"Um, Yuki?" Tohru said softly to her friend lying on his bed. "I have some dinner ready."

"No, thank you, Miss Honda," he answered without looking at her. "I'm not very hungry."

"But it's just that…you haven't eaten all day. And I don't want you to get sick because you're not eating."

"I appreciate the concern, but I'll be all right."

"Um…I'm going to miss Miss Noa too. But, um, I don't think she would want you to starve yourself over her."

Yuki sat up and cracked a pained smile. "Yeah, she'd probably be pretty mad at me."

"Just eat a little something, please?"

"All right. I'll be out in a minute."

"Okay!"

Tohru left the room and went back to the kitchen.

It had been a pretty depressing afternoon for everyone upon finding out that Noa didn't know who any of them were anymore. Yuki had been surprised to see that even Kyo was upset despite trying to hide it. The stupid cat.

He had been more surprised when Akito had returned to the main house with Hatori. Hatori had a new set of scratches on his face, and Akito had been crying pretty hard. Perhaps he really hadn't planned for Noa to lose all her memories.

But it was hardest on Yuki. He had found a mother in that woman and now she had completely forgotten all about him. All those years ago when he had cried in her bed about having her memories erased had become a harsh reality he wished he could wake up from.

Back at the main house, Akito lay on her bed in a similar fashion. She had cried for the rest of the day and had only stopped about ten minutes ago.

Her head and eyes hurt, so when the shoji opened for a servant to bring in her dinner, she just about killed the person.

"Get out," she said quietly.

"Forgive my intrusion, Miss Akito."

Akito was too depressed to realize who the voice belonged to.

Rina looked at the head of the household for a brief moment. She had never seen her like this in the entire time she had worked for her.

This was more than just having something she cared about taken from her. It was as if her very world had collapsed around her.

Rina felt a sharp stab of guilt in her gut.

She hadn't meant to completely destroy the girl. She just wanted to show her what it was like to feel the pain she inflicted on others.

But it may be that she and Shima had once again gone too far.

Noa couldn't stop thinking about the two people who had come to her house. They had been so sure they knew her. Not just knew her but were extremely close to her.

But how could they be close to her when she had no idea who they were? She was sure she had never seen them before they appeared on her doorstep.

The weird thing was that she was having strange recollections of things that had never happened.

Just yesterday, she had passed by the hall closet and had a faint memory of calming someone down who had gotten locked inside.

But Yuta had never once been locked inside the closet and even if he had, he wouldn't have freaked out so much that she had to help him breathe.

So where had that memory come from and why couldn't she picture that person's face?

The days went on and Noa was plagued with the terrible feeling that she had forgotten something important.

But try as she might, she had no idea what that thing was.

Yuta stepped inside the house and his sight was drawn to his mother pacing about in the living room. She looked on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"Mom, are you okay?"

She turned to look at him with tears pooling in her eyes. "I feel like there's something I have to remember. But I don't know what it is. I don't know what I've forgotten!"

"Have you seen Yuki and Akito recently?"

"I don't know those names! But I feel like I should…"

"What do you mean you don't know those names? You've cared for them as if you gave birth to them."

"I…I don't remember doing anything like that. I've only ever taken care of you."

"Mom…"

"I don't understand! Why can't I remember?"

Noa rushed out of the house much to Yuta's shock. He didn't know whether to follow her or allow her to be alone. In her current state, trying to convince her of something she physically couldn't remember would just make her more hysterical. Besides, he didn't even understand what had happened in the first place. Why couldn't she remember the two people she loved as if they were her own children? And why was it just them? Why could she remember everything except them?

There was so much happening that he just did not understand.

Noa ran to the cemetery and collapsed in front of Kei's gravestone, tears trailing down her cheeks. "Help me, Kei," she said softly. "Help me remember. Show me what I forgot. What do I need to remember? What was so important?"

Noa gasped and blinked.

Suddenly…everything came back to her.

She remembered the moment she first met Yuki and the time she calmed him down when he was having a panic attack and when she first met Akito and everything in between.

Noa lightly touched the gravestone. "Thank you."

She left the cemetery and drove as fast as she could down to Sohma house. After parking her car, she threw open the gate to the main house and ran inside.

Akito was just passing by the gates and looked up at whoever had come inside. She was surprised beyond belief to find Noa standing there completely out of breath with tears on her face.

"…Noa?"

Noa ran towards her and hugged her tightly. Akito gasped and froze. Noa had never hugged her before since she knew Akito wouldn't respond to it well. She wasn't sure how to feel about this. Wasn't Noa not supposed to even know who she was?

Noa pulled back and put her hand to the side of Akito's face. "Did you think I could ever really forget you?"

…Was this possible?

"I told you I will always find you."

"I…I don't understand," Akito said softly. "No one ever remembers after Hatori erases their memories."

"Noa?"

Noa and Akito looked over to find Hatori walking towards them.

"What are you doing here?"

