"Isn't the stereotype that pregnant women glow? I look like a zombie," Isuzu muttered. One mercifully hot shower and a change of clothes later, she stood in front of the mirror while she toweled her hair. Her skin had pinked a little from the shower's heat, but there were still bruise-like rings under her dark eyes and her cheek bones were poking out a bit more than was healthy.

"You look like one of the most beautiful women to ever exist," Hatsuharu told her lovingly, coming up behind her to put his arms around her.

"Say that when I throw up on you," she retorted.

"I will. You know I will."

This morning seemed so distant that it had a dreamlike quality to it. While it was just now around lunchtime, it seemed as if more than just a mere two hours had passed. The others were downstairs while Melody tried her hand at cooking. Kagura, of course, was lending her a hand—she was quite capable of not burning down the kitchen as long as Kyo wasn't around. After making sure she was all right, Melody subtly suggested that they give the young couple some time alone. They did, after all, have a lot to talk about.

"Are you…sure this is what you want?" Isuzu finally asked.

"Of course it is. I never stopped loving you, you know. I just wish I could figure out what I did to make you stop talking to me after the wedding."

She rested her head on his chest.

"I just didn't want a repeat of history. I gave you up to try and protect you."

"That was stupid."

"I know…"

"And it makes me love you that much more."

He caressed her cheek.

"I know about it. I've known for a long time now—what Akito did. Hiro told me even though both you and Akito both put a lot of pressure on him not to. It was hard for him, but it was much harder for him to live with a secret like that."

Isuzu had regretted making the kid carry a secret like that. The day would always be fresh in her memory.

"Is that MY box in your hands?" Akito had snatched it away from her, the black fury very visible in his dark blue eyes. Isuzu's expression was carefully masked, though she was terrified of him.

"What were you going to do with my box, hmmm? Did you think it would be funny to steal from me? I know everything that goes on around here."

All it had taken was one small mental tug. Isuzu felt herself numbly dropping to her knees. She hated the effect he had on all the Zodiac members.

"What's the big deal? It's empty anyway," she answered bravely, "how can you miss an empty, beat-up old box?"

He grabbed a handful of her hair and jerked it so hard that she heard a tearing noise and felt a warm trickle of blood. She was forced to look up into his face now where the fury was flowing into a maddened sneer.

"What's the big deal? You want to know what the big deal is? It wasn't yours to take regardless of whether you believe it has any value or not. Didn't you learn from your parents that stealing is wrong?"

She didn't answer.

"No," Akito said, grabbing another handful of her hair, "I suppose you didn't. They're not exactly the teaching sort, are they? Well…since you are actually more of my responsibility than theirs and I clearly love you much more than they do, I'm going to have to teach you a lesson."

"What kind of lesson?" she asked tremulously.

"I'm going to have to take away what's most precious to you so that you'll know how it feels."

Kneeling in front of her so that they were eye to eye, Akito released her long black hair and ran his fingers through it.

"I'll bet all the other girls see this hair and envy it," he said softly, "how dark and thick it is, how it shines in the light…and I'll bet the boys love to touch it…especially our dear Haru."

Isuzu gasped involuntarily.

"Oh, yes," Akito said menacingly, "I know about the two of you. I feel it through our bond. I smell his scent on you right now and it sickens me. Did you really think you could hide it?"

She was trembling now, her vision blurring with tears.

"It would explain why you haven't been to see me recently, anyway," Akito continued, "if you had been truthful with me, you wouldn't be in such a mess right now, would you?"

"Don't hurt him," she pleaded, "please…"

"Tell me who put you up to this and I might leave him alone."

She hung her head.

"Ren wanted the box. She promised me she'd tell me how to break Haru's curse if I brought it to her."

"You are a fool. If she really knew how to break it, don't you think she'd have done so while my father was still alive?"

Isuzu heard a tear hit the floor with a soft "pttt" sound.

"ANSWER ME!"

"Yes…" she sobbed.

"And don't you think I wouldn't have found out about that?"

"Yes…"

Akito rose and took something out of a drawer. She couldn't tell what it was. He motioned for her to follow him outside.

"Kneel."

Shaking uncontrollably, she did as he said not because he demanded it, but because her legs weren't holding her weight well. She felt him gathering up all her hair.

"Maybe next time you'll do the smart thing and tell me when someone is up to no good," he said coldly.

SNICK!

The blades of the scissors were cold against the back of her neck. Within a few seconds, she was surrounded by a half-circle of her own hair, now laying lifelessly in the manicured grass. She wore a mask of emotionlessness, though she knew she must now look terrible.

