~ Disclaimer: I do not - unfortunately - own fruits basket or any of the characters in it... Just the creativity of this story~ This is purely fan made :)
~author's note: Finally! I uploaded a fanfiction -evil grin- Now I will be sure to post more, so please~ Enjoy~ I'd just like to say that I wasn't quite sure how to rate this... So I played it safe - I hope .; Well, let me know what you think, and any tips will be appreciate, in reviews~ ^_^ Thank you~!
P.S: I haven't stolen this work ;w; I just needed to make a new account...
And, just like any other hot summer's day, she was painted a constant frown.
Two knocks on her door caught her attention, but instead of beckoning company, she simple dismissed whoever it was without question; Weather it be fortunate or unfortunate, they allowed themself in.
"Akito-san..." The voice from the all-too-familiar man grabbed her attention even more so.
Slowly, she turned to face him, "Kureno." Her frown deepened without her knowing, "You told me you weren't coming today."
"I thought I'd surprise you." He smiled in an attempt to redeem himself.
Akito turned back to her paper work, shrugging him off, and scoffed, "So really you came to annoy and distract me - I hate surprises."
Undoubtedly, he took caution as he went to sit by her side, taking a glance at the paperwork she filled out.
"I know that-"
"Then why bother?" She quickly cut him off and he sighed heavily.
"I Thought it would be nice for you, to have an unexpected visit from someone you like."
Scoffing at his remark, she remained silent.
After a while, Kureno cleared his throat, mustering some courage to speak again, "I did come here with a purpose Akito..."
Detecting how uneasy he was, Akito was taken aback slightly...
"What purpose was that?"
From the short silence that followed, she turned to face him, repeating herself, " I said what purpose."
Whilst taking a deep breath, he looked down, "Akito, when I said I couldn't come back for a few days, you seemed alright with that..."
"So? You haven't even answered me!"
"So I came to ask you, or sort of tell you, something important..."
"Then tell me now." Her agitation was now undisguised, and he knew not to test her patience, so he spilled it out.
"If you're okay with me leaving for a few days, what if I left for a weak? Or longer?" Lifting his head, he looked her in the eye, hers as cold as ice and his as fearful as a rabbit in headlights; "I wanted to go for a while, just to get a job - maybe even... Buy a house outside the estate, like Shigure did-"
Her anger snapped - engulfed her. She glared into his eyes, her trademark frown creeping into her features yet again.
In a split second, she was on her feet, staring down at him, "You want to leave do you!? You want to go live elsewhere and leave me like Shigure did!? You want to be treat like a dog - do you!?"
"T-That's not what I meant Aki-" As soon as he started to speak, Akito outstretched her arm and slapped him across the face with all her force, enough to knock him to the ground.
"YOU LIAR!"
"I swear I'll come back - I always come back!"
"Because you have no where to go! Yous are nothing without me! Just leave me alone - you're nothing to me anyways! All yous ever do is leave me! All of yous - Get out now!" Staggering to his feet, Kureno placed a hand over his burning cheek, looking directly into Akito's eyes.
"I'm not leaving you, I'm just taking a break, going outside for a few days-"
"I said leave!" Her voice grew even louder and Kureno didn't dare to outstay his time...
As he quickly hurried out of her room, she leaned against her wall in a heap of tears, pressing her palms into her eyes and gripping her hair.
All she wanted was for one person to stay with her, to never leave her side, but no matter how many times they swore to stay, they left...
And the pain was too much for her to bare.
Pushing herself off against the wall, she quickly wiped her tears away, only for more to replace them like an endless army sending more recruits.
Judging from how hard she hit Kureno, she guessed he'd be well gone to avoid another, so she slowly tried to compose herself before leaving her room, quietly pulling her door shut behind herself.
Stepping lightly through the empty coridoors, she made her way to Hatori's room, where he generally stayed while looking after her when she was ill.
Once she was outside his room, Akito realised that she hadn't exactly thought through her plan... She didn't know what to do if Hatori was in there, but she simply couldn't turn back either. As she gripped the handle, she pulled open his door, relieved to see he wasn't in, however, this caused another problem to arise.
Tip-toeing over to his cabinets, she brushed more tears away, rummaging around inside them shakily, sniffling all the while.