"She…remembers," Akito answered. "How is that possible?"

Hatori gave a faint smile. "I didn't think it was possible. My guess is that Noa's affection for both you and Yuki was stronger than my ability."

"Why did you erase my memories in the first place?" Noa asked.

Akito looked at the ground. "It was my fault. I wanted him to erase your memories of the time in the Cat's Room. I was so…ashamed of everything you had gone through that I wanted you to forget it."

"You know I wasn't mad about that. I already told you what happened wasn't your fault."

"I think I knew that. I told myself that erasing your memories was to make you feel better, but it was really to make myself feel better."

Noa just hugged her tightly once again. "Well, it doesn't matter because I remember everything now."

Akito slowly wrapped her arms around Noa and accepted the hug. Then for the first time in her life, she softly began to cry from happiness.

Noa rushed over to Shigure's house. When she approached, she saw Yuki sitting on the porch looking up at the sky.

His eyes widened when he saw her approaching, and he slowly stood up and walked towards her. "Noa?"

She smiled at him before rushing forward and enveloping him in her arms.

Poof!

She looked down and a small white rat crawled out of Yuki's clothing. But she had a feeling he wasn't upset about the transformation this time.

Noa held her hands out and let Yuki in his little rat form climb into them before holding him up at eye level.

"I'm so sorry, Yuki," she said softly. "I'm sorry for the pain you experienced when I didn't recognize you. But I remember everything now."

"But…how?" Yuki asked.

"Hatori said because I cared for you and Akito so much, it allowed me to gain my memories back."

"You really remember everything?"

"Everything. It'll never happen again. I promise. I could never forget you."

Noa could see his rat's eyes glistening.

She held his tiny form close to her and hugged him as tight as it would allow.

"It's all okay now."

The day after Noa had recovered all of her memories, she visited with Akito, the two of them sitting down comfortably inside her room like usual.

In the more recent weeks, Akito had started to desire Noa's approval in what she did. It felt nice to have someone actually approve of her actions, not just agree with everything she did because she was in charge.

But the time had come for her to know the whole truth. She didn't want Noa to constantly praise her when she kept so much from her. She was terrified about what would happen and how Noa would react, but it felt wrong to keep it all from her now.

"I've done…such terrible things," she said softly, tears filling her eyes.

Noa waited for her to go on. It was rare Akito was this transparent with her, but she hoped that now all of the missing gaps in the Sohma history would finally be filled.

"I injured Kisa, a little girl only eleven years old, to the point where she had to be hospitalized just because one of my zodiac members said he loved her. I forced Kureno to stay with me constantly so he never had a life of his own. I pushed Rin out the window when she told me she loved Hatsuharu."

Akito couldn't bring herself to look at Noa and see how she was taking the news. She had no idea if she was angry or shocked or upset. What would she do if Noa decided to up and leave her after she finished her story?

"I injured Hatori when he asked for permission to marry a woman. It's my fault he can't see out of that eye anymore. But instead, I blamed the woman for it and she ended up falling into depression and stopped eating. Then I manipulated Hatori into thinking the only way to help her was to erase her memories. I convinced Kyo that no one would want him, and after his mother killed herself, I made him believe that he the one was responsible for it. And Yuki…my precious Rat…I kept him locked up in a dark room and never let him have contact with anyone else because I believed that he was mine and mine alone. I convinced him that everyone hated him and the only reason he even had to live was me."

Akito took a shuddering breath and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Why did you do all those things?" Noa asked calmly without a trace of accusation in her tone.

"I…always felt like they were only here to serve me and love me because I was their god. And because I was their god and the curse wouldn't let them hate me or blame me, I could do whatever I wanted to them and my actions were right."

"Do you still feel that way?"

Akito took a deep breath. "No," she admitted for the first time. "I don't. I was wrong."

Akito didn't hate much more than being wrong. Admitting she was wrong was even worse. Yet when she finally confessed to Noa that everything she had done in the past had been for no one's benefit, she didn't feel anger or hatred. Instead, she felt as if a large weight that had been sitting upon her shoulders for twenty years finally disappeared.

"Have you tried to make with amends with anyone?" Noa asked gently.

"No."

"A simple 'I'm sorry' can go a long way. There's a lot of baggage here, and those two words won't completely fix everything, but they're definitely a start."

A knock on the shoji pulled them out of their conversation.

"Enter," Akito answered.

Rina slowly stepped inside the room and sat on her knees before the two women. "Miss Akito, Miss Kaneko, I have something to confess."

"What is it?"

Rina paused for a moment as she realized that was the gentlest Akito had ever spoken to her. "It was my fault Miss Kaneko lost her memories. I…I met with Shima shortly after her dismissal, and she explained to me how I could convince Master Hatori to erase them. I'm very ashamed of my involvement in her plan. I never should've hurt either of you in that way. I will be dismissing myself from Sohma house and finding new work since I do not deserve to continue serving you."