"Up," he demanded, tossing the scissors aside. He led her to the Cat's room and locked her in. She watched as his silhouette against the light disappeared behind the heavy barred door and the finality as the key turned in the lock. Running her fingers through her now ragged and short hair, she finally allowed herself to give in to the torrent of tears. Upon finding out later on after Kureno had let her out that she hadn't obeyed and broken up with Hatsuharu, she was again summoned to the main house. This time, the meeting had unfortunately been on the upper story. All he had to do was be near her to know that she hadn't done as he'd told her and shoved her so hard that she'd fallen out the window.

"I went after him," Haru told her, "I went black and I went after him. I wanted to kill him—and I tried. But I couldn't touch him. It was like he'd gotten this otherworldly strength and speed and he just kept dodging me."

Both of them looked towards the door.

"I can't even believe it's the same person," Isuzu admitted. They could hear laughter coming from downstairs—Akito's laughter mingling in with all the rest.

"Do you know why he pushed me out there? Because I told him he was jealous. I said he was just angry because I had someone who loved me and he didn't."

Haru laughed.

"Wow…you really are brave. I'd have liked to seen the look on his face."

"No, you wouldn't have."

She combed out her wet hair—thankful it was growing back now, and turned to face him.

"Everything's happened so fast…I'm so afraid I'll wake up and it be another dream," she admitted.

"I'm not. It's going to be okay. I promise."

They went to join the others. Everyone was crowded around the small table, all of them talking at once. Two seats had been saved right next to each other for them.

"You're going to be everybody's uncle before long," Melody was informing Akito, "they'll all want to come to your house because you have the biggest yard to play in!"

"That's all we need," Akito muttered, "more kids running around making me feel old."

There was a small smile as he said it, though. No longer on the pedestal looking down at the world below, he truly felt as if he were in the family instead of just their "manager". He sipped his tea serenely. Haru slid the chair in for Isuzu. Though it was an antiquated gesture, he was living proof that chivalry was still hanging onto the lifeline somewhere.

"Lo Mein? Melody made it," Hatori offered. Akito was taking second helpings, which actually said a lot for her cooking. His appetite was usually quite sparse and he was very, very picky.

"Tohru's the one we ought to thank," she said modestly, "it was her recipe."

They got their servings. Now that the pain and sickness had stopped, Isuzu was surprised to find that she was quite hungry. Eagerly digging in, she began to wonder whether it was going to be a boy or a girl. She hoped she wasn't too malnourished to carry it now that she realized it was there.

"Melody? Do you know which one it is?"

"Are you sure you want to know yet?"

"I'm sure."

Everyone stopped talking.

"You're going to have a son."

The table erupted into cheers.

"Congratulations," Hatori said, placing a hand on Hatsuharu's shoulder. He gave a nervous smile.

"It's important that we discuss your futures," Akito said, "as Isuzu has one more year of school and Haru has two."

The two of them glanced at each other nervously.

"Well…I haven't really thought about it," Haru spoke up, "but I'll get a job after school and start saving up."

"I see," Akito said softly, "and you, Isuzu?"

She looked down at her plate.

"I don't know. I'm not really good at anything," she admitted.

"What about your dr-"

Kagura paused when Isuzu shot her a venomous look, but squared her shoulders.

"She draws. A lot. And takes pictures. And writes poems," Kagura blurted out, "I'm sorry, but it's true. You really are good at it. And you've even given Ayame some ideas. Please don't kill me for looking through your stuff…"

Isuzu's glare darkened, but Haru squeezed her hand under the table. Like all of her other secrets, he had previously been the only one she'd ever told.

"Thanks a lot, Kagura," Isuzu muttered.

"It's true, though…you never give yourself credit for anything," Kagura said, almost near tears. She had always wanted a sister and Isuzu was the closest she'd ever had to one. No matter what, though, the wall had always remained up between them.

"I would like to see some of those after we're done here," Akito said with a gentle firmness.

Isuzu sighed wearily.

"Sure," she muttered, knowing that the choice was taken out of her hands.

After they were finished eating, she bravely went up the stairs and Akito followed.

"Don't worry," Hatori said to a very nervous Haru, "he's not going to hurt her. I can feel it."

"Promise not to laugh, all right? Haru's the only one who's ever…"

She trailed off, realizing it was yet another secret she hadn't yet told him and flinched.

"I won't laugh," was all he said.

She retrieved the box from the back of the closet. It was half-buried in a bunch of other stuff. She was always careless about putting her things away and tried to discreetly move things like underwear that she didn't really want anyone seeing. At last, she unearthed it and placed it on the desk.

"I'll start with the most recent," she said, taking out a manila envelope, "these are prints from the wedding."

