She was hesitating. And it was not a surprise, really. If she had accepted immediately, he would have been completely derailed. Quickly, he peeked up beneath his curtain of hair toward the god and the young woman. Tohru sat, motionless, clinging to Akito's hands tightly. From where he sat, he could not tell if Akito's eyes were shining with tears or desperation. He looked back down at his hands folded in his lap. Next to him, Ayame sat, twiddling his thumbs. He was anxious, Hatori realized. That was the tell-tale sign of Ayame's anxiety.

He could not deny that he was anxious as well. Tohru was still young, just eighteen. Add that to the fact that she barely knew the extended Sohma family, and that she was still in school…it was too much. She was already too busy for her own good. She didn't need added stress. Hatori clenched his hands; he needed a cigarette. By this point, he'd have already had two. That was how he dealt with stress. The more stress, the more cigarettes.

How long had they been there? Time was seeming to go by slowly. Carefully, he twisted his wrist to look at his watch. Only an hour? It had seemed like four. Shigure let out a long breath, and Hatori could tell that we was trying to calm himself down. They were all worried about how she would reply; he wasn't sure if he wanted her to accept Akito's offer or deny it. Why should Tohru get stuck being the god of a family she barely knew?


Become the god? That was a lot to ask. And why did she want Tohru, of all people? But to become a true part of the family…that in itself was enough to tempt her. Akito, although cruel at first, had eventually warmed up, and throughout the time Tohru had been with the Sohmas, Akito had always let her keep her memories. Taking a tighter hold of Akito's hands, she said,

"Tell me what I have to do, Akito-sempai. I…I will be the god." Her voice shook as she spoke, and she couldn't take back her words. Whether she like it or not, she was going to become the head of the Sohma family…of the Juunishi.

"You'll do it?" Akito said, shock and gratitude lacing her voice. "I..please stand, then. Masae, Katana!" Akito called. Instantly, the two maids appeared in the doorway. "Take Tohru to my quarters. I must speak to these three alone." Dismissing them, she turned to the three men in the back. As Tohru was herded out, she glanced back over her shoulder, catching eyes with Hatori. He offered a small smile before the door slid shut.


Silently, Tohru walked down the hallway, following the austere maids. There was no turning back. From this day forward, she was going to be the head of the Sohma family. She didn't even know the first thing about running a family. And how on earth did she think she would be able to command the zodiac around? Maybe there was time to change her mind…except that Akito was dying. How much time did that leave her with? Not much. She suppressed a sigh and rounded the corner.

"We are here, Honda-san," Masae said, bowing. "Or..Honda-sempai." Tohru started .

"No, no, please, just Honda-san.," she corrected them. She couldn't let them call her that! Especially with Akito still as the head! Vaguely, she wondered if everyone would call her that from now on. That would have to change, if it were the case. She simply would not allow it, she decided. That would be her first act as the god.

"We will leave you to yourself, Honda-sempai," Katana said, bowing with Masae before backing out of the room. The door closed and Tohru stood, alone. These were Akito's quarters? They were so beautiful! The walls were draped with black and crimson, with Kanji symbols embroidered into tapestry. In the center was a large, circular bed, hidden behind a canopy. The whole left side of the room was a window, tastefully framed with mahogany. She shook her head; she had never seen anything so extravagant in her entire life, although the color scheme was a little too dark for her personal preference. And then it hit her-this was going to be her room. This was where she was to reside. The realization crashed over her, and she dropped to her knees.

"Oh, Akito," she whispered.


Akito stood before Hatori, Ayame, and Shigure. Feverishly, she paced. There was so much for Tohru to learn, and such little time. That was where the three men came into play.

"You are to guide Tohru as much as you can. Teach her whatever you know, and do not let others give her a hard time. You are to complete this task to the best of your ability."

"Yes, Akito-sempai," they murmured in unison.

"Should she appear to be sinking, you are to pull her back up. Should she be taken advantage of, you are to take care of her. Should she be too mild with the Sohmas, you are to instruct her otherwise."

"Yes, Akito-sempai," they chanted again.

"I am doing the right thing, aren't I?" Akito asked more softly. "Shigure, Ayame?"

"Of course, Akito-sempai," they both agreed. "Tohru will do the job well."

"Hatori?" Akito inquired. "You always tell me the truth. Do you think I am right?" Hatori paused. Did he? Or did he think that Akito had crossed a line? As he reflected back on Tohru's smiling, eager-to-please face, he said quietly,

"She will be helpful."

