Disclaimer: waves to everyone Hello all! No, I do not own Fruits Basket and please don't sue me lol --;
Akito-san, the rightful head of the cursed Sohma clan, soundlessly creeps out to his hidden zen garden as the big wooden clock inside rings eleven times.
He slips through a gaping hole in a rotting fence to reach his destination, eager to gaze upon the tranquility of his secret piece of Mother Nature. The young man weaves in and out of clumps of overgrown weeds and comes to an abrupt halt before a partly opened gate. Upon swinging the gate fully open, the golden orange sun, out from a few scattered clouds, illuminates the private haven. A plethora of various flowers, ranging from violets of the deepest purple to daisies of the brightest white encircle the outskirts of the garden. In front of the flowers, small nearly fully blossomed Sakura trees stand wavering in the wind.
With a curious bright glint in his eye, he strolls over to the youngest of the trees, catching a pink blossom on its descent from the heavens. His fingers forcefully clamp down onto the blossom while his dark eyes linger on a silver cage in the middle of the garden. Placing his lips on his palm, Akito blows the crushed flower away, chuckling to himself.
Eyes staring intently at the cage, he moves like a ghost in a graveyard towards the center of his garden. He quickly reaches it and opens the cage door.
The park's silence fades away as the musical notes of canaries dance playfully in the air. Akito watches the birds for a while, gazing at them with a wicked smile. His hand lurks into the cage and gently scoops up on of the birds. Holding it only mere centimeters from his face, he whispers to it:
"Oh, my beautiful.. sweet little bird.. today I have a special surprise for you..."
He ends the sentence abruptly, whipping out the bird's surprise to plop it on the ground. Just as Akito does this, the cheerfully sparkling sun disappears behind gloomy clouds. A chill briefly runs through the air, causing the other birds to cease their happy chatter. But, the selected bird loudly belts out a song despite the change in atmosphere. Akito, with a flick of a wrist, sets the bird into a now golden cage that contains an assortment of treats: a small birdswing, rainbow colored bird candies and enough bird food to last for months. The bird plays alone in its cage happily, forgetting it's other companions.
"Yes, play.. play my lovely one." After observing the bird's contentment, he clasps the cage shut and hides it away behind a tall statue. He gives the garden one final glance before heading back to the compound.
Velvet slippers tread silently on the floor, the owner's face gleaming suspiciously bright.
Blending in with the shadows, Akito sneaks past Hatori's study, not wanting to cause the older doctor to fret. He succeeds and finds the room he wishes to explore: the library. The double doors open with a barely audibe creak as Akito enters the room. This particular library, mostly used to store Hatori's huge collection of books, also contains a hidden door, which leads to a room no one but Akito knows of. The sickly man brushes past three shelves, halting at the fourth one. Sliding easily between the wall and the bookshelf, Akito impatiently yanks a priceless rug from the wall. A small, four foot high door appears from behind the rug, ready to lead him to his beloved room. He forcefully jams a tiny silver key in the lock of the doorknob, jiggling it ever so slightly three times. Promptly at the third jiggle, the petite door budges open. He absentmindedly traces the pattern of circles engraved on the door with his finger, enjoying the rush of adrenaline he always receives before going to this room. With a quick intake of air, Akito bolts through the door, carefully closing it behind him. For Akito, this type of lively energy drives him only when he conspires to control his family.
The tainted ruler begins to fidget with glee as his big eyes consume his surroundings. Wooden shelves line the cream colored walls, holding up twelve minature glass figurines. One by one, Akito walks by each doll, finally stopping before one. He pets the singled out hunk of glass, raising it up into the afternoon light shining from the window. The dazzling light scatters off the surface of the figurine, making its form indistinct, but notably in the shape of some animal. In a lowered tone, the dark haired man sarcastically speaks to the inanimate object:
"Oh, I'm afraid I have no use for you anymore..." He then crushes the unfortunate one in his hand, shattering it into hundreds of pretty slivers. He uncaringly flings the glass remains out of the window and replaces the lost figurine with another. Giving the new placeholder a glance of approval, Akito exits the room to commence his plan.
