Hatori's POV
I watched her, leaning my chin against my palm as she slept soundly on the futon couch, her breathing steady and even, eyelashes fluttering in her rhythm of sleep. She rolled over and buried her face into the blankets, muttering something completely incoherent into the fabric.
There was a loud rustle from behind me. Shigure was watching me, an amused smirk gracing his lips, a mug of tea in hand. "She's an interesting girl, huh?"
"Why did you do that?" I asked him in a hushed voice, eyes never leaving her peacefully sleeping form. "Fujikawa's going to be even more worse-off if she lives here. Akito could do anything to her when we're not here, especially since we didn't even ask for her permission. Bringing her home for one night was already crossing the line."
"You worry too much, Ha'ri," he chuckled, running his fingers through his dark hair. "It'll all work out. I'll convince Akito. She'll put the blame on me, yell at me, maybe throw a couple of things. She won't think it's your fault."
"That's not the problem here," I said sharply, biting my lip. "I don't really care about what she does to me or you or Ayame. We can handle it. We've been handling it for seventeen years. It's Fujikawa who I'm worried about."
"Oh?" Another smirk. "That's a first."
"Now isn't the time for wisecracks," I snarled. "If you really wanted to protect her, you would have left her where she belongs. And that's with her parents. She's dealt with it for five years, Shigure."
"Yeah, dealt with it without anyone giving a damn!" Shigure shouted back, losing his composure. "God, Hatori, can't you just give it a rest? I said that it would be fine. We can talk to Akito. Fujikawa doesn't know about the curse yet, so what's the harm? We're just doing what good friends would."
"Okay, fine. But we talk to Akito first thing tomorrow morning. Keeping secrets from her is never a good thing," I said reluctantly, listening to Fujikawa's gentle snores. "Deal?"
"Whatever you say, Hatori." Shigure nodded, before letting out a yawn and stretching his arms above his head. "Let's just call it a night, okay? I'm exhausted." He groggily trudged up the stairs, his footsteps heavy and loud, leaving me and Fujikawa alone in the living room. I continued to sit by her side, about to reach forward to brush a loose strand of hair behind her ear when a loud knock brought me back to my senses.
I snapped to attention, eyes instinctively scanning my surroundings. Taking a deep breath, I walked briskly to the door, yanking it open.
An elderly woman wearing a simple blue kimono inclined her head respectfully to me, tendrils of her gray hair slipping out of her bun. "I apologize for disturbing you at this late hour, Sohma-san, but Akito-sama requested that I bring you to him. He would like to have a quick word with you. It is urgent."
I swallowed back a gasp, hoping that the surprise didn't show on my face. I bowed to the woman, keeping my expression as blank as possible- a trick I had learned could very well save your life in the Sohma household. "Thank you, ma'am. Tell Akito-sama that I'll be there in a moment." Watching as she glided across the courtyard and entered the house where I knew Akito had locked herself inside, I grabbed my cellphone out of my pocket and sent Shigure a quick text message. going 2 akito's. make sure f is ok.
Heart pounding, I began to make my way to Akito's residence, a million thoughts stirring around in my head. I knew bringing her back was a bad idea. I shouldn't have listened to Shigure. I should have seen this coming. What was Akito going to say to me? What move was she going to make next?
Was I going to have to erase her memories and lose the only friend I had ever made outside of the Sohma family?
It really was selfish, I knew it was. But the Sohma family was famous for being selfish.
I pushed aside the beaded curtain that was the only separating me from my god, wrinkling my nose as I finally got a whiff of particularly-strong incense. The room was nearly dark, illuminated by only a couple of dimly-lit candles. As was customary of the household, I collapsed to my knees, placing forehead to the ground and feeling the cool ridges of the tatami press into me. "Good evening, Akito-sama."
"Hello, Hatori." She sounded slightly-amused, perhaps a little peeved. "At ease, my good fellow." As per her request, I sat up slowly, putting my hands on my lap as I kneeled in front of her. Her eyes were veiled by her scraggly raven bangs, frail body encased in a baggy midnight blue kimono. A smirk teased her cracked lips. "How are you today?"
"Just fine, Akito-sama," I murmured, face impassive. "And yourself?"
"Just fine, Hatori," she mimicked, letting out a bitter laugh. Uncomfortable silence filled the cool, dark air.
"How's the girl?" she finally spoke, grinning at me. I quickly looked away. It was ridiculous, I knew it was- to live in fear of a girl who had barely turned ten. As much as I feared her, the dragon inside of me encouraged me to kiss her feet, declare my undying loyalty to her, to do the exact opposite of what I wanted. My mind throbbed, a war between instinct and practicality, and I bit back a cry of pain. "What, did you honestly believe that I didn't know about her? Do you really think that I'm that stupid? Foolish boy."
I chose not to say anything. She cleared her throat and gave me a sugar-sweet smile- possibly even more terrifying than her snarls. "So is she a nice girl? A sweet one? Do you like her? Is she so brilliant and amazing that you directly disobeyed my orders and befriended her? Am I not good enough for you? Is that it, Hatori?" Her onyx eyes widened, reflecting the golden candlelight. Hysteria slipped into her cold, slithering voice. "And now she's living with you three. Whose idea was that? Was it you? Or was it Shigure? Ayame? Tell me, Hatori. Tell me."
She grabbed my chin, pulling me so close to her that I could inhale the traces of her jasmine perfume, so close that I could see every little detail on her face. The freckle on her chin. Her hollow cheeks. Long black eyelashes. Our proximity repulsed and fascinated me at the same time; I needed to kiss her, I needed to run away.