However, the truth was that he was nervous for the girl. She was no older than Akito, and yet she was so much softer, more innocent, more easy to break. He wasn't sure why he felt as protective as he did. All he knew was that Tohru was going to need more help than they were giving her credit for, and he didn't want her to burn out. That was the last thing she needed, more disappointment in her life. Akito seemed pleased with his answer, though, and he left it at that.

"You are free to go. I want you to meet me back here at nine o'clock tonight." With that, Akito swept out of the room. Stiffly, Hatori, Ayame, and Shigure stood. Hatori pulled out a cigarette and a lighter and walked outside, lighting it as he went. With the first drag, he instantly felt calmed. The smoke swirled up and around his head, and he watched it, transfixed.

"You really need to quit the habit, Ha'ri," Ayame whined. "It stinks. And it's going to age you!" As an afterthought, he added, "Although in this particular case, I understand your action. You're worried about Tohru-san."

"And you're not?" he shot back in clipped tones. "Do any of us really know what we've signed up for? Does Honda-san know what she's signed up for?" He took another deep drag on his cigarette.

"Well..one way or another, this will all smooth out," Shigure said. "We need to trust Tohru-chan. Akito does, and that should be enough for us."


Akito walked in slowly, holding her head high. This was going to be her final act as god. She could feel it in every part of her body. Her limbs ached and her heart pound uncomfortably in her chest. The end was very near. But there, looking down at Tohru, she knew in her heart that the family would be fine. She just hoped that Tohru ruled with the same confidence.

"Tohru-chan," Akito said in a soft voice. "Rise." She watched as Tohru unsteadily rose to her feet. Her brown eyes stared into Akito's with determination. "You're sure this is what you want?"

"Yes, Akito-sempai," Tohru answered. "I want to help your family..help the Juunishi. And I want to help you." After a moment, Akito took hold of Tohru's hand.

"Then the ritual begins. I have had the maids draw a bath for you. Before anything, you must cleanse and purify yourself. As the god, you will use a special soap made only for you, and this is what you are to cleanse with from here, forward. Masae has laid out a kimono for you. I will be here when you return."

"Yes, Akito-sempai," Tohru murmured, turning and following Masae into the connecting room where a bath waited, steaming. A white kimono swirled with purple and pink sakura blossoms lay draped over a chair beside the bath. Next to that rest a tan brick with a mauve ribbon around it. Tohru picked it up tentatively and sniffed; it smelled like vanilla and lavender. Instantly, she felt calmer. Lavender always did that to her. Slipping behind the changing screen, she pulled off her clothing and sank into the warm water. Her eyes closed of their own volition. With the combination of the warmth and her exhaustion, it was almost too much.

She reached over and snagged the soap, cleansing herself completely. Unable to put off the rest of the ritual, so stepped out and dried off, dressing herself in the beautiful kimono. Finally, Masae and Katana came in, helping her with her hair and make-up. At last, she was ready. Tohru took a final look in the mirror and when back into the bedroom.

"I'm ready, Akito-sempai," she whispered. Akito moved forward.

"If you're truly ready, Tohru-chan, then follow me. We must visit the Sohma shrine." She turned on her heel and left the room with Tohru following close behind. Her heart beat faster with each step. Each step brought her closer to being the head of the family. "We're here. Just follow my motions." Akito dipped her hand in a small tray of oil and made the mark for "god," on her heart. "You're going to mark, 'successor.'" Obediently, Tohru traced the symbol on her heart and step inside the shrine next to Akito.

Bowing, Akito knelt on the ground before the shrine. Quietly, she murmured a string of odd words, and then motioned for Tohru to repeat. With some difficulty, she managed to mimic the words as best she could. Akito took hold of Tohru's hand in her pale, cold hand and began to pray. Dipping her head, Tohru prayed alongside her, her heart going twice it's normal speed.

After forty minutes of this, they both rose. Akito opened her eyes slowly and stared into Tohru's with a certain fierceness.

"This is it, Tohru. Once we do this, we can't turn back. You understand, don't you? This means that, until you've passed away, you're the head."

"I understand, Akito-sempai," Tohru said confidently, nodding. Akito nodded and placed her right hand over Akito's heart. Tohru mirrored her action, hand trembling. And then she fell to the ground, both hands clutching her heart. After the pain subsided, she looked up at Akito through teary eyes. "What about the curse, Akito-sempai?"

"Tohru-sempai," Akito said, "If I could have broken the curse, I would have by now."

And with a simple changing of the winds, Tohru was the god.


A/N: Welll? How did we like it? Thanks to all three of you who reviewed, and to the others who favorited/alerted the story! That feels great…but if you could review as well, that would be so splendibulous.

Ever checked out Mitchell Davis on YouTube? Look up, "You Look" by LiveLavaLive. You'll love it. I promise.