This is my first attempt at the newly found paring of Shigure/Akito. I think besides Haru/Rin, they are one interesting pair, ne? Alright, excuse my babbling and on with the story. I do not own Fruits Baskets, Natsuki Tayaka does.
Originally written for the AkitoSohma ML Holiday Fanfiction Contest.
My Angel,Their God
by Pocochichi
In the depths of our family, there was a bond shared between twelve members (excluding one extra cursed member) and the leader.
Their God.
"I am not attending the banquet this year," said eighteen year-old Yuki-kun, while stirring his udon noodle soup with his chopsticks.
"Eh? Hotoni? W-What you will be doing?" asked the same-aged flower as she placed the remaining dishes on the table.
"Attending another."
"Huh?" An expression of confusion crossed her face as she processed the information in her mind. Yuki-kun just gave her an reassuring smile.
"A new year's party, Honda-san."
"Oh...that's great! With your friends, ne?"
"Hai."
While I watched this scene in observance, I thought of what her reaction would be when she finds out that her nezumi missed the banquet...again and this time it is not Tohru-kun's fault. Even the flower herself was quite a taken.
"Ja matte (Wait a minute), Yuki-kun, if you are not going to be here, then that will leave them," I pointed to the clueless couple with my chin. They gave me a questionable look. My, my how clueless they are.
Yuki-kun shook his head in disgust. Kyo gave him an angered look.
"Planning something, Kyo-kun?" I playfully teased the full grown neko and his manliness.
"Not what you have in mind, hentai mutt!" he spat with a flushed face.
"Ano...w-we will be going over to Shishou-san's again, Shigure san," said the equally-flushed girl. "Kyo-kun asked him yesterday."
"Good,good. Then it's settled."
It seemed that my plan has succeeded in the direction I hoped it go. After two long years of getting those two to move in a direction away from her, had been quite a task. Yuki-kun surprised me the most, not only he has moved away from his feared counterpart, but away from the little flower who guided him away. I wonder where does he go now? I rather leave that unanswered, since it has nothing to do with me...or my angel.
"Ah! My darling, Gure-san! You have come to see me and my graceful dance with Tori-san!" greeted my dear friend, Aya. He was dressed in his silky, violet elegant ceremonial robes, for it was his turn to dance in the banquet. Along with Ha-san, of course.
"Of course, Aya. I wouldn't miss it for any other dance in the world!" I commented while reaching out to him.
"Arigato, my love!" he called out while reaching with one arm for me.
"Good!" we both said with thumbs up.
"That never get's old does it," interrupted another good confidant of mine, Ha-san. He was wearing a silky,black cermonial robe.
"Oh Tori-san! How do you like my artistic creation? Fitting, ne?" Aya asked.
"As long as it is not the same color as yours, I'll survive," he cooly commented. "We should get going."
"Hai! See you at the dance floor, Gure-san!" Aya waved as he happily skipped by his dance partner.
"See you! Don't have too much fun with out me on the dance floor with Aya, Ha-san!" I called. He responded with agitation in his expression.They didn't even realize that I came alone.
I then, walked over to the room in the back of the Honke. The room on the left side at the end. Her room. I carefully slide the door open to reveal her sitting by the window, staring at the midnight sky. I placed myself in front of her, sitting on my heels.
"He skipped out again...away into a far away place...away from that person too."
No response came from her as she sat with her back facing me. The moonlight traced the outlining of her body and defined the shadows on her face when she turned her head aside. A dark glance emitted from her eyes as she looked into mine.
"In the end, it was just I who came for you. Like it always had been." A small smile escaped from my lips as I continued to look deeply into her eyes. Her dark look became darker and more bewildered.
"Why did you let him go? Why couldn't you bring him here to me? I didn't let him live with you so the idiot could run loose!" she yelled.
She still don't understand, does she? He is no longer the little mouse she could control with a snap of a finger. This is why you are pitiful, my angel.
"There's nothing I could say or do to bring him here. He would still walk out. You know that girl is the reason no longer? He has grown into a man and found a life of his own. You understand, ne?"
A dangerous look fell upon her face as she slowly moved to my direction. I don't care if he's a child or a man. He belongs to me," she seethed in a low voice."You of all people know that. All of you belong to me." She was reached for my face and held it so it would face her. "I am your God, right?"
Darkness was all I felt at the moment. All I could do is look at her with hidden pity and held the hand the touched my face. "You much more than that, much more deeply." I put the hand down and got up. I ended the conversation with a bow and exited to the banquet in room of the middle hall.
When I arrived, I greeted everyone as I walk by. Ha-kun was sitting with Momicchi and Hi-kun. Kagura was chatting with Rit-chan, while Sa-chan sat nearby. I didn't see Rin anywhere, I supposed she missed out again, not that it matters to her. I sat myself next to Kagura and waited until they arrived. Her and the uncursed bird.
She entered the scene with him by her side. Once they were seated, the dance began. I watched her watching the dragon and the snake gliding across the floor with their swift and enchanting movements. Her eyes were lost into the trance of the rhythm of their movements. With everyone watching the dance, they didn't notice that their God had a look of a woman searching for her lost loved one.
