Kureno felt like it have been an eternity that he had started to sleep in this hotel room. The day he has been forced to leave the Sohma estate have been exhausting, both mentally and physically. In only three hours, Kureno found himself on the streets with nothing but a bag with his clothes, books and his laptop. It was at this moment he has realized how few he possessed. He also felt so lonely, he has passed almost half of his life living with Akito, knowing that he will probably never see her again was sorrowful. The maids chased him so quick that he did not even had the time to say goodbye to his adoptive sister.
Kureno was sick worried. He tried to contact Hatori to tell him the dreadful news but he couldn't get him on the phone. And he knew he couldn't try to break into the main house, Ren probably hired new servants to watch Akito and the place she was living in. It was hopeless.
Akito was without a doubt lonely and probably crying in her room, refusing to go out. She had lost everything in one day. Kureno wondered about that person she was meeting; he will have to find this person and explain him -or her? Kureno did not know, maybe…They could help? Maybe they cared as much about Akito as him and would try to seek her. Kureno was positive that they would help the problem was…Who were they, Kureno never saw their face. All he knows was that since Akito started to meet them, she became happy, very happy. He was so grateful to that person even if they refused to help him, Kureno wanted a least to thank them for making her happy for that few times they had together.
He put his laptop in his bag. After trying to see and talk to Akito's lover, he will try to go back at the Sohma estate and ask Hatori to let him sleep at his place until he finds a room or a house to rent. He also tried to search jobs to apply but with his lack of experience in the world or diploma, he knows it won't be easy and he will have to start with works that don't suit him at all. He did not want to use his name to get hired neither. Sighing, he put his bag on his back and locked the hotel room door behind him. He gave back the key and payed for his stay and then headed toward the parc he used to bring Akito.
He sat on a bench and wondered if he should have eaten before coming here. He was so stressed to miss Akito's mysterious person that he has walked to the parc without thinking. It was uncomfortable to walk until that place when he was so used to go with the car. Ah, his car was still in the Sohma garage, he forgotten the keys when he left in rush, pressed by the maids, he hoped that Ren will at least let him have his key back. Yeah…Who he was kidding.
Kureno scratched anxiously his head and looked around him. He never noticed how huge was the parc. How he was going to know who is Akito lover, where was they meeting point. He knew nothing, nothing. He was useless…He has always been useless. He hadn't saved Akito, he hadn't made her happy, he ruined everything…Everything. Kureno felt his throat going dry. He palmed his face, hiding his expression. He was withdrawing on himself so much that he did not hear footsteps getting closer to him. He noticed only when he saw a pair of shoes stopping just in front of him in his view-field.
He slowly rose his head up. "Shigure…nii?" he said breathlessly. "What a surprise" he added, eyes wide. What his cousin was doing here? Why he had such a closed expression while looking at him. "I recognized you from far" Shigure answered in a deep voice before smiling sadly, smiling bitterly. He never saw his usual proud cousin with that face, he looked so out of character.
"Akito won't come anymore, that's it huh?" Kureno pupils narrowed and he stood up from the bench, putting himself at Shigure's level. "How did you-" he asked with face paling and his cousin twisted his eyebrows in a known full look.
Kureno couldn't believe it "You are…"
The person Akito have been meeting all this time, it was him? But… "Why did you told her that you were leaving her!" he asked with emotion. Shigure frowned, not understanding. "That day! In the meeting room, when you told her you were leaving!" Shigure frowned even deeply, his eyes in thoughts, probably trying to remember before gasping. "Oh! That day!" he exclaimed. "I…It was before I…" he scratched his jaw. "Are we really going to talk about it?" he asked, visibly bothered to tell him more.
"I think I deserve to know Shigure…If you were her…Her…" he tried to search the best word to match the relation he had with Akito but he wasn't sure. "Lover?" offered Shigure with a smirk and Kureno reluctantly nodded. "Oh my god…How it happened?" he palmed his face, rubbing his temple and sitting back on the bench, the force in his legs leaving him. Shigure chuckled. "Aaah, a fateful event." He said in wonder, smiling, contemplating an old memory. "long story short, she aggressed a gardener."
Kureno blinked, dumbfounded. He couldn't believe Akito could aggress anybody, sure she has her character, but never she would hurt someone. Kureno frowned gently. "Shigure-nii…To be honest, I'm not sure Akito is strong enough to hurt physically somebody…" he said and Shigure laughed. "Oh my, don't belittle her, she is stronger than you think!" he said. "Maybe she can't fight against Ren, but she is ready to defend herself at any moment." He gazed at Kureno with a cocky smile, as if he was knowing something that Kureno didn't. He did not remember his cousin to be so childish. Guess things were different in his memories. But something else bothered Kureno in the way Shigure was acting.
"You're… not surprised by the situation" he said after observing Shigure carefree behavior. He couldn't understand, Shigure won't see his girlfriend anymore, the woman he was meant to love more than anything and it was like Kureno just said to him that the sky was blue. Kureno always loved how nothing could touch Shigure, always detached but…It was wrong, he couldn't understand. Didn't he know about how Ren was treating Akito? How unhappy she was?
