after I woke up. I did not even know where I would wake up.

The doctor led me into a spare room in his office. He motioned for me to sit down, to be more comfortable, but I shook my head. Part of me wanted to get this over with before my resolve left me. Kami help me but I wanted to remember Akito. I loved Tohru...but...I loved Akito more. Was that even possible?

I felt a single tear fall down my cheek as Hatori's palm rested against my forehead.

For a moment I saw a single ray of white light. A voice called to me from the distance. Was this my memory? Was that Hatori speaking to me?"

"Hatori, stop!"

Suddenly the light was gone and Hatori stepped away from me, his palm leaving my forehead. I opened my eyes. When had I closed them?

"Hatori-san?" I questioned.

I was pulled backward and to my left, towards the door. I tried to turn my head to look, but it wouldn't move. A side effect of the brainwashing?

"Saki? Snap out of it! SAKI?!"

I blinked once, twice. As the fog of my vision cleared, I realized that I was no longer in the office. I was in a darkened room, lying on a very comfortable bed. I sighed and my caregiver sighed too, obviously happy that I was awake.

Then he started crying.

"Gomen, Saki. Gomen nasai. I don't know what I was thinking. I wasn't thinking. Forgive me. Onegai, Saki. Forgive me."


~TO BE CONTINUED~


DISCLAIMER:
Fruits Basket is owned by Natsuki Takaya/HAKUSENSHA - TV TOKYO - NAS - Fruba Project and licensed by FUNimation Productions, Ltd (for distribution in the USA). All copyrights go to them and not me. All characters are used here without permission. Please do not sue. I have no money, although I would be happy to give away my bills. ^_^

Lyrics are from Dido's song "White Flag," which appears on the album "Life for Rent". (c)2003 Arista Records