This story is a different version of a story I wrote for a different site. That site is closed down now, so I thought I'd type it up here.

In this story, Akito is a dude. I really can't tell. But I think it's a dude in the anime, and a chick in the manga. But hell, who really cares. As long as we got it clear that 'it's' a dude in this one.

---

"Kyo?"

He didn't look up at her, he only stared down at the phone receiver in his hands. He could have sworn he was shaking, but he wasn't.

"That was Hatori," Kyo said, looking at the three standing around him. Shigure, Yuki, and Tohru. They all looked at him in question, "He wants all of us to go to the house immediately,"

Everyone was shocked. When Kyo said everyone, did he mean even Tohru? What would Akito do to them? Should they even allow Tohru to go?

"He said that Akito wasn't even going to show his face," Kyo said, looking up at them all, "He said that it was only going to be the zodiac members, and Tohru,"

Everyone looked at him, astonished. The thought of Akito not being there was comforting, but they were still nervous of the fact that Akito wanted them down there, but he was not going to even show his face.

"We should go," Shigure said, his voice oddly withdrawn, "Even Tohru,"

Kyo was about to argue when Yuki put up his hand. Yuki was the one who knew not to argue with Shigure when he was like this. So Kyo hung his head, and they all headed toward the door. They could still smell the breakfast Tohru had been making, but all of them paid no mind to it. What was it Hatori wanted to tell them all?

---

Hatori sighed and looked across the rows. He had to make sure that everyone was here. He didn't know why Akito wanted him to tell them all about him, but he was pretty sure that this story would get it all through the rest of the zodiac's brains.

"Why we here?" Haru asked, looking around, rather surprised that everyone was here. Even Rin.

Hatori sighed again, then looked up at them, "I'm going to tell you why Akito won't let you fall in love. I'm going to tell you why Akito is so forlorn and evil. I'm going to tell you why Akito is so strikingly mean to everyone...his name was Elrike,"

---

Akito leaned on the bridge and looked down at the water. He couldn't believe this. He was d by everyone, with good reason, and he had not one friend. He didn't deserve them. He knew that. He wondered if it'd be deep enough...

"Don't jump,"

Akito looked up with a jerk and saw that there was a man, well, boy standing next to him. He couldn't have been older than Akito, and he couldn't have been younger. He was smiling, his bright green eyes shining. His Maroon hair was spiking around his head and a little past his ears, and a simple loop pierced his ear. He was absolutely...adorable. Akito shook his head, he couldn't be thinking these things. Well...everyone knew he was gay...so...

"What?" Akito was a light bit angry, but when that boy smile softer, his eyes shining, his anger seeped away faster than water through his fingers.

The boy tilted his head, "Don't jump. Not deep enough. I jumped in once to see, actually,"

Akito snorted a little, then couldn't believe an actual stranger was making him laugh! A STRANGER!

The boy smiled even friendlier at Akito's laugh/snort, then walked past and patted Akito on the shoulder, "I'll see you again,"

Akito watched after him, seeing the long tan coat sway after him, and those light blue jeans showing as well. That man was most definitely NOT Japanese, because Akito could hear the accent. And his whole features, and everything wasn't Japanese. Akito liked that. He liked it a lot.

---

He couldn't believe it.

He really couldn't believe it.

Just the minute that he was wanting to see that boy again, he saw him. In a scary place, actually.

The boy was standing atop a huge cliff overlooking a huge valley. It was a short walk from the river, and it looked like some trouble to get atop. His tan coat was yet again swaying in the breeze, those blue jeans, that white shirt. So plain, yet so complex.

"YO!"

That yell knocked Akito out of his daze, and he saw that the man was waving to him. Akito nearly had a heart attack when the man jumped off the edge of the cliff and skidded down. All the way to the bottom. Man, was that kid crazy. All the better.

"Yo," The boy walked up to him, patting of his dust-free jacket. He was flushed and smiling, yet again, "I forgot to introduce myself last time,"

He held out his hand and tilted his head in that way that made him look like a little adorable puppy.

"I'm Elrike Bennerdale. Originated in the U.S. of A. But just recently moved to the outskirts of Japan."