Shigure simply shrugged "It was bound to happens." He looked his shoes, his foot playing with pebble. "Ren would have ended up knowing about it anyway" he quietly said and Kureno looked sadly at his cousin. He studied him once more and he noticed that through his nonchalance expression, his eyes looked distant, regretful. Unless Kureno dreamed it. No… Shigure did love Akito, he shouldn't doubt about it; of course he must be pained by what was happening. Kureno closed his eyes, he remembered when he was just a child running after Shigure. He often talked with him about Akito, about dreams and Shigure was always frowning and swearing. Kureno used to agree with everything his cousin was saying, because in his memories, Shigure was always right.
"Shigure-nii…What will you do?" he asked after an eternity. "Are you going to…move on?" he queried, repeating the same words Shigure told him months ago. The man sneered. "What? Well, I don't know" he said, rolling his eyes to the sky "Everything is different, isn't it?" he taunted, trying to gauge Kureno. He did not trust him enough to tell him all his secret, all the thoughts and all the ideas he had in mind.
"She…needs you, more than anything!" Kureno said, wanting his cousin to help her, because he wasn't able anymore. Shigure frowned "Ah?" he just said, asking for more explanation. Really, was he more needed than Kureno himself? "Shigure-nii, since you came into her life, she…I feel like she is happy, she is livier. You made her happy, more than I ever could!" more than I even tried he didn't say.
Shigure scratched the back of his head, his eyes wandering around before resting on Kureno's bag. "…I guess Ren fired you right?" Kureno made a low sound, nodding. "Yeah…I don't have a place to stay" he confessed sheepishly. "I was wondering if I could ask to Hatori-nii but I didn't success to contact him yet." Shigure hummed. "Yeah, he is busy lately, he has been called to help in one of the Sohma's clinic."
"I see…" He lowered his eyes and bit his lips. He was hesitant, he did not talk to Shigure in years and the man didn't sound like he wanted to stay with him, or maybe it was just an impression. It has been always hard to know what the man had in head. "Shigure-nii…" he started, unsure. "I know it have been a long time since we talked but…" he implied the request, looking, no, begging his cousin to hear him. "Ah, I guess you want a free place to stay huh". Shigure smirked.
"Ju-just, a few days, just the time I find a place to live and a decent job" he said, plead in the eyes. Shigure sighed. "Well, I guess I can let you stay…" he guessed loud, putting his fingers under his chin in thought. "Is that all you have?" he pointed the bag. Kureno eyed it silently before nodding. "I shared most of my owning with Akito" he explained.
"Yeah, I heard" Shigure talked back, a little roughly behind his smile. Kureno looked aside, feeling uneasy. After half of a minute, Shigure exhaled a frustrating noise. "Well, I guess it can't be helped right?" he whined. "Take your bag and follow me. I have a spare futon" he said before turning his back and making a gesture of the hand, inviting Kureno to follow him.
"Thank you Shigure" he said quietly
If three years ago somebody had told Shigure that Kureno Sohma, the guy who deflowered the goddess he has been obsessed since he was a kid, the man he was meant to hate the most in the world was sat in the middle of his living room, sipping tea that he made for him, because he let the man sleep in his house to help him, Shigure would have asked where was the hidden camera. Yet, there he was.
At the end, Shigure didn't find himself hating the man that much anymore, his feeling for him were now more like indifference, or a slight irritation and maybe a little bit of reconnaissance because without him, he wouldn't have meet Akito and they wouldn't be together. Well…Together wasn't really the good word right now, but Shigure did not want to think about it, not in front of Kureno. He did not want to risk to show him a vulnerable side. "Shigure-nii, thank you again, if I can do something to pay you back, please, tell me" said Kureno.
Shigure wanted sarcastically ask him to give him back Akito's virginity, but it was just stupid and he didn't really care anymore. It wasn't important, what mattered was that Akito choose him and loved him over Kureno. Shigure smirked at himself, ah, he was really childish to fight over Akito's virginity, this was stupid. Well, it's not new information about himself, he is childish and possessive. He won't change. Anyway, right now, it wasn't what mattered, yeah, it wasn't…Did he already say that?
"Still I'm quite surprised that you are going out with Akito! I mean" said Kureno, trying to get back on the subject. "Out of all the people in the city, it being another Sohma…More, a cursed it's…" Kureno smiled gently, like a maiden reading a romance book and the main couple just had their first kiss "It's like it was fate." Shigure had to held back a chuckle, his naivety reminded him of Tohru. He could almost find him cute if they didn't have a bad past.
Kureno looked at the liquid in his cup. "Tell me…Who else know?" Shigure blinked. "About?"