There were various shots of the guests. Somehow, Isuzu had snapped a picture right at the moment Kana and Hatori kissed. There were some of them dancing and some of the other couples. They were all more than just frozen in time—she had captured a bit of who they were in each one. There was a high-contrast shot of Haru where half his face was lit and half was dark. There was one of Tohru and Kyo dancing. Kyo, though nervous, was enjoying his new freedom and he had a gleam of hope in his eyes. And then…

"I forgot about that one," Isuzu said quietly, feeling her pulse racing and the blood draining out of her face.

There was one of Melody and Akito dancing. The rest of the crowd was in soft-focus, completing the effect that they were in their own little world. Akito's soft smile gave away the blooming love that was inside him. Melody's large, soft eyes showed the fascination as she, too, was realizing her feelings as well. At first, Isuzu was afraid he'd be upset with her, so she backed away.

"I wasn't aware that anyone got a picture of us," he said, never once taking his eyes off of it, "I would like a copy of this."

"They're digital, so I can make as many as you want," she said carefully.

He looked through her sketches and her poems and each one left him more impressed than the last. They detailed a great deal of her innermost feelings, everything from her feelings towards Haru to her parents to the horse-demon that had once been her only friend.

"I really would like for you to stop keeping secrets from me," he said, looking up at her, "I can't help you if you don't tell me about things like this."

She looked down at her pale, slender hands.

"I know that's my fault. My cruelty to you was probably more intense than any of the others," Akito continued, "I saw you as someone like me, maybe the one person who understood more than the others about being unwanted. And then, you got what I wanted: someone who would accept you no matter your flaws. That terrible day I hurt you, I did so because you were right about me and I knew it deep down."

He placed his hand over hers. Bony and pale—they weren't really so different. Both of those hands could dispense a great deal of cruelty when they wanted to, but both were quite fragile underneath. And both were just now realizing the true power they held.

"I truly am sorry about the way I've treated both of you—all of you, actually. I can't take back what I've said or done, but I'll do my best to help you all from here on out. I want to know all of you as the people you've become. And I hope someday, you'll all find it in your heart to forgive me."

For the first time, her gaze met his.

"You're serious about this, aren't you? It's not a way to impress Little Miss Angel down there?"

"No. Who've I got to impress anyway? She already loves me for who I am—as terrible as I may be. Besides, I've only got her for a short time. This about the ones who are going to be around afterward. I've treated every last one of you terribly—for some, like Ritsu and Kyo, I was very neglectful. For you and Hatsuharu and Kisa, I've been abusive."

"Kisa?!" Isuzu's voice was sharp, "You hurt Kisa, too?"

"It's not something I'm proud of," he answered dejectedly, "yet another big apology I owe—and then some."

"She's just a little girl! How could you?!"

Isuzu stepped back, but it was more out of habit. She was used to weaving through Akito's punches, trying to keep the worst of the damage off of her face.

"The same way I hurt anyone else who hasn't deserved it," Akito answered bluntly, "I thought being god meant I could do whatever I wanted to anyone I wanted to when I wanted. But now I'm starting to see things very differently."

She stared. This was not the same man who had chopped off her hair and locked her up in the dark. This was not the same man who had pushed her out the window and broken half the bones in her body. This was…a stranger. One that at the very least was not nearly so threatening.

Akito stood, careful not to make any sudden movements. Isuzu was nervous; he could actually smell the adrenaline coming off of her. It was a secret he'd hidden from everyone since he could remember.

"Isuzu, if you don't want to be friends with me, I truly don't blame you. But I still want to help you both. You'll finish school, and then what? All of this…it's too impressive for you to waste your talent with a dead-end job. I can make you a deal: you give me copies of these and I will use my connections to help you build a name for yourself."

"What's the catch?" she asked warily.

Akito had anticipated that she'd be suspicious. Fortunately, he had an idea that would make life ten times easier on everyone.

"The catch is that you've got to try harder. No more skipping school unless you're legitimately sick. No more being careless about your studies—your ideas are good, but I saw a lot of mistakes. No more staying out God-Knows-Where at God-Knows-When in the morning—you're going to be a mother and you need to get all the rest you can. That's all."

She raised an eyebrow.

"I'll be checking with Kagura's parents and your teachers," he warned, "so think it over."

She swallowed hard. Several seconds of quiet passed between them.

"Sorry…it's just…this is so weird. I keep thinking I'm going to wake up any second and you're going to go back to being a complete…"

"Say it," he pressed.

"….a complete bastard."

"There. Now it's out and the world didn't end. You can stop cringing now."

He gave her a small smile.

"Does this mean we don't have to…you know…" she couldn't finish it, but he knew what she meant.

"Of course not. That kid is going to need both parents. Just because we never had that experience doesn't mean I'm going to ruin someone else's chance."

"Thank you," she said genuinely.