"Akito Sohma," Akito replied, tentatively taking the boy's offe . Akito felt warmth, and suddenly didn't want to let go.

Elrike gasped and he looked like a deer in the headlights, "You mean the Akito Sohma of that big house down there? COOL! You gotta take me to your place sometime!"

Akito smiled and nodded, "I'll do that,"

"He smiled!" Elrike exclaimed, "I actually managed to make my first friend here smile!"

"First friend?" Akito felt...honored. He couldn't believe that HE was Elrike's first friend. Akito already decided it. He wanted to be Elrike's only friend. Elrike was just that kind of person. That kind of person where you don't want them to be any other persons friend, only yours. You don't want them liking anyone but you, this was just that kind of person.

"You know," And to Akito's surprise, Elrike almost read his mind, "You mind if I'm your only friend? Because I'm the kind of person who doesn't like to see my friends with their friends. I know, I know, selfish of me, but I always seem to be the kind of person, who if I see my friend with another friend, I tend to huddle and get lost in my thoughts,"

"You talk a lot," Akito said, then smiled up at Elrike, "But I don't mind. You mind if I'm YOUR only friend?"

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Elrike smiled wide and then took Akito by the hand, "You wanna go grab something to eat? I haven't had breakfast yet and I'm starved!"

Akito allowed himself to get dragged to a simple restaurant, not the normal places that he usually went. He didn't even know that a place like this was here.

"Sorry," Elrike said, tilting his head to the side while sitting down across from Akito, "this is the only place that I can afford at the moment. Hope you don't mind, but my mother told me that this place was really good! She went here with a friend. Oh, my mom's really cool, her name's Shauna, weird name, yet again, but my parents and their parents and their parents were all into weird names. I'm actually named after my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather! His name was Elrike Ekirle! Well, his maiden name was, they took his wife's last name, which was Poffenslar. SO his name was Elrike Poffenslar, and then they had a kid and they took the husbands name, so that kept it Poffenslar,"

"Wait!" Akito exclaimed, Elrike having been talking so fast and too much that he couldn't comprehend what the heck they were talking about, "You're talking to much!"

Elrike smiled sadly, then looked down at his menu, looking liked a kicked puppy, "I'm sorry,"

Akito kicked himself mentally, then pushed down Elrike's menu, "So what about Elrike Poffenslar?"

Elrike brightened considerably, then continued, knowing that Akito wanted him to go on, "Well, they kept it Poffenslar, but their child rebelled and married a man with the name of Gunter Bennerdale."

Elrike went on and on, and although Akito wasn't listening most of the time, he was just happy listening to the sound of Elrike's voice. And he was just happy that Elrike was happy in his company.

"So, Akito, how old are you?"

Akito snapped his head up and saw that Elrike was looking up at him.

"I'm about...umm...fifteen, why?" Akito asked nervously.

Elrike smiled more, "Good! Every single time I meet someone around here, their either younger than me or older than me. But you're just as old as me. It's like fate."

Akito smiled more, then the waiter came to their table, asking what they wanted.

"I want wonton soup!" Elrike exclaimed, then saw that Akito was raising an eyebrow, "Sorry, love the stuff. Then I want sushi, lots and lots of sushi! As much as you cane give me so that both of our dinners add up to 6,000 yen (50 dollars). And then I want some of that green tea stuff, then some more wanton soup, then some Calamari, then shrimp tempura. Okay? Akito?" He looked toward Akito and smiled warmly, wondering what the other wanted.

Akito blushed, looked down at the menu, then sputtered, "umm. . .Gyoza (Japanese style dumplings) ...and...Sashimi (Sort of like Sushi/ raw fish) ...oh, Udon (Japanese Noodles) too! Yakitori (Skewered grilled chicken) Too!"

Akito blushed and looked away. He didn't know why he wanted so much food, it just looked so good! And Elrike was getting a lot of things too!

"We would also like to share Oden (fish cakes, daikon, boiled eggs,), Miso soup, and some onigiri (rice ball)," Elrike said, making sure that the man got everything down. Then Elrike piped up, looking at Akito, "would you like something to drink also, Akito?"

"I'd like green tea as well," Akito said warmly, then the man walked away. As soon as he was gone, Akito exclaimed, "You only have 6,000 yen!"