Catching her eye was a relatively large bottle of whine, but whine was not what she was after...
She checked another two cabinets before finally discovering the treasure she'd been searching for.
"I want this..." She whispered to herself, over and over almost twenty times before she had and arm full of her 'treasure', setting them on the low table and getting glasses of water, "I do want this... I can't stand being alone...!" Uncontrollably, she swelled up inside, feeling at a complete loss and unable to find light to follow in her darkness.
Practically falling to her knees, she rested both elbows on the table, gripping her hair once more.
"I want this. To end it all." Her voice was unwavering, and so, she took a small box of tablets and unsealed them, and another pack, and another. But she did not stop there. Searching for more, Akito came across medicine bottles for coughs, colds and even for pains.
Going back to her seat, she knelt and unscrewed a cough medicine bottle, grabbing a handful of pills from the table and quickly funneled them into her mouth, chugging them down with medicine only to end up in a coughing fit. Reluctant to stop - she got more, swallowing them too, already starting to feel slightly disoriented...
Her actions slowed, and before long, she was convulsing uncontrollably, feeling herself slipping away. . .
He had no idea what it was, but he could feel it, and his sudden change in mood showed it.
"Shigure, are you alright?" Hatori said, snapping him back from his moments dreaming.
"Oh! Tori-san! Yes... I'm fine!" He smiled to Hatori to reassure him, but luckily for him, his fake smile was perfection and Hatori simply dismissed it.
"If you say so... And hurry up already, it's your turn." He stared at the cards in his hand, then sighed heavily and pouted.
"I never win at this silly card game! I'm not playing any more!" He got up in a huff and threw his cards down, Kyo and Yuki rolling their eyes.
Tohru tried to comfort him, "I'm sure you will win next round - please stay and finish this game Shigure-san!"
He shook his head defiantly, "Nope! I quit. Besides, I remember - I was supposed to meet Mii-chan and hand some work in, so I'll be going anyway..." Hatori nodded and went back to looking at his hand, wondering why he'd even agreed to play the game, but he had no choice but to stay now that Shigure had left, as Kyo and Yuki were treating it as a competition and were arguing with every turn.
Shigure hurried out of the room, looking around the all to familiar complex and only wished he was wrong about what he felt...
Rubbing her forehead Akito leaned over the table, immediately regretting her foolish actions... She couldn't breath and she couldn't keep her eyes open, yet she willed herself to stay awake.
"S-Shigure..." Mumbling to herself, tears streamed down her face even heavier, "Someone... Help me..." She pleaded desperately in the silence of the room, but her voice was no more than a small withering whisper.
Unknown to her, Shigure burst in through the door, stopping in his tracks wide eyed at Akito slumped over the table with pills carpeting the floor.
"Akito! What are you doing!" He ran over and took her arm, pulling it around his neck and lifting her to her feet, but she was just a weak slump, almost falling to the floor.
Shigure gritted his teeth and laid her down carefully glancing at the boxes: 500mgs, 250mgs, 300mgs - she had taken a lot of high dosed tablets.
"Akito - please!"
She looked around, hearing his voice but seeing nothing but black.
"Shigure...?" She felt his hand around hers, and as much as she tried to tighten her grip, her limbs did not obey.
He stared down at her reddening eyes, stroking her cheek and tearing up, "I'm right here, I'm not leaving, okay? Stay awake, alright?" She tried to nod, but had no idea weather she had or not.
He ran his fingers through her hair and lifted her head up, "Akito! Please stay awake!" He yelled for help from the maids, but he remembered that they'd been staying relatively near Akito's room as she was ill, but he didn't stop yelling, he even came to a desperate scream for help.
Akito could feel herself crying, and for a slight moment, her vision fixated on Shigure, his eyes clenched as tears just as heavy as her own rolled down his cheeks and splashed onto her kimono.
"...Shigure..." His eyes widened and he pulled her into a hug, one limp arm hanging by her side, the other tucked against his chest and she could feel his heart hammering against his chest.
"Shh! I-It's going to be okay Akito!"
"I'm sorry..." She managed to say, only able to hope it was loud enough to be heard over his cries.
His hold tightened around her, and he gripped her shoulder tightly, "What were you thinking!?"