He offered his hand to her. She had only to take a step forward to squeeze it, but it was a hard gap to close. Smiling faintly herself, she placed her hand in his. She was no longer a woman with a trapped horse spirit, but now a woman becoming many other things as well. While horses could be easily frightened and untrusting once hurt or scared, they could also forgive with the right touch. A person had only to speak reassuringly to the horse and to show it that they had only the best intentions for it by leading it safely through the dark woods. Though big and powerful and fast, there was something about that trust and that willing vulnerability that made them very unique. She was no longer a horse inside, but she still had those characteristics. Deep down, she didn't feel like that was ever going to change. As Akito left her there to go rejoin the others, he knew he had a lot of work to do in regaining her trust. But, as Melody had shown him with the others, it would be worth it.

One week later, the phone rang. Kagura was over at a friend's house and her parents were at work, so Haru and Isuzu had the place to themselves. Lying contentedly in her boyfriend's arms, Isuzu turned her hand over and watched as the diamond sparkled in the sunlight. It really was beautiful—she never dreamed that someone like her would be wearing it. When she'd asked where Haru had gotten it, he'd said, "Well…I was saving up to get one for you, but Akito got there first. When I told him I couldn't possibly take it, he gave me a lecture on why it was rude to refuse a gift." She'd laughed and let him slip it on her finger. They'd loved each other since they were children—no matter how hard she'd tried, she couldn't get rid of him. Now, with Akito's blessing, she didn't have to give him up ever again.

Snapping out of her reverie, she answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Ma'am. This is Lee Qian with Dawnstar Publishing. I'm calling for Isuzu Sohma."

"That's me," she said, stunned.

"I'm calling on behalf of the book you sent in. We don't normally publish books for children or teens, but I think in this case we will make an exception. I myself am one of the editors as well as the president and I couldn't put it down. I took it home with me and my daughter loved it as well."

Isuzu's eyes grew wide. As she listened to Lee Qian talk about the process of getting a book published and what she could earn from it, her eyes grew even bigger.

"So, Miss Sohma, do we have a deal?"

"Yeah, uh, of course!"

She was going to tell Haru, but judging by the look on his face, he already knew.

"Well, it's been nice talking with you, Miss Sohma. I look forward to seeing more of your work," Mr. Qian said warmly.

"Yeah…thank you. Goodbye."

She and Haru exchanged glances.

"He worked fast, didn't he?" was all she could get out.

"Yeah…but you know what this means, right?"

"What?"

"You'd better get a tutor for your math homework before he finds out about that last test grade."

"I have an excuse," she shot back, "I was in the bathroom for half of it puking my guts out. I'd like to see him argue against a bad case of morning sickness. And somebody really ought to tell our teacher not to eat such smelly food for breakfast—ugh…"

"Don't think about it," Haru said quickly, "here, have a mint!"

She chuckled and took one from the little round Icebreakers container he had pulled out of his pocket. Peppermints were one of the few things that helped her when she started to feel sick. She would be glad when her sense of smell returned to normal—it didn't help, either, that the horse spirit residing in her body for so long had heightened her sense of smell.

"Well…I'd better call him and thank him," Isuzu finally decided, "I really do owe him one."

She dialed a number that she never dreamed she'd be calling willingly. When the cool, dark voice answered on the other end, she never thought she'd smile to hear it.

"Hi, Akito," she said awkwardly, "guess who I just got a phone call from?"

"It took them long enough," he answered, "what was their offer?"

She told him and heard his appreciative chuckle on the other end.

"Not bad for a first book—that will buy a lot of diapers."

She giggled.

"I…I wanted to thank you," she said finally, "but just out of curiosity, they said it was an actual book. All I gave you were ripped notebook pages and doodles. How did you get a book out of all that?"

"Let's just say someone's been holding out with her computer skills."

"Melody?" she guessed.

"Melody," he confirmed.

"Is she around?"

"Not right now. She's humiliating Hiro at Soul Calibur V as punishment for trying to hack into her computer."

Isuzu laughed.

"I hope she clobbers him. He needs a few notches taken off his ego."

There was a burst of laughter in the background.

"She got him, didn't she?"

"Of course," he answered, amused, "well, I have to go now. It's my turn to get beaten. Thank you for letting me know about this."

She smiled.

"Thank you for getting it there," she said quietly, "one of my biggest dreams finally came true."

Her eyes glittered with tears.

Damn pregnancy hormones! She thought as she said goodbye to Akito.

"What did he say? Did he make you cry again?" Haru asked defensively.

"No," she said, dabbing at her eyes with the back of her hand, "it's just…you know…baby tears."

He nodded understandingly. She'd been sensitive to everything, both good and bad lately. Just as she replaced the phone, he pulled her back into his arms.

"We have exactly eleven minutes before they get home," he said with a mischievous grin, "that's time for a lot of your kisses."

And that is why Isuzu, for the rest of her life, associated Haru's kisses with peppermints.