Akito was used to Shigure coming when she wanted him to. He was usually all too eager to abandon his work at home to come over to her side, and perhaps even spend the night again. So, the one time he declined, it took her aback.
"Sir? Did you hear me?" The maid asked.
"Why does he care about his work now, of all times?" Akito asked with a frown.
"Sir, he is in college, still. He's got exams coming up that he needs to be prepared for." The maid explained.
"Tell him to come anyway," Akito ordered.
The maid looked tired but obediently pressed the phone back to her ear to pass on the message.
"He says he really can't, sir." The maid said.
Akito sighed and got up from the table to take the phone from her.
"What the hell are you playing at? What do you mean you can't come over right now?" She snapped into the phone.
"Hi, Aki. Nice to hear your voice again." Shigure laughed. "I mean exactly that. I have stuff to do, I'm pretty tied up."
"What kind of things do you need to do?" Akito asked. "How long will it take?"
"I need to study for three exams and work on a fifteen-page paper, Aki. It's gonna be an all night thing." Shigure replied. "Hey, if you're that bored and lonely, find Kureno or something. He generally doesn't do much."
"Fine," Akito replied before hanging up the phone and turning to the maid. "Get me Kureno, bring him here."
"Yes, sir." The maid said, bowing respectfully before shuffling out of the room.
Akito sighed and frowned. This wasn't the ideal situation. She'd wanted Shigure more than anyone else, especially Kureno. Though, she figured Kureno wasn't a horrible substitute. The guy did anything she said without questioning her. Shigure seemed to have a hobby of questioning her.
It didn't take long for the maid to return with Kureno in tow.
"Good, leave us," Akito said to the maid, taking Kureno by the arm and pulling him further into her room before sliding the door shut for privacy.
"Akito, what did you need?" Kureno asked, letting the younger girl tug him around as she pleased.
Akito pulled Kureno close by the front of his shirt to press his chest against hers. She sealed his mouth against her own without warning and kissed him deeply. His hands seemed hesitant, but they soon found their place at her waist.
"Will you stay the night?" Akito asked breathlessly, parting just an inch from Kureno's lips.
"Do you want me to?" Kureno asked.
"Yes, I do," Akito replied with a nod.
"Then I will." Kureno decided.
Akito kissed him again and wrapped her arms around his neck. Kureno kept a hold on her waist but gasped a bit when the girl hitched a leg up and wound it around his waist, forcing their hips to press into each other.
"Akito, this is going really fast." Kureno gasped, though holding her leg up by the thigh to help her keep her balance.
"Should I slow down for you?" Akito asked before smirking. "I guess most people usually do."
"Yeah, they usually do." Kureno agreed, not entirely sure what she'd meant by the comment. "Also, I've never actually been with a girl like this before."
"Then I'll tell you what to do," Akito replied, moving to reach behind her back to untie her obi.
"Oh, wait," Kureno said, setting her leg down and gently grabbing her thin wrists. "The window. The window over there's not closed. Someone might see us."
Akito looked over to the circular window and moved away from Kureno just long enough to go over to the window and slide it shut. She momentarily made eye contact with Ren standing out in the courtyard. The woman just smiled at her. Akito shut the window with more force than she meant to.
Kureno walked up behind her and moved to gently start working on untying her obi for her. "This is what you wanted, right? For me to help you get undressed?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I wanted," Akito replied, holding still while Kureno worked the knot loose and untied the obi.
Kureno's hands were gentle as he helped her slip out of her nagajuban. He laid the garment aside and frowned in confusion at the sight of the bandages wound around her chest.
"Are you hurt?" He asked curiously.
"What? Oh, no. These flatten my chest." Akito replied, reaching down to unfasten the bandages and unwrap them.
Kureno stared at her revealing her breasts to him as if it was the most amazing magic trick he'd ever seen. "May I…?" He asked.
"Go ahead," Akito replied.
In an instant, his hands were hesitantly feeling at her chest. Each touch and squeeze was extremely gentle as if he was scared she'd crumble with any sort of pressure. He kissed her again as he ran his hands over her chest, gradually working on mapping out each gentle curve of her body.
Akito went to work on unbuttoning Kureno's shirt before untucking it from his pants and tossing it aside. His chest and shoulders weren't strong as strong as Shigure's, but she could imagine. She wrapped one arm around his back and slid it down to grab his backside.
Kureno gasped and pulled away from the kiss in shock.
