much to my horror and some cruel twist of fate, I most tragically do not own Fruits Basket or any of the characters, they're owned by Natsuki Takaya and I repeat are not mine. however much I would like to argue to the contrary.
Akito sat exhausted against a wall on one of the many verandahs surrounding her chambers, she seemed to be carrying a lot more of the curse now that the others were being freed. The house was more empty than ever without Kureno or Momiji, but then the house had always felt empty and still to her the only time it had ever felt…different was at new years.
Another banquet was fast approaching, and this time Akito handled everything personally, and despite Shigure's frequent attempts at snooping, it was still top secret.
She had walked down to the place where the cats prison had been that morning with Shigure, even now she didn't like to think about it that much, even he had been quieter in that place. Thinking about why it had been built, she wondered if it had been built so that the cat could suffer the way they had suffered, all the gods in the past; her father Akira before her and the others, she knew they were like her. Vessels of something greater, tools for some greater deed, but like the cats prison, and like her own home, empty of any real purpose or meaning. Until now.
She still had doubts as to whether she was the one who it would all change for, that things would be okay, that it didn't matter that there was no guarantee that people would love her. It frightened her still, wracked her body with tears and so much fear and pain.
Akito pulled the scrap of ancient paper out of her robe, the perfect flowing calligraphy, so reminiscent of her own hand, she re-read it for what was more than the thousandth time, and had to believe it was true.
'even though you are frightened, let us accept that all things end. Even though it is sad, let us accept that life ends.'
'God, even though it was just for a short time, I was happy being by your side. If I were to die, be reborn and meet you again, the next time rather than in only the moonlight I want to see you smile in the sunlight. The next time I meet you I want to see you laughing surrounded with people.'
"How can anyone of them honestly say that they were happy by my side? That they would want to see me happy and no longer alone? How can I expect that?" She whispered to the wind and to the generations of jyunishi gods looking down on her.
"Isn't it enough that you can hope?" Akito jumped slightly at the voice, she didn't need to look up to recognize the speaker. "That you can always hope that someday someone will say that to you. It's more than any one of us can expect, that's true. But we always have hope, no matter how sad you are, you'll always have that."
He sat looking at her now, legs crossed, gazing directly at her, with his clear dark brown eyes challenging her as he always did.
"Besides if you're that desperate there's always me." Shigure said, returning to his usual penchant of deriding himself. She looked at him, black eyes as confused and troubled as his were clear and laughing. "Despite everything that's been said and done," he murmured, "all the pain I've brought you, I do love you Akito. I …I always have. If that's enough, enough reason to give you hope, what more can I honestly expect?"
She looked up, reading his features, trying to find some small trace of mockery in his eyes or his smile or any reason to doubt him.
"Shi..gure you're….you've always been…you hurt me because you love me?" She said this almost questioningly, but didn't give him time to reply. "and I hurt you…because I…didn't want to be left alone? But regardless of everything …that's enough. It's enough…because I love you too."
He grasped her outstretched fingers and pulled her close to him, just to hold her close, to reassure both of them that the other was there.
She murmured softly, "even if we don't have eternity, even if sometimes I feel alone, knowing you loved me…it has to be enough."