"My mom said this place was very cheap," Elrike exclaimed, then leaned forward and smiled, "Now, tell me, what about you?"

Akito raised an eyebrow, then fiddled with his hands and looked down, "Well, I'm the head of a family, you know that from the rumors. I have a huge family, but I'm alone most of the time. I deserve it, I've done so many horrible things,"

Elrike put his hand over Akito's and smiled warmly, "No one deserves to be alone,"

"Even me?" Akito asked, lowering his head.

Elrike laughed a little, "Especially you,"

---

When Akito went to go see Elrike again, the boy was already at the foot of the hill, jumping up and down, looking exited.

"Akito!" He exclaimed, jumping and running at Akito with a tackle. He hugged him hard and long, then pushed back, "just who I wanted to see!"

Akito still took a minute to come out of his daze, then saw that Elrike was holding something in front of him. It was a box. A medium sized box with a small ribbon on the top. Akito looked at Elrike, then at the box.

Elrike smiled and pushed it into Akito's hands, "I got you a present!"

Akito looked down at it, then up at Elrike, then back down at it. His eyes started to involuntarily water, and he tried to blink them away. He'd never received a gift before, and he didn't really know what to do when someone came up to you and said, 'hey, here's a gift!'

"Open it, ßßßßß!" Elrike exclaimed, pushing it further into Akito's grasp. Akito undid the ribbon and pulled off the top of the box.

It was a cake. A small round cake with white icing on the top, and a medium sized strawberry smack in the middle.

"I remember you telling me the other day that you like cake, and strawberries," Elrike blushed deeply, then reached forward and pecked Akito on the cheek, "hope you like it, I made it myself,"

Akito blushed as he watched Elrike skip away.

"I gotta go and check up with my mom!" Elrike said, walking backwards, "Meet me here in an hour! I wanna see your house!"

Akito watched him go, and the place that Elrike kissed was still tingling. He absently looked down at the cake and then took a bite of it. He never liked sweets, but he made an exception. Wow...this was good!

He smiled and took another bite, chewing it slowly. He didn't know he was blushing and grinning like crazy, and he didn't mind.

—

"Whoa!" Elrike exclaimed, looking at the tall house in front of him. He walked forward and went right on ahead of walking in. He didn't take his shoes off or anything. Oh, that's probably because he was from America and they didn't take their shoes off there.

He walked through and was met face to face with a tall man. He didn't look all that old, but he looked older than Elrike. And he looked so formal and serious. Elrike blushed and walked backward right into Akito. He ran around his new friend and hid, "Who's that?"

"Hatori," Akito looked back at Elrike with a slight smile. He looked up at Hatori with a warm grin and then gestured behind him, "This is my friend, Elrike,"

Elrike, noticing that this man was a good-guy, shook Hatori's hand. But nothing more. He followed Akito around like an obedient puppy.

Hatori watched as the teen walked down the hall, talking animatedly with the new friend. Hatori shivered, never having seen Akito smile like that before. To tell the truth, it was kind of creepy. Hatori watched after them for a moment, then went down the hall, he needed to tell Shigure and Ayame of this.

"Akito?" Elrike asked, looking around the halls, "how do you not get lost in here?"

Akito laughed. He then blushed and looked away.

Elrike leaned forward and kissed Akito lightly on the cheek, "You should laugh more often,"

Akito looked up at Elrike with wide eyes and a blush covering his face. He looked away, then put his hand on his cheek where Elrike had kissed him, "Why did you kiss me?"

"I like you," Elrike said, then smiled. Akito couldn't believe how open Elrike was with his feelings. Elrike just smiled, "is it alright? I can stop if you don't like it,"

"I. . . like it," Akito smiled softly, then looked back up at Elrike, "Promise me that tomorrow I'll be able to go to your house,"

"Okay!" Elrike exclaimed, then hugged Akito tight and spun him around, "Mom's going to love you!"

Elrike set him down, kissed him on the cheek again, then went dashing off.

"Elrike!" Akito laughed, chasing after him.

---

I know, the sap is literally enough to put over a hundred pancakes. But, I love sappy boy-love-boy, and boy-actually-expressing-feelings things! Oh, hope you like this story?