c Every Dog has its Day
By Maria Szabo
Disclaimer: Fruits Basket belongs to Takaya Natsuki and her publishers. This work is a piece of fanfiction and no profit is being made save that of enjoyment.
I saw him today. The favorite one.
It was just a glimpse, really. Akito keeps him hidden away from the rest of us, from the whole family. The servants must see him, I suppose, on occasion. But they never speak of him. The honke keeps its secrets.
I'd come to see Akito, and I was early. Not intentionally, to be sure—I was planning to spend some time with Hatori, but he actually had a patient. Hiro's mother had giggled as he kicked me out of his office. Ah, well, I'll forgive her that. Satsuki's a charming woman. Clumsy, but charming. I wish my mother had loved dogs as much as Satsuki loves sheep.
There was no time to go home and return, so I went on to Akito's quarters. I didn't think much about stopping in early—although Akito is nominally the head of the family, most of the business is handled by favored members who run the corporations. Akito tends to only voice his opinion on certain matters pertaining to the family itself, and property, of which is he very exacting. He isn't all that busy.
So I came upon them, unexpectedly. Akito, head in his hands, dictating some letter about an acquisition. And him, kneeling at the table, typing on a laptop with a completely blank expression on his face.
I didn't betray my presence at first. I wanted to see how they interacted. I wanted to see what was so special about him. At New Years, he rarely says a word. He just sits there, up next to Akito, smiling down on us like he hasn't got a care in the world. They didn't even let him go to school with us when we were growing up: he was sent to a different one, a "better" one.
Much good it did him, huh?
Akito was obviously in pain, but he didn't seem to notice. He just kept typing as if nothing else is going on. Finally, he finished, and read the letter back to Akito in a smooth, velvety voice that made one shiver to hear it. I'd forgotten about his voice. I used to hear him singing in the garden, when he was a little boy. He had the purest soprano, the sound of which would break my heart. But he stopped singing one day, and no one could say why.
The letter, or perhaps the sound of his voice, pleased Akito and he gave him a rare smile. Unfortunately, looking up also made Akito notice me lurking in the doorway.
I supposed I was lucky that Akito was in a good mood, and that I had no bad news for him. He fussed and bustled about me showing up unannounced and neglecting him for so long and it must be the fault of that dreadful girl living with us or that nasty Cat, and how was dear Yuki, and quietly in the background, he gathered up his laptop and papers and retreated into the back room, without even once meeting my eyes.
Enjoy it while you can, Kureno. Akito won't live forever. And then it will be my turn. Poor little monkey Ritsu only got a few years of being the blessed one before the old God died, and he's spent the rest of his life apologizing for it. You were lucky. But that won't last. The year of the Dog comes after the year of the Bird, and I've got another One just waiting, right under my roof….
The End
Notes: Obviously, my take on what Shigure might be up to. YMMV. That's what I love about Fruits Basket – so many mysteries! I do think Shigure is quite jealous of Kureno, and was jealous of Yuki when Yuki was always at Akito's side.
