Empathy
Empathy (em-puh-thee)
Identifying oneself completely with an object or person, sometimes even to the point of responding physically, as when, watching a baseball player swing at a pitch, one feels one's own muscles flex.
Prologue
Long, long ago, God invited all the animals to a banquet. He sent invitations to every animal and waited for the day of festivities to arrive. To his dismay, only twelve animals came, but those who did, he remembered well.
Rat. Tiger. Sheep. Monkey. Dog. Rooster. Horse. Dragon. Ox. Boar. Rabbit. Snake.
He loved them all, because they had come to see him.
But, his loved was not equally divided among the twelve; he had chosen one that he loved above the rest.
The Rat.
The Rat was his favorite. He had arrived first. He had even been willing to use the Ox to be the first animal at his banquet. To him, that showed true devotion
At one point during the feast, God pulled the Rat aside to speak with him privately.
He leaned close and whispered in his ear.
"Rat, I love you the most, out of all the others. You came here first; you even rode on the Ox's back to get here before everyone else. You are special to me. So, I will give you a gift. Here." he said, giving the rat a small vial. "Drink this and we will be joined forever, by a bond not of the flesh, but of the soul. Don't tell the other animals; they will become jealous and may try to hurt you. Keep it our secret."
And so the Rat drank the potion, beginning a new phase of his life, one where he and God were, for all intents and purposes, the same being. Only their bodies separated them.
And the Rat was happy.
The other animals, though, were not. They looked at the Rat and saw that he was different than them, saw his intelligence, and saw that God was closer to the Rat then to them.
They never learned why.
Chapter 1: Torn In Two
A young Yuki Sohma walked down the hallway of the Main house, following an elderly maid and his mother. He kept coughing and it was annoying his mother.
"Stop that, Yuki!" she scolded. "I hope you don't do that in front of the head of the family! You're so frail and sickly!"
He ducked his head and listened to the adults talking, coughing into his hands to muffle the sound.
"…The birth of a child possessed by the Rat, such a favorable event." The maid said as they made their way to a door.
"Akito-san, I've brought him for you." The maid called as she slid open.
The next moment, Yuki found himself pushed inside by his mother. He almost fell, but caught himself just in time. As he looked up to see Akito, his breath caught in his throat.
Their eyes met and the silver-haired boy felt something inside him struggle. He knew what it was; the spirit of the Rat. It had been a part of him ever since his birth.
The spirit wanted to go to him, but the boy didn't. Akito scared him, but that wasn't the only reason… something else was there. It was between the Ratand God, not Yuki and Akito and it confused him.
It felt like he had known Akito his whole life, but he had never seen him before now.
He wanted to hug Akito tightly and never let him go, yet at the same time, wanted to run away, as far as his legs would carry him.
You said you would never leave!
The thought startled him. He was even more surprised when he heard his mother yell
"Yuki, what are you doing! Stop that-it's rude!"
Yuki ignored her voice and kept looking at Akito. It seemed as though his mother wasn't really there; it was only him and Akito, and that was all.
"It's all right; the older ones cried before him as well." The maid answered.
Cried? He was crying?
He lifted his hand to his face and felt wetness there. He hadn't even noticed, hadn't noticed anything but Akito since he'd entered the room.
I'm so glad you've come back!
The thought popped into his brain from seemingly nowhere.
Akito looked at him and smiled, opening his arms in invitation.
Don't be scared. It's always been this way.
Yuki felt his mouth drop open. His breath caught in his throat. He tried to speak, but couldn't form the words.
A pathetic whimper of confusion and fear echoed through the room.
Yuki shot panicked looks around the room, his eyes desperately seeking out something familiar.
He wanted to run back to the hallway, but couldn't imagine doing it. There seemed to be someone else keeping him there…but it wasn't the Spirit of the Rat.
He turned toward the door and felt an inexplicable sadness wash over him.
But…he can't go now! We just met!
The silver-haired boy spun back around, so fast it made him dizzy.
"That felt strange, Yuki-kun. Please don't do that." Akito asked politely.
Yuki blinked.
He took a deep breath and managed to speak.
"I…I don't understand."
Akito laughed quietly. "You know the old folktale, don't you? Well, probably not all of it, but I do. The Rat is closest to God, out of all the other animals! Do you know why?"
Yuki could feel excitement humming through his body even as Akito went on speaking. Not many people knew the whole story of the Zodiac; they didn't consider it important. They had no reason to. The Sohmas, they knew. They remembered. It was important to them, to the Zodiac. No, to my Zodiac. Because I'm God, my father said so, and he would never lie!
Yuki blinked and shook his head. His Zodiac? Where had that idea come from?
Akito stopped talking and stared at him.
"Akito-san…I still don't understand!"
The other boy sighed and Yuki sensed exasperation, but also patience in it.
"God is the closest to the Rat because the Rat came to the banquet first. That's why God told the Rat that they would be closer than all the other animals. See, look how close we are!"
Akito pinched himself.
Violet eyes met black as Yuki gasped and stared at his own arm. He felt like someone had pinched him…only, they hadn't; Akito had pinched himself.
He felt himself moving and suddenly Akito was hugging him. He hadn't moved; Akito had. And yet..he'd felt like he had been moving, not Akito…
"You see? The bond between the Rat and God is very strong…stronger even…then a mother and her child in some cases wouldn't you agree, Yuki-kun?" he whispered.
"Yes, in some cases, Akito-san" he echoed, thinking of his own mother.
He felt a frown crease Akito's –or was it his?-forehead.
"Don't be so formal!" the older boy admonished gently. "Just call me Akito. We're close enough for that. More than family, really."
"Ah-but I don't-" Yuki stammered.
"I don't want to make you uncomfortable, Ototo-san. Just call me Akito-kun then, is that alright?"
I've never had a younger brother before…is it alright if I call you that?
Yuki blinked at Akito's thought.
"Sure, Nii-san. Sure it is." The Rat-boy murmured, hugging his God close.
AN: Hi everybody!! I always forget o put these in before I submit, but I finally remembered!!
Well, this is my first serious fic, quite a change from Akito On Happy Pills, no? I'm not sure if I got Ototo right(it's supposed to mean younger brother). And for those of you wondering why Akito is nice, it's because nothing happened with Kureno yet-I won't write it and spoil it, but those of you who've gotten that far know what I'm talking about. Akito's still innocent…well, Akito hasn't gotten messed up yet so…how about still 'sane'? That better?
This is only the first chap., but what do you think so far? You like?