When a junnishi became emotionally detached from their God, she became more vulnerable and more aware of what was really going on, but refused to believe it. Her believing that the lost one will come back someday to her side because they couldn't forget their God and they were her things was just a false intonation. That was what that woman tried to state, but she refused to believe and therefore, misunderstood.
Forget the lost one, my angel. It will be only you who will be left behind at the end. Who will you run to once everyone is gone? Treating them like your things is no way to love. If they were your things, then they couldn't love you. At the end, they'll feel nothing, just like things do.
Did you forget what we had? What did you call that? A relationship of a thing and its master?
Who is the thing?
Better yet...who is the master?
After the dance and our beloved left the scene with her lackey, everyone sat around chatting amongst themselves, while I went to greet my two friends. They returned in their usual attire.
"Gure-san! How was it? My extravagant elegance body movements mixed along well with Tori-san's bold and magnificent footwork. Although, I could work more on my steps..."
"It was one of the kind, Aya!" I complimented. Although Aya was all giddy about it, Ha-san didn't seemed too pleased with the ceremony earlier. Maybe I should cheer him up. "Ne, Ha-san, you get better every time! Especially with Aya to lead you!"
"There were no leads. Only moving arms and feet," He said sternly with a his usual serious expressions.
"Still, you get better at it! Especially with Aya!"
"Thanks a lot," he sarcastically remarked. He greeted Sa-chan and Kagura when they arrived to compliment him. Behind us, Aya spoke in his flamboyant manner to Rit-chan, Hi-kun, Ha-kun and Momicchi. This is a good time to exit the scene to join her...if she is not with that person.
As I walked back to her room in the back hall, I could hear his voice through the thin shojii doors. I stood near to listen to their hidden conversation.
"I will not leave you...as along as you needed me,"
"How will I know you are not like him? With the same distant eyes! Going far, far away from me!"
"I haven't left have I?"
There are many reason why I hate that man. That was one of the reasons. He knew very well how I felt about my angel and he knows that he's in the way. That person...
"Akito, do you know that one of us will never leave you?"
"What are you talking about! All of you will stay by my side!"
Stop saying that...saying those words over and over again! Like a child who does not understand...
"I know that...I am saying that there is someone who loves you more deeper that any of us could...so deep that it hurts."
"Stop talking useless words! What do you know about love?"
"It's something that easily misunderstood. It's also the greatest understanding. Who do you love? Your one. Your only. As that person for you."
Silence. That person finally got to her. I wonder what got him to say such things. Perhaps someone got to him? Hmm. The door slid open as I hid in the shadowy crevices. He left her room with that same dull look on his face. I watched him disappeared into the dimmed lighted hallway. As soon as his form dispersed, I slid open the door to be with my angel.
She sat on a bamboo-weave mat with her back turned to window, gazing at the moon overcasting with clouds of gray and white drifting along the black starry sky. Her head turned to the side with shadows defining her facial features and drastic glare in her eyes.
"What are you doing here! I don't want to see you! Go away!"
"Aki-"
"I SAID GO AWAY! LEAVE ME BE!"
"I'll go then. If that's what you want. I just want to say 'good night'."
If she is going to continue to whine and whine, I might as well call it a night. As I turned, I felt a huge yank from behind of my kimono. When I turned back around, I see her face. A wet face...smothered with tears.
She still cried...ever since that day when someone dear to her left her side in her youth. Ever since then, she wanted someone by her side...but that someone...became everyone.
She pulled the hem of my clothing close to her with me along with it. Our faces were inches from each other. "Say that again," she spoke softly.
"I just want to say 'good night'," I repeated.
"Not that you fool! Say that again! Have you forgotten?" More tears stained her pale face as she choked on the last three words.
Those words. They were created when love was still pure...
"More than anyone, I love you...that's the truth. Nothing...but the truth. Those words...I'll never forget."
Her eyes shone from intense anger to a deep feeling of desperation as she gritted her teeth to hold her suffering back. Pity. You are pitiful, Akito. You make everyone suffer because you are suffering yourself, ne? Who do you run to now?
"Take me, Shigure. Take me away." Her arms wrapped around my neck as she pulled herself to my chest. My arm slid under her knees as I lifted her to the futon nearby. I carefully laid her down as our lips glided against one another. Hands slipped under the robes of our kimonos to let it fall beneath us as it loosen.
A night which greeted a new year...was greeted with our forbidden love. For the first time...it was I who greeted the new year with her alone. Not the rat. Not that person. Me.
I will be the one she runs to...
I will be the one to love her...
I will be the one to break her...
I love you, Akito...
So very much...
That it hurts.
FIN
It will be here forever. I always think of you...
I want to be with you so much. It will always be here. You can not see it but it remains here every day.
I will wait for you.
I will always wait, here.
I will wait until you come to me.
- Chapter 101 (trans. by Thigi/Mel Kim)
AN: If you read CH 101, it reveals that Shigure is in love with Akito. He wanted her to love him and only him. Her infatuation with the rest of the 12shi frustrates him in their deformed love. Of course it hurts when the one he loves, couldn't understand love itself.