"What? Men aren't the only ones with desires, you know." Akito said with a small smile before moving to unbuckle Kureno's belt and push his pants down to pool around his ankles, leaving the two of them wearing nothing other than a pair of boxer briefs.
Akito leaned in to kiss and suck little marks on Kureno's neck. She left a trail of the marks along his neck and down to his collarbones.
"You'll do as I tell you? Do you trust me?" Akito asked.
"Yes, and yes," Kureno replied, holding her close by the waist.
"Great, then lie down on the futon," Akito said.
She watched him do as he was told and made sure he was watching as she pulled her boxer briefs down.
Kureno's eyes were wide and his face was flushed at the sight of her. He kept his eyes on her as she walked over to him before she knelt down and straddled his waist. One of her hands rested on his shoulder while the other went between her legs.
"I'll do most of the hard work tonight. I just need you to do something for me first, alright?" Akito said.
"Okay," Kureno replied, craning his neck to try and see where her hand between her legs had disappeared to, and what exactly it was doing.
Akito smiled and leaned down to whisper her instructions into his ear. Her voice was breathy, and her cheeks were flushed.
Kureno did as he was instructed, much to Akito's delight. The girl stayed on top of him for the night until they were both satisfied. Akito kissed Kureno for the hundredth time as she got off from on top of him.
"Alright, I need to go to the bathroom. You just tie that up and throw it away." She instructed. Her legs were a bit wobbly as she moved to stand up, and Kureno rushed to stand up and support her as she got to her feet.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Kureno asked worriedly.
"I'll be okay. It's just a bit of a workout, that's all." Akito replied before coughing into her elbow.
"Maybe I should come with you," Kureno said, moving to help her pull on her silk robe.
"Would it make you feel better?" Akito asked, tying her robe shut securely.
"It really would," Kureno replied.
"Alright, then put some clothes on."
Kureno nodded and did as he was told quickly before moving to wrap an arm around Akito's waist to support her weight as she walked awkwardly to the bathroom.
"No, no, stay out here. You're not coming in here." Akito said, pushing Kureno back into the hallway after he'd tried to follow her into the bathroom.
Akito walked back to the room with Kureno still holding her steady. They talked softly as they walked together, her arm around his shoulders with his arm around her waist. When they got back to her room, Akito got settled in the futon, leaving plenty of room for Kureno to join her.
He crawled into the bed next to her and let her hold him close and snuggle into him as she fell asleep by his side.
Akito stayed close to Kureno into the morning until she needed to get up to get dressed for the day.
"Kureno, let's do that again tonight." She said as she got up and started to dress in a three-piece suit. "I'll call for you."
"Alright," Kureno replied, pulling his own clothes back on.
With that, they parted ways for the day. Akito took her cold medicine before having to rush off to a morning breakfast and meeting.
Akito found Kureno quickly that evening, more than eager to relieve the stress from the day. Their night went about the same as the previous. However, this time, they were both too entranced with each other to close the window.
In the morning, they ate together before parting ways for the day. As head of the family, Akito had to attend the naming ceremony of a new child that had been born into the Sohma family a week prior. She wasn't sure what Kureno did all day long, but she didn't ever bother to ask.
At the ceremony, the parents of the baby greeted her with deep, formal bows.
"Akito, thank you so much for coming." The mother said as she bounced her newborn son in her arms.
"Thank you for inviting me. This must be him, then?" Akito replied, looking down at the tiny bundle in the woman's arms.
She nodded and smiled as she shifted the baby gently so Akito could see his sleeping face.
Akito blinked. She always seemed to forget exactly how small babies could be. "Oh, he looks so peaceful."
"Like a little angel." The mother agreed. "Would you like to hold him?"
"Are you sure? I don't often handle babies." Akito replied hesitantly.
"You'll be fine. Besides, in a few years, you'll probably become a father, yourself. You need all the experience you can get." The father said with a warm smile.
"A father?" Akito replied, her eyes wide as she took the newborn into her arms. "Oh, that's right. I'll need an heir."
Akito had never really thought about the expectation for her to get married and have at least one suitable heir. Given the fact that her father had died relatively young, many older members of the family were antsy to get her married and see her have an heir. At nearly nineteen, she didn't like thinking about how she'd soon be pushed into marriage if she didn't show signs of looking for a suitable spouse herself. After marriage, would immediately come children. Of course, at some point, before she was married, she'd likely have to reveal herself as a woman to avoid any sort of complications when it came to marriage and children.
She looked down at the newborn baby sleeping in her arms and wondered if her own future child would be that small. It was odd to think about having a child of her own one day.