I wanted to scream.
"It was me," I fibbed, heart racing. "I asked her if she wanted to live with us. It was me."
She eventually released, sitting back onto her heels and studying me carefully. "You disobeyed my orders, Hatori. But I suppose that there isn't much I can do about it. So as a punishment, I'd like to ask you some questions."
I nodded stiffly, slightly relieved. It was a better reaction than I had expected. This was calm for Akito. I could deal with this.
"What's her name?"
"Sukochi Fujikawa."
"How old is she?"
"Sixteen. Seventeen in a few months."
"Does she know about our...little secret?"
"No."
Empty silence. She traced her fingers across my cheeks, brushing her palm against my forehead. Her touch prompted a shiver to run up and down my spine, and the places where her hand touched still tingled, as if my very skin was clamoring for her touch. "If you're lying to me, Hatori, you will pay the price."
I shook my head fearfully, praying that she believed me.
"Alright." Akito gently took hold of my hand, speaking in that same softly perilous voice, "You were supposed to love me, Hatori. Only me. I'm your God and you are forever my servant. That's the way that it will be for the rest of eternity. My loyal, obedient slave, Hatori Sohma.
"So...what shall I do now? I can't allow you three to escape me. And I'm confident that you won't. Our bond goes deeper than mere affection. As soon as you try to leave, your soul will pull you right back, into my embrace. Your blood sings for my touch, for my voice. Right, Hatori? A simple human girl isn't enough to break that sacred bond, take you away from me. But perhaps it will be. Perhaps it won't." She released my hand and yanked a daisy out of a ceramic vase, methodically plucking the delicate snow-white petals off. "So I'm going to perform a little experiment. To test your loyalty to me. Care you hear what it is?"
"Yes, Akito-sama," I murmured, fearful once more.
"I'm going to let this little girl stay here. You are not to tell her that I'm aware of her existence. Do you understand?" I nodded hurriedly. "Excellent. She's going to find out about our little abnormality, and she's going to think you three are liars and monsters, and she's going to leave you in the end. That's what always happens. Usually. Perhaps. Maybe she'll be different, maybe she won't."
I gazed at the tiny petals on the mat, so helpless and pathetic.
"All of you slaves seem to be getting rather restless lately," she drawled. "So I think I have to reinforce the lesson: we can't survive alongside normal humans. You're supposed to love me, no other. I'm the only person who can ever truly understand your suffering. You seem to be forgetting that. Hm? So I'll let you keep your little pet, this Sukochi Fujikawa. We'll play a little game, too, to see how long it takes for her to break your heart and leave you hanging." She laughed, a chilling laugh that left me cold, running her fingers trough my air. "You're dismissed. Sleep well, my darling."
I bowed to her one more time, before standing up and pushing the bead curtain aside, stepping into the cool night air. Before I closed it completely, however, I heard a soft rustle and a harsh whisper. "Akito-sama. I have something to tell you."
My interest piqued, I crouched down, holding my knees to my chest and straining to hear their conversation.
"Yes, Kotomi? What is it?" She sounded impatient.
"I'm not sure if this is a coincidence, but...I believe we have connections with the girl's father."
"Really? Do we now?" Akito's voice had taken on an interested, slightly amused edge. "Please go on."
"He served Akira-sama about fifteen years ago, before quitting to start his own business. I believe he's a distant cousin of ours. Katashi Fujikawa. Your father thought very highly of him."
"Fujikawa is a fairly common name." Akito sounded slightly skeptical, but I could hear the thinly-veiled excitement in her voice. "Are you sure that she's his daughter?"
"He mentioned having a young daughter named Sukochi. I'm certain that he's her father. I'll look further into it if you like, Akito-sama."
"No, you've done enough, Kotomi. Thank you. I'd like you to find this man, wherever he is. He can't have moved that far away from here. Yes. I believe we have his contact information in the records? Yes. Excellent. I'd like to have a good word with him. Tell him that Akito Sohma, the son of his old master, has something very important to tell him. If he isn't motivated, tell him that I have his daughter at my disposal."
I stood up as quietly, hoping that my footsteps didn't disturb the creaky wooden porch, before taking off, sneakers beating against the moist grass of the lawn. Once I'd returned, Shigure slid open the door to our house, eyes wide with concern. "Well? What happened?"
"Akito gave us permission for her to stay," I said, between gasps, "but she's planning to use her to test our loyalty to her."
Shigure nodded hurriedly, glancing behind him to where she was still sleeping soundly. "So, what are we going to do about it?"
"We're going to have to be more careful than ever. We can't let her find out about the curse, otherwise we're going to have to tell Akito. I'm not sure that she'll let Fujikawa stay here after that, but who can say? That's not the end of it, though- her father used to serve Akira-sama." Shigure's eyes widened, but I continued, "She asked Kotomi-san to contact him and get him back here. I'm not exactly sure what she wants to do with him, but we're going to have to keep an eye out. And apparently, if this guy doesn't come, she'll do something to Fujikawa."
He nodded again. All that could be heard was the swish of the night breeze and the chirping of cicadas in the trees.
"It's funny. We're doing this all for some girl," I noted quietly, realizing how bizarre the situation actually was. "Does she really mean this much to us? We're risking everything. We don't have to do this."
He thought about it for a moment, before laughing grimly, giving me a thin-lipped smile. "Well, maybe it's time that things changed."