Rina bowed so low that her forehead touched the floor. Akito looked over at Noa to see how she was taking this. Noa looked back at her with interest, curious as to how she would handle the situation.

"Rina, lift your head," Akito ordered calmly.

Rina straightened up but remained on her knees.

"I am not happy with you for what you have done but coming here and apologizing shows that you feel remorse for your actions. You will have to be punished, but I would like to keep you on as a servant if you wish to stay. If you still desire to leave, I will be sure to help you find a new place of employment."

Rina's eyes widened. "Um, I thank you, ma'am. If you'll have me, I will stay."

"Then it's settled. You will be assigned additional chores for the next month so expect to be worked to the bone. Our new head maid will tell you what you are expected to do."

"Thank you, but may I ask…why?"

Akito sighed deeply. "If I want people to forgive all the wrong I have done in the past, I must extend that same courtesy to others."

Rina bowed deeply again. "Thank you, Miss Akito. I will not forget this."

She stood up and left Akito's room feeling more stabs of guilt that hurt worse than anything Akito might've done to her in the past. She did not even recognize the Akito she had just spoken with. Just weeks ago, if Rina had made that kind of confession, Akito would've hit her and fired her without a second thought and Rina probably would've ben grateful to not have to deal with her anymore. But now, not only did she keep her on, she even offered to help her find work if she quit.

This was no doubt due to Noa's influence. How could Shima think she was such a terrible woman? And how could she herself have helped her remove Noa from the young woman's life?

It had all been because Shima hated change and Rina hated Akito. Their hatred had almost completely destroyed an already fragile young woman.

She would be eternally grateful that Noa was a strong enough woman to gain all of her memories back or else she might have never been able to live with herself.

Noa smiled warmly. "I'm proud of you, Akito. I know that must've been pretty difficult."

Akito's stomach fluttered. Every time Noa said she was proud of her, a weird feeling filled her entire being.

It made her happy that even after everything she had confessed to doing, Noa could still say she was proud of her.

Two servants escorted Shima into Akito's room.

"Master Akito—"

"It's Miss Akito now. You would do well to remember that. After banning you from Sohma property, you still interfered with our matters, going so far as to manipulate Hatori to erase Noa's memories. You even involved Rina in your twisted plan."

"I told you I wanted to protect you from her."

Akito ignored her. "Since you clearly cannot be trusted, I am having you transferred to an estate in Hokkaido, far away from the Sohma family. You will be at the lowest possible station kept under constant supervison, and I have ensured that promotion for you is impossible."

Shima looked at her in shock. "You can't do this."

"I already have. Two men from the estate have come to escort you there."

On cue, the two men in question appeared at the door.

Shima paused for a moment. Finally, she looked at Akito hardly and stated, "Everything I've ever done was for your good."

Akito shook her head. "No. It was for your good. To make sure that we followed tradition. Noa is the only one who ever cared enough to show me how wrong I have been in the past. The only woman who truly loved me for who I am, not who everyone wants me to be. You have never given me any of that. Now get out."

One of the men lightly grabbed Shima's arm and began to pull her out of the room.

"And Shima?" Akito called just before she departed. "Noa remembers everything. Your plan failed."

The last sight Akito caught of Shima was horrified eyes looking back at her.

Akito smirked to herself. Somehow, it was so much more satisfying to deal with things in this manner than to randomly throw things at people.

Now she understood why Noa used her words the way she did in order to get people to do things. It felt good.

"Hey, Mom!" Yuta called as he stepped through the door.

"Hey, sweetie," she greeted from the couch in the living room.

"Is something wrong?"

She looked up at him with an embarrassed smile. "I, um…I think I like Kazuma."

Yuta raised his eyebrows and smirked. "You mean…like like?"

Noa nodded. "I think so."

"So why are you acting so weird?"

Noa's eyes drifted over to look at the picture of Kei.

Yuta nodded in understanding. "Oh." He took a seat on the table in front of the couch so he could face her. "Look, just because you have feelings for Kazuma doesn't mean you're replacing Dad. A lot of people get remarried. It doesn't mean they love their previous spouse any less. They just love the new person…differently."

Noa smiled a little. "When did you get to be so wise?"

Yuta laughed. "I learned it from my mom."

"I feel like I'm supposed to be the one telling you all this."

"I know how much you really loved Dad. Your heart is devoted to him and always will be. But it's been 11 years since he died. It's been long enough for you to open up your heart to someone else."

"I know it's far too early to tell, but if anything does end up happening…would you be okay with that?"

"Yeah. Kazuma's a really great guy, and you deserve someone like him."

"I don't even know what I'm supposed to do. I haven't been like this with someone in 25 years since I met your father."

"Well, you've been doing pretty good so far, so just keep doing whatever it is you're doing."

Noa put her hand to the side of her son's face. "Your father would be so proud of the man you've become. Whoever your future wife is will be a very lucky woman."

Yuta smiled back at his mother, touched at her words.

He wished that everyone could be as lucky as he was to have her.