"I... I wanted... To be with someone... Always..." She could feel it again, the lump in her throat swelling up and her shoulders shook with more convulsions, "I don't want yous... To leave me..."
"Why would we leave?! We love you - I love you! I always have!" Shigure couldn't think of anything to do - his mind was blank, "Akito, please, hang in there! Please - for me, and I will never leave your side...!" She could here how desperate he was, but she felt like everything was spinning and it took all her strength to keep her eyes open...
"Shigure..." She spoke again, "I don't... Want a promise... To become a burden." She coughed violently and felt Shigure pat her back, then rubbed his palm across it in circles, "I didn't want... A promise... To become a curse..."
"It isn't Akito, it isn't!" He tried to console her, tried to say whatever he believed she wanted to here, forgetting about speaking harsh truths like he'd done many times.
"It is... And if there's only one thing I can do..." A faint smile coursed her trembling lips for a second, "It can be... To stop it..."
Shigure's eyes widened in both horror and amazement. She'd never even considered breaking their curse - always pushed away the slightest chance of the topic being brought up, but now, as she lay hanging onto what was left of her life, she was willing to do it, and Shigure cried even harder, gripping her and resting his forehead against her own, "Don't do it Akito, please save your strength!"
"I want this..." She whispered softly, her breathing slowing dramatically as Shigure felt his heavy burden lift, felt as the curse he'd been born with so easily break. . .
Tohru, watching as if watching a movie unfold, stared at the three of the Sohma's, stared as they all stopped playing, stopped and started to shed tears for no reason.
"Ah! Sohma-kun! Kyo-kun! What's wrong - Hatori-san!?" Alerted by Tohru, Hatori shot up from his chair and quickly grabbed his jacket, throwing it on, "Stay here!"
Yuki and Kyo nodded, too shocked to take in what had happened.
Tohru put a hand on Kyo's shoulder for comfort, but was pulling into a hug, his arms holding her tightly, and she just sat against him, her arms in mid air and stared unknowingly at Yuki.
"K-Kyo..kun...?"
Shigure held Akito even tighter, his own shoulders raking from his uncontrollable tears, "Akito... Please, you can't die...!"
As her breathing became irregular, she closed her eyes slowly...
"Shigure... I didn't want to live... If everyone was going to leave me... I wanted to stay with f-father, where he wouldn't leave... Couldn't leave me..." She felt Shigure hold her even closer, felt herself against his chest and felt safe in his arms, a cause for another thin smile, "Shigure...?"
No matter how much he wanted to answer her, he couldn't, he was paralyzed with to much fear, but he listened to every word she spoke in the almost silent rooms - only their tears and breathing to be heard, "...Shigure... Please forgive me... For all the things I have done..." He pressed his lips against her forehead, breathing in her sweet scent.
"Shh, you have nothing to apologise for-"
"I do, and I am sorry..." His tears rolled down her temples and she took as deep a breath she could, "Shigure... I... I want you to know something..."
"Tell me -tell me anything and everything - please stay awake!"
With a small shake of her head, she proceeded even quieter...
"Shigure... I have always... Love you..."
From her announcement, he stared down at her, her features so smooth and her body so still...
"Akito..."
"I always loved... You... But I couldn't say it. I couldn't risk... Loosing you."
"You'll never loose me - never Akito! Hang in there and I will prove it!" Moving his hand around her, he supported her neck even more, "I love you, I love you with my entire heart," Taking her hand, he placed it against his chest, "This is for you, just stay awake... Please... Please! Please Akito!" He pleaded over and over, "H-Hatori can fix this, it will be alright...!"
"I love you Shigure..." She lay heavily in his arms, her breathing so faint her chest didn't even move...
Shigure held her close, pressed his lips against her own cold lips and kisses her so softly she could barely feel it.
Willing her limbs to obey her for one last time, she kissed back, her tears turning into tears of joy that she could be peaceful knowing Shigure knew her secret, and that she could finally be so calm with him.
As she parted her mouth slightly, he allowed himself to gently slide his tongue along her lips, then press their own together.
One last smile.
One last, content smile ran through her, before she breathed heavily, laying motionless in his arms.
She had not done many things in her life. But at least one thing she did not do, was die with a broken, lonely heart. . . .