"I think you'll be a good father someday. He seems to like you." The mother hummed as the baby in Akito's arms turned towards her chest and nuzzled in.
The father snorted and laughed a bit. "Actually, I think he's looking for a nipple." He said, gently taking the child from Akito's arms to give him back to be fed by his mother.
"Oh, god, I'm so sorry!" The mother said, quickly taking her son from his arms to save him from the embarrassing situation.
"If it's any consolation, he tries the same thing with me all the time." The father said with a laugh as the mother left to nurse in private.
"That does help me feel less embarrassed." Akito laughed, fanning her warm face with a hand.
The traditional ceremony proceeded as per usual, with Akito among other members of the family while the parents made the meimeisho to display their son's name, along with the time and date of his birth, and footprint. When the traditional aspects of the ceremony were over, everyone went back to socializing with each other, the new parents, and their son. Akito left after having a rather violent coughing fit into the crook of her elbow, with some older members of the family giving her a mask to wear in case she was contagious before they ushered her back to the main house. She was still coughing as she took her shoes off, so the maids took it upon themselves to call Hatori.
Akito was brought back to her room and was quickly given green tea with honey to soothe her throat. While she'd been out, the maids had cleaned and sterilized everything in the room, so much that it smelled like a hospital. She hated it, but she knew it was a necessary evil.
Since Hatori lived on the inside, it didn't take him more than a few minutes to show up in her doorway.
"I figured it was too good to be true when you didn't have any health problems for a solid week." Hatori sighed, joining her at the low table.
"I hate this as much as you do," Akito replied before dutifully opening her mouth with her tongue raised so he could stick the thermometer underneath it.
"I guess it's good experience for when I actually have my degree." Hatori hummed as he waited for the thermometer. When it was ready, he pulled it from her mouth and checked the reading. "You've got a fever. It's a low-grade fever, but a fever nonetheless. Here, let me check your throat."
Akito opened her mouth again and let him push her tongue down with a tongue depressor while shining a flashlight into her mouth.
"Yeah, it's pretty red and inflamed. I'll tell the maids which medicine to give you, so make sure you take it." Hatori sighed, throwing the depressor away. "Drink the rest of your tea to stay hydrated, and go to bed, Akito. Unless you want to make my job any harder."
"It might be entertaining," Akito replied with a small smile.
Hatori didn't smile back.
"Okay, fine." She said, before obediently drinking the rest of the tea in her cup and moving to crawl into her futon.
"Thank you, Akito. I'll come back to check on you again tomorrow, alright?"
"Alright," Akito replied, watching the man turn off the lights in her room and leave.
Akito didn't fall asleep until a few minutes after drinking the cup of cold syrup the maid had brought in for her. She recognized the fruity, but still disgusting, taste of the medicine. It was the night time medicine for severe colds and flus. Apparently, Hatori really wanted her to go to sleep. She pulled the blankets up over her shoulders to keep warm and drifted off in about half an hour.
When she woke up again, it was pitch black outside. She groaned and turned over to try and fall back asleep, only to find a pair of knees kneeling just beside her head.
She sat up quickly as her eyes were still adjusting to the dark.
"Good morning. Or, evening, I suppose. It's just about midnight." Ren said softly.
"Good god, it escaped." Akito groaned, laying back down. "What are you doing here? Leave."
"I thought you ought to know what was keeping your dear Shigure so busy today." Ren hummed, reaching out to stroke her daughter's hair. She never pet Akito's hair unless she was trying to mock her.
Akito grabbed Ren's wrist the moment she felt the woman's long fingers at the crown of her head. She held the wrist tightly, holding eye contact with her mother. Ren was still smiling.
"Shigure's busy with schoolwork. He told me so himself." Akito said.
"Oh, is that what he said?" Ren giggled. "When did he tell you that?"
"Last night," Akito replied, frowning. "What are you playing at. Spell it out or I'll get a maid to drag you out of here by your ears."
Ren just laughed and used her free hand to reach over and pinch Akito's cheek, shaking her daughter's head back and forth. "You're an idiot if you think you scare me. Why would I be afraid of a sickly little girl?" she laughed.
Akito slapped the hand away from her cheek.
Ren was still laughing and smiling down at her. "Shigure might have been busy last night with schoolwork, but he was busy with me from about noon today to just about an hour ago. I figured you ought to know he's been lying to you."
Akito's eyes went wide at the words. She couldn't be sure if Ren was lying to mess with her head, or if she was telling the truth.
