Akane didn't remember a thing about what happened in the New Years as she got sick from the increasing coldness of winter. She remembered How she slept throughout the days as the fever went down. She felt bad for basically abandoning Tohru all alone in their first New Years with just the two together, but Yuki and Kyo came home just in time for dinner, shocking both of them.
Akane's mind was still in a haze as she warmed herself up on her blanket while she chewed on the delicious food Tohru made. She eventually fell asleep on the table from exhaustion after she ate. Just before she passed out, she told the three,
"Wake me up when we're going to see the sunrise." She mumbled.
They woke her up indeed and her fever went down. Tohru helped her dress up in warm clothes as they were planning on seeing the first sunrise of the New Year on the roof.
The breeze still felt chilly and Akane gave an occasional sneeze as she started to feel lightheaded. She held it in, until Kyo shouted his New Year's resolution. She shouted one of her own and proceeded to faint, the last thing she heard was the occasional worried shouts from the three.
"I WILL BREAK THE DAMNED CURSE AND GIVE YOU ALL WARM HUGS!"
"Didn't I tell you to dress warmly and drink the medicine?" Hatori's scolding voice was heard as Akane drowsily woke up.
"You didn't tell me I can't climb the roof..." She replied nonchalantly.
"You climbed the roof? In your condition?" He glared.
"Oops..."
Hatori sighed. He flicked her forehead.
"Ouch." Akane rubbed the growing redness.
"You know you're sick. Don't do rash things." Hatori scolded. Akane stayed silent.
"I know. I just wanted Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo to be happy as we watched the first sunrise." She answered softly. Hatori sighed.
"She will be happy when you drink this medicine, get some rest, and get well again." Hatori pushed the glass of water and medicine to her.
"Yes, Doctor..." She gulped the water then mumbled. "Or is it... Mister Seahorse..."
Hatori glared at her again as she avoided looking at his eyes.
"Get some rest." He sighed, gathered all of his things on his bag, and stood up.
"Thank you, Hatori-san." She sleepily mumbled and dozed off to sleep not long after.
Hatori looked at her sleeping figure and shook his head. As he went outside, he met Shigure's playful face.
"You know, she's just like you sometimes, Haa-san." Shigure smiled. Hatori eyed him from the side.
"She puts other's happiness first and put hers second." Shigure further explained.
"Hm."
Doing long distance running not long after getting healed was so tiring. Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo were supposed to go not long after her class did (since she got the same PE class time as their class). Akane eventually didn't see the whole point midway and sighed. The weather was warmer now, and the green has peeked through the white winter.
As she got to the riverbank, she saw a white haired man sleeping. As she got closer, the man turned out to be a boy. Not wanting him to get mugged or something, she silently sat down next to him and took out her sketchbook from under her PE uniform. She sketched the view of the riverbank and eventually filled a spot with the boy's sleeping figure. He was wearing cool clothes and had some earrings on.
Eventually, Tohru's class caught up to hers (she was already left behind from hers) and Tohru woke up the boy next to her by calling him a grandpa.
"Have you heard of the Sohmas?"
Huh. He's a Sohma. The genes are so superior, I swear...
He tripped Kyo with a string. Akane was impressed.
"Wow..."
As the rest of the boys of Tohru's class caught up to them, they went to a more secluded place (like under the bridge) to talk privately.
The new boy was called Hatsuharu Sohma, or Haru for short. He challenged Kyo to fight...
Then Akane noticed Yuki's cough. She eyed him from the side.
Then... Haru turned into another person. She laughed at the back and forth Kyo and Haru had, then how Haru basically flirted with with Yuki.
"Stop wasting my time like this, or I'll take the girsl with me, too." Dark Haru declared.
"Huh!? Why?"
"I'm going to do all kinds of unspeakable things to them!" Akane deadpanned at this.
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
The three of them watched silently. Akane then got back to Yuki. She put a hand on his shoulder, as he turned to look at her in reply. His normally pale face look even paler and sickly.
"Yuki, are you okay?" Akane softly asked, concerned. Yuki gave out a smile.
"Don't worry, Honda-senpai. I'm fine." She nodded in reply.
They watched again, and eventually Yuki had an episode. He was clutching the area near his heart. Akane caught his fall. Haru took off his jacket and put it on Yuki.
"Taking a taxi would take long." Akane countered Haru's idea. "He could change in the middle."
"You're right."
"What's your zodiac? Can you transform big enough to carry him home?" Akane suggested.
"Hmm... I could." He agreed.
"So, don't you need to... change?" Akane waited with crossed arms.
"Sure. A cute girl like you in my arms would be nice." Dark Haru laughed and pulled her into a hug.
A poof of smoke appeared and Haru transformed into a cow.
"The cow zodiac huh," She chuckled, ruffling his hair as Haru gave a moo.
"C'mon, let's get Yuki on top of him and take him home."
Akane bonked Shigure's head as he laughed at them as they appeared at the doorstep. They went and got Yuki on his bed.
"I'll call Hatori-san." Akane volunteered.
She went down to the first floor and used the landline phone to call Hatori. After three rings, he answered.
"Hatori Sohma." His voice was heard through the phone.
"Hatori-san, this is Akane Honda."
"Hello... Are you sick again?"
Akane scoffed.
"No, not me... It's Yuki. He got sick and had an episode as Haru said." Akane explained as she twirled the phone cord on her finger.
"Haru...?"
"Yeah... Hatsuharu. Hatsuharu Sohma, the guy can change into a cow?" Akane elaborated.
"...Is he there?"
"No- Oh, he just came down. You want to talk to him?"
"Give him the phone."
"Okay..." Akane motioned Haru to get closer. "Haru, Hatori-san wanted to talk to you."
"Thank you. Hello?" Haru's calm voice was back. Akane passed the phone handle to him, and she waited on the side with Kyo who was sitting on the floor. She heard occassional shouts as Hatori scolded Haru.
Akane went and made porridge after he hung up, saying Hatori was scolding him for being gone for three days.
She went up to Yuki in his Rat form and gently put the bowl of porridge on the table.
"I'll get to the school and get our stuff. I have a feeling those two would get into trouble..."
And yes they did.
Shigure, Kyo, and Saki Hanajima were playing cards in front of the school, making a crowd.
Akane sighed and pinched her brows.
"Shigure. Kyo." Her low voice made the two flinch and turned around.
"Weren't you supposed to be doing something else?" She tapped her foot and had her arms crossed, aura darkening behind her.
Kyo gulped and went inside to get their things.
"Ahahaha... Now that Kyo's gone, can you change for him, Akane-chan?" Shigure pointed to the abandoned cards Kyo left.
"When he comes back, we're going home, got it?" She sighed and sat down at the spot Kyo vacated. She took the cards and began playing.
"Two of a kind!" Shigure put out his cards.
"I have a full house." Saki put hers out.
"Hm... Five of a kind- Ah choo!" Akane sneezed. Uh oh... She didn't realize the weather got chilly.
And in the end... To no one's surprise...
Everyone got a cold.
"Playing poker outside in this cold weather would do it." Haru said flatly.
"Apparently, everyone in this family wants me to die of exhaustion." Hatori scoffed.
"I told you not to do rash things." Hatori plainly stated as he checked up on Akane on her room. Out of the three, He expected Akane as someone who wouldn't do something rash that endangers others.
"I never thought playing cards were something rash." She pouted as she warmed herself up with her blanket.
"You mean, playing cards in the cold weather?"
"Okay, I get your point. Sorry." Akane admitted defeat as she changed her sleeping position so Hatori couldn't see her pouting face and red nose.
Hatori gave a sigh in reply.