A Second Chance

By: Akira Asakura

Genre: Spiritual/Drama

Rating: PG-13 (For slight language extremely dark thoughts, including implications of death or dying)

Summary: Everyone deserves a second chance, even Akito, right? After events of the infamous CH 97. Do not read if you haven't found out don't want to know.

Disclaimer: Furuba Aki-chan all belong to Takaya-sensei, and if we're lucky her talent may flow to us, but we must continue watching/reading Fruits Basket reading/writing fan-fictions.

Second ChanceSecond ChanceSecond ChanceSecond ChanceSecond Chance

Akito's POV

"Where the Hell am I?" My eyes open slowly and I see Hatori over me. I feel weak, like always, and I try to lift myself using my thin arms, but my body feels limp. I fall back down, pain crazily rushing through my frail form. I feel weaker than usual. "Hatori, what happened?"

He stares indifferently at me, barely blinking. I trained him to use that gaze, but I hate it. It's too disturbing. "You had a car accident," he says simply, shining a light in my eyes.

Out of habit, I partly shield my eyes. His hand goes to my forehead as he shuts off the light and puts it away. "How?" my voice is curious, yet with that deathly cold tinge as always.

"You were going to Shigure's and the driver was driving too fast. He says you told him to. But anyway, it was raining, so the car slipped and crashed into and old Sakura tree at the edge of the forest." He's turned away, checking something on the computer.

Damn, I hate this feeling. I need something to stop this. I need more medicine. "Hatori," I call. Damn it, I sound so weak you can hear I'm a girl. What the Hell? I don't remember ever being this fragile before. "Hatori, get me more painkillers."

"Akito-chan," he starts. Damn him, he used the honorific "-chan". He knows I hate that. "It's surprising you can feel anything. I you haven't noticed, you have an IV shooting antibiotics and painkillers through your veins. You should be fine, not to mention numb."

I growl lowly. Dumb-ass doctor. I turn my head away from him. God, I feel like killing someone. What the Hell (was originally another word) is happening? Why was I even going to that damn dog's house? What the Hell is going on? I feel like my head's spinning. I'm starting to black out again. No, I can't! I'm not letting this medicine get ahead of me. I'm gonna get my answers and I'm gonna get them now. My eyes are flashing a dangerous look. What is this crazed feeling? "Why was I going to his house?" My voice remarkably sounds un-agitated, but my breath is slipping from me.

"Hm?" Dumb seahorse, you can hear me.

"You know very well what I asked." I roll my eyes. It's getting the best of me again. I'm not going down without finding out what I want to know though.

He turns around, face in his hands. He looks so pathetic. Then again, I probably do too, sprawled out on this examination table. I try to collect myself better. I'm obviously not doing much, because he just stares at me with that pathetic look, as if he's fed up with me. Is he fed up with me? I'll show him better than to get annoyed by dying person! "Damn it, tell me you idiot!" My eyes are fiery again, and I'm ready to claw anyone who gets close enough.

"You wouldn't tell me…" His voice is low, almost sad. It's too pathetic. I trained him to keep constant apathy, what the Hell is with this depression surge? It- it almost makes me feel bad. And I slightly falter with my next question.

"Has- has everyone started to abandon me since they found out, about me- and Kureno?" I'm sure they think I'm more of a bitch now. I'm sucking in long, deep, wavering breaths, but the air coming out feels so shallow, stale. I feel like crying. I don't want to be weak. Someone, something, stop me. I'm not going to break down. Not now. Not when my last moments may be slipping away.

"Akito-chan, are you okay?" His voice is frantic, worried, but it's starting to sound distant. My vision is blurring. Am I- am I crying? No, it's just getting shadowed. It's overcoming me again. Oh God, I think I'm dying. I can sort of fell something run down my cheek now. It's warm, and tastes salty as it skirts the corner of my lips. My right hand goes up and wipes it instinctively, but it seems so unnatural. I'm supposed to be strong. I can't cry. As the Sohma-clan leader, I'm never supposed to shed a tear or show signs of weakness, yet here I am pathetically depending on Hatori-san. Wait, haven't I always depended on him like this? So I've always seemed so weak. Damn, this sucks. -1-

"Akito-chan," he calls me again. His voice is still distant. I don't want to lose him. If I've depended on him this long then he may be the reason I'm still alive. God, I sound pathetic. This is so wrong. I feel someone's hands on my shoulders. They're shaking me. Is that Kureno? "Akito-chan!"