"About you and Akito, I mean…You told me Akito wasn't aware that you are a Sohma…" said hesitantly Kureno, hoping Shigure won't try to answer vaguely. The man did not know if he should humor him or not. He decided against. "Mm…Aaya and Haa-san do" Kureno's eyes widened in surprise, inciting Shigure to continue "Actually, Haa-san was the first one to know, even before than I do! And he told me nothing, I felt so betrayed!" he whined dramatically so he could hide the fact it was real. Ah, he was been so bitter when he learnt the truth. Hatori was always watching for the repercussion of actions, always trying to make the few people hurt as possible, even it was mean he had to be a coward, but well, Shigure was already aware of this, nobody is perfect. Hatori was a coward, Ayame was still learning to no be an egoist anymore and Shigure himself was a bastard.
"Hatori-nii did…Why he never told me?" Said quietly Kureno, shock in the voice. "I asked him the same question" laughed Shigure but Kureno shook his head. "That's…I don't understand! Hatori-nii could have told us, to the three of us!" Shigure could see that his younger cousin did not understand the doctor choice. Shigure too did not understand at first, until he had the power to tell her. Oh, he had tried, multiple time, but Akito did not wanted to hear it. She did not want to remember the Sohma, Shigure knew, she wanted to be free, to go far, far away where nobody could find her, somewhere where she could be happy.
Hatori did not wanted to face the consequence in front of Ren, in his logic, the few knew, the better. He stood quiet because he thought it was the best way to protect both of them. Shigure kind of understand this logic, he was a doctor, if he couldn't heal, he could always try to prevent. It had made sense in his cold head, but Shigure was an artist. He was different, Shigure was a person of emotion. What kept Shigure silent was the eyes of the woman he loved. He wasn't better than Hatori. He really had wished to tell her, maybe if he did, the two of them would be already far, far away. Playing with the Biwa lake water.
Kureno was the one who know when it was already too late. He was like that man in Hiroshima, who saw the bomb falling on him. Even if he tried to run away, he couldn't escape the destruction. Kureno will never be able to tell Akito that he knows the situation she was in. Shigure could see in his eyes how tired was the man. Sighing, Kureno massaged his temples. "So yeah…Akito don't know that you are…"
"No, no she doesn't" He answered in a smile and Kureno frowned. "But then… How did you know?" he asked. Shigure smiled to hide how annoyed he was, he won't stop asking him question about them. In a way he understands why he was quiring so much about his relation with her. Hatori told him a long time ago, when he hasn't meet Akito yet and he was dying of envy to be in Kureno's shoes, that the man only saw Akito as his younger sister. Shigure had answered him sarcastically at this moment 'ah, because you would fuck your own sister if you had one?' he had said, he was really sour. But now that he was talking with him, he could see that indeed, Kureno saw her like close family and nothing else. Yet, he did not want to let Kureno in the knowledge of their relation. It was his and Akito's only, he could search for another girl if he wanted to know so much. "Well, it just happened." He answered, not giving more information.
Kureno bit his lip and looked aside. Shigure could see how uneasy he was by the situation. "Shigure-nii…You're…I guess you're aware of Ren behavior…"
"Who aren't?" he simply said and Kureno frowned. "I mean…With Akito" Shigure turned his head to the window, he said nothing but the gesture invited quietly Kureno to tell him more. All Shigure know was the marks that Ayame have told him about and the state of her body. Hatori told him that she started to gain weigh since January, but to Shigure taste, she still looked underweight. When she was riding him, he could see the shape of her ribs under her gorgeous milky skin.
"I'm scared…She is all alone and she hate it. She will go mad and Ren will hurt her" Kureno fisted his hands. "We-we should do something"
"What? Both you and I are black listed, We could try to tell Hatori but he isn't home and are you sure you want to meddle Yuki in this mess?" Shigure wouldn't mind if he were honest, but Yuki was useless and he had already argued with him. It would too strange if Shigure were to do the first step. The question was; was Kureno ready to involve a teenager in this? A teenager that have been abandoned by his parents. Sure, Kazuma was his guardian, but will Kureno ready to involve the man too. Was Kureno ready to carry the burden of such a choice on his shoulder. Shigure wasn't so sure and by seeing Kureno bowing his head, he knew he was right.
"Well, let's sleep on it. You can use my laptop if you want to search a place." He stood up and stretched, ready to go in his office to work a bit. Just before opening the door, he turned back to his cousin "Now that I think about, don't the Sohma have a propriety in the forest? Out of the estate?" Said Shigure in a thoughtful tone. "Maybe you could check here if the place is available?" he shrugged and walked out.
As he was passing in his corridor and out of Kureno's view, he thought about Akito and let his playful expression fail. He frowned his brows and let his forehead touch the wall, a regretful expression showing on his face. Fuck, why it happened now? If it has happened a month or two later, he and Akito would be already far. He was already planning everything.
He inhaled deeply, gathering his thoughts and entered in his office. The situation changed nothing to Shigure's plan. It was just a diversion, the path will change and the road might be longer, but the result stood the same. He sat on his chair, his eyes wandering on the numerous real-estate books laying on his desk, loans and comparative estates.
Shigure rested his chin on his hand, a determined expression on his face. Yeah, it changed nothing, he was still going to take her away.