"Some dog he is. They're supposed to be loyal, aren't they?" Ren mused, looking around the room, then back at her daughter and laughing at the look on the girl's face. "You don't believe me? Go find him. Ask him for yourself."
Akito said nothing and just got out of her bed, pulling on a coat over her nagajuban and making sure the robe was still tied securely around her waist. She walked herself out of her room and to Shigure's house just a little bit away from the main house. The lights were still on when she got there, and someone else's car was parked in front of it.
The front door was unlocked, so Akito let herself inside. She found Shigure sitting at a table with a woman she'd never seen before.
"Akito? Hatori said you were sick. What are you doing here?" Shigure asked, his eyes wide behind his glasses.
"Was there any truth in what Ren said?" Akito demanded.
"Ren? Well, what did she say?" Shigure asked, a small smile playing on his lips.
"Were you with her from noon today until about an hour ago?" Akito asked, tapping her bare foot on the floor.
"Until an hour ago? Jesus, no. What do you think I am, a newlywed?" Shigure laughed. "No, I was only with her until about three or four this afternoon. Or, yesterday afternoon, technically. Hey, look, Mitchan, it's tomorrow!"
The unfamiliar woman looked like she was about to wet herself. "I, uhm, I think I'm going to… I'm going to leave the room." Mitchan stammered, looking between Shigure and Akito, who looked to her to have murder in her eyes.
"Good idea," Akito replied, smiling as sweetly as the cough syrup had tasted.
Akito waited until they were alone in the room before reeling back to Shigure. "So, I take it you're sleeping with her, too?"
"Mitchan's just my new editor, Aki," Shigure replied, standing up from the table.
Akito hated the way he used his height to his advantage. At about a full head taller than her, he could easily look down at her.
"Oh, my mistake. I forgot you have standards." Akito spat back. "Standards which seem to include my rabid bitch of a mother."
"Akito, why are you mad? You should be flattered I'd choose a woman who looks like she could be your twin." Shigure teased, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're a spitting image of Ren, you know. If you let yourself be a woman, you'd be just as pretty as her."
Akito glowered at that and raised her hand to strike Shigure with the back of it.
Shigure grabbed her wrist, holding her hand still in his firm grasp while he frowned down at her. "It's more similar to sleeping with you, than you choosing Kureno over me. We don't even look remotely similar."
Akito blinked at that before using her free hand to slap Shigure across the face. Shigure paused for a bit at the slap before grabbing Akito's other wrist and holding her wrists in place above her head.
"What do you care what I do with Kureno?" She spat. "You barely talk to the guy. Sleeping with my mother is worse than sleeping with Kureno."
"Jesus, you really don't even try to understand me, do you?" Shigure sighed, pushing Akito hard into a wall to pin her there.
Akito struggled against Shigure's hold, to no avail. Regardless of the state of her health, he'd always been significantly stronger than her. "I understand you're some sort of sexual deviant. You like this." she finally replied, bringing a knee up between his legs to rub the growing tent in his pants. She kept eye contact with him as she pulled her knee down before quickly bringing it back up with as much force as she could.
Shigure groaned and crumpled in front of her, letting her go free.
"God, you're so stupid." Akito spat, moving to stand over him and push the heel of her foot into his injured groin. "Stupid, stupid boy."
"Akito… Akito, what do you want?" Shigure gasped through the pain, trying to grab her shin to pull her foot away.
"Leave. I want you to leave. Pack your things quickly before I pour bleach on your clothes. Find some house outside, I don't care. If I see you still living on the inside come noon, I'll make sure you live to regret it." Akito growled back.
Shigure just nodded. "Alright, Akito. Okay. I'll see if my parents' old place is still vacant. I'll call right now." he replied compulsively.
Akito pulled her foot away from Shigure's groin. "Good." She replied before turning to leave the room, finding the editor sitting in the kitchen of the house, staring at her as if she was the devil.
"Shigure's going to be busy for the rest of the night. Make sure you get his new address from him." She said shortly. "It was nice to meet you, Mitchan. Good night."
With that, Akito padded out of the house and returned to the main house and her futon.
The next morning, Akito woke up to the sound of her maids talking amongst themselves, wondering why Shigure was moving his things in boxes into the back of Hatori's car. She got up just long enough to watch out the window with them.
"Sir, do you know anything about this?" One of the maids asked. "Why's he moving to the outside?"
"I told him to. Shigure's stupid. The further he can get from my sight, the better." Akito replied before yawning and returning to her bedroom.