What's going on? Everything's going dark. Am I not supposed to see a light? Nani? Am I going to Hell? I'm sorry. Please, give me a second chance. I don't care about acting strong anymore. I'm willing to cry now, but I can't even let out a sob. I can't say anything. I feel like I'm choking and I have that feeling like I can't breathe, but there's still the feeling of taking in deep breaths. I hack out a choking noise, and though I can't hear or see anyone, I can tell someone's helping me to take in deep breaths. I know it isn't Hatori anymore. It must be Kureno. Nani? I can faintly feel my hand running through someone's hair. Perhaps it's Kureno's soft, black locks? I let my arms fall around him. I actually don't care even if it is Hatori, but I need someone who's cared about me, or at least taken care of me. No one else but Kureno and Hatori has done that. I need them both. Hatori's like a brother, but I don't know about Kureno. He's always been there, even once he could've left me any time, since his curse was lost. That always made me sad, and scared. I felt like I was losing my best friend, my only friend. He was always my only friend. I start to feel calm again, but then that feeling comes back again, that feeling like I can't breathe, I can't think, and like I'm losing everything I've tried so hard to hold onto. It's all slipping through my fingers. Hatori? Kureno? Where are you?

I'm slipping off the edge; I'm hanging by a thread. I wanna start this over again.

Kureno, help me, please! Don't let me go. Hold me tight. Don't let anything happen to me. Please just don't let me go. I can't die. I want to go back. I want to go to when we were kids again, Kureno. I want to start back at when you lost your curse. Maybe I wouldn't have lost it all if I'd taken it better then. If I hadn't yelled at you then maybe… None of this would've happened. I want to start our childhood over. Then I would've known to ignore Ren (Akito's mother) and to not get mad at you. If I hadn't slapped you, maybe everything would've been okay. I need to remember when we were so little that we didn't know anything. We, no I need to forget everything, to go back before Ren started calling me ugly all the time and started yelling at me for every little thing, like your curse disappearing.

So I try to hold onto a time when nothing mattered. And I can't explain what happened, and I can't erase the thing's I've done. No, I can't.

"Kureno, I'm so sorry. Please don't let me go. I can't hold on unless you help me. I swear, I just want to start over." I'm- talking? And I'm crying. I sob into his arms, my left arm around him and my right hand clenched onto his sleeve. "I really need you. Just don't let me…" My voice fades oddly as he puts his index finger to my lips, and I stare pathetically up at him. I can see again. And I realize how much my eyes sting, and how beautiful his eyes are. I can't believe how grateful I am just to see him again.

"Don't worry. You're fine. I always here, so don't cry. The machine had tired putting more antibiotics into you, because your hear rate was slowing. It overdosed you for a while." I look down and see that the IV needle is in his hands. He drops it. "Your immune system had taken too much in. You were actually better to start with than the computer had said. Lucky you. Hatori found that5 out before you slipped away. I guess you were granted a second chance."

A second chance, for me? Tears start form again in my eyes and I actually- smile. I wipe my eyes frantically. I'm fine now. I can't believe this. "Thank you so much." And even though I'm facing Kureno, I know I'm speaking to God. -2-

"It's not my gratitude to take. It's Hatori's."

"No, she's thanking the right person." His hands are folded and his chin is propped upon them. A falter of a smile is no his face.

Kureno understands in enough time and goes on. He puts his arms safely around me. I love this feeling, knowing I'm safe in another person's arms and that I now have someone new to trust. Kureno bends down, caressing my cheek with a light kiss. I think I can start over again now. First by making amends to the Juunishi, if they'll take me back, after being the total bitch that I was.

Second ChanceSecond ChanceSecond ChanceSecond ChanceSecond Chance

-1- Crying made her think clearer she even used an honorific.

-2- It's a Spiritual story, so I had to use God or else it wouldn't have been so much of Spiritual, now would it? I didn't state what God, so take no offense and don't take this as me clarifying her religion.

A/N:
Yes, 'tis another new Furuba story from Asakura Akira, yet no updates for Bitter-Sweet Akira. The explanation is on my profile, now I must go update My Furuba poems with ?'s poem. Who is it? You must read to find out. I know the ending was corny, but it's how it turned out, and that's the best I can come up with for an excuse, so that's it. This is a one-shot, so don't expect updates. Note: Please forgive me; I used the wrong name for Akito-chan's mother, so I had to repost it properly.
4/13: I had to re-edit because of the new no song-fictions rule. No more verses, but it's still a pretty good story right?