Title: Hidden Meaning
Theme: 5: Declaration of Love
Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket
A/N: Here's chapter 2. The next probably will not be so light-hearted. Also, if anyone has any requests/suggestions for AkixGure situations they would like to see, please tell me. I will probably be able to incorporate it in some way.
Thank you so much to everyone who replied on the last chapter! Enjoy this one!

--

To some people, birthdays are a time of celebration and joy, but Akito Sohma had always seen her birthday as just another day. This particular birthday was no exception. She had lived another 365 days, no big deal, right?

There was the usual influx of gifts from her Zodiac, probably just gifts they felt they were required to give. They were all things she didn't really want or need. All of the presents were just pushed into the corner until...

"Akito, someone sent you flowers." Kureno entered the room with a large bunch of tulips in his arms. Tulips? Why of all things would someone sell her tulips?

"Who are they from?" Akito snapped. Her 'special day' had gotten her in a bad mood.

"Ah, I'm not sure, but I think there's a card." Kureno then said something or other about going to find a vase, put the tulips down, and left the room again.

Akito sighed and glared at the flowers. The bright pinks, reds, and yellows of the flowers were the only real source of brightness in the otherwise gloomy room. She plucked a card pinned to one of the flowers and read:

Dearest Akito,

What do tulips mean? When you know the answer, you'll know why I sent these to you.

Yours truly,
Shigure

Akito closed the card and tossed it back onto the flowers. What a novelist thing of the Dog to do. He just had to hide a secret message in her present, didn't he?

"Kureno," she asked the man when he returned, "do you have a computer?"

--

Once it had been decided that Akito would use Hatori's computer, and after she figured out how to work the thing and open the Internet, she stared at the Google homepage and tried to figure out what to search for. She didn't know what sort of things the computer would respond to, seeing as she had never used one before

What do tulips mean?

She drummed her fingers on the desk the computer sat on and sighed. If this was some sort of trick, Shigure would pay. Finally, feeling a little stupid, Akito typed in the offending question.

What do tulips mean?

She jabbed the enter button and read through the ensuing results. After scanning them, she clicked on a website that looked promising: 1001 Flowers and Their Meanings.

Akito scrolled down the seemingly endless list of flowers until her eyes blurred from the computerized text. Finally, there, under Tiger lilies was the meaning if Tulips.

When the goddess read the line, an uncharacteristic smile flitted over her face and she actually glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one else was in the room. She was relieved that she had told Kureno and Hatori to stay out of the room, because she was sure a blush was creeping into her cheeks. Wow. This was some birthday present. It was something that she actually wanted for once. Who ever thought Shigure would be so romantic?

Now a new question arose: How did she respond?

Akito wasn't one for saying sappy, romantic things, and Shigure must have known that when he gave her the flowers. Was he even expecting her to do something back? She should probably thank him somehow...

So, after about five minutes of thinking, stressing, and being afraid of doing something stupid, Akito finally ripped a memo note off a pad near the computer, grabbed a nearby pen, and scribbled down a note. She folded it up and closed out the Internet window, then took a deep breath, set her face into it's normal emotionless mask, and left the room.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Akito nodded stiffly in answer to Kureno's question and tightened her grip on the paper in her hand. "Are you feeling alright? You're face a a little pink."

"I'm fine." Actually, she as more than fine. Shigure's present was so perfect that the thought of her being sick right then was almost laughable. "Kureno, call Shigure and tell him to come here immediately." She had a to talk to him.

--

Shigure ambled down the hall of the main house toward Akito's room. Kureno said that she had something to talk to him about, so he wasn't rushing. Since it was her birthday she was probably in a bad mood, and she was probably angry about his hidden message present. He had thought it would be nice, but she wouldn't want to do all that work to find out the Tulips' meaning.

When he reached Akito's room, he knocked softly on the door and slid it open. "Akito?" He glanced around the room and saw the flowers he sent in a vase, and Akito sitting next to them.

"Oh, good," She said. From her tone, Shigure couldn't tell if she was pleased or upset, "you're here." She grabbed one of the flowers, sprang up, and strode over to him. She pushed the flower and a folded piece of paper into his hand, and then forced him backward out of the room. "Now go."

"Uh, happy birthday?" Shigure said uncertainly as she slammed the door in his face. If he didn't know better, he would have sworn Akito was blushing.

He unfolded the paper and as he read the messy note a smile spread over his face. Who ever thought Akito could be so romantic?

Tulips: A decleration of love. Now here's a tulip for you.
Yours,
Akito