"The Sentence"
Yuki, Nami and Shigure all walked down the hall to Akito's bedroom as if they were going to an execution. Shigure and Yuki were well aware of the rules of a meeting with Akito, but they wisely decided that at this late hour Akito would only become more bitter if he had to leave his bedroom. This was a sort of emergency situation, after all. Bravely, Yuki entered the room first.
"Akito," he called sternly. Nami was close behind Yuki but all she could see was a completely dark room with a single tall window. A chair stood by that window, large enough to seat two people at once. The figure occupying this large chair was actually very small and frail. Nami wondered if this was the man they were all so afraid of.
"Is that really the voice of my Yuki-kun I hear?" The man stood up and walked slowly to the door. "Have you finally decided to visit?" He asked of Yuki and then turned his attention to Nami. His eyes narrowed as he quickly summed her up in his mind. She glanced over at Yuki as if asking him what to do. He caught her gaze, and moved in between her and Akito. Without meeting his eyes, Akito coldly ordered, "Move." Yuki didn't budge but Nami felt him quiver.
Wasting no time, Akito simply pushed him away and into a wall. Nami instantly wanted to run to him but Akito stood in her way.
"Akito," Shigure said as a reminder to calm down.
"Shigure, go find Hatori and meet us downstairs. I have a feeling his abilities might be needed tonight." Shigure wasn't sure if Akito predicted using Hatori's memory erasing ability or his medical ability. Either way, he followed orders and happily went on his way to find Hatori.
"Who are you?" Akito asked Nami harshly.
"My name is Daishi Nami," she answered, keeping her focus mostly on Yuki.
"Look at me," Akito ordered when he saw her gaze wonder. "Why are you in my house?"
"Well you see, I tripped and Yuki-kun caught me so..."
Akito stopped her mid-sentence, "...so, you did it again, Yuki. Do I have to remind you what happened last time?" He moved closer to Yuki and a sadistic look appeared in his eyes. He whispered, "Maybe you need a small.. reminder, ne?" Yuki swallowed hard but tried to put a brave face on. Akito chuckled, sensing his fear.
"It was my fault.. Yuki was just trying to help and..." Nami's sentence was yet again not finished.
"That was always his weak point," Akito murmured and proceeded down the hall. Nami followed him with her eyes. She had to admit that she now feared him more than when she first saw him. She thought that maybe it was his voice or the way that he carried himself. He spoke in a steady tone as if he knew his word was law. He seemed graceful yet stern; outspoken yet mysterious. She found herself believing that convincing him to keep her memory will be close to impossible.
"Come," Akito called Nami and Yuki to follow him. They did with little reason to object. Apparently, Akito was keen on using the traditional meeting room. As they walked down the hall, Nami noticed that he suddenly slowed his pace and leaned against the wall. She reached out for him, but Yuki took her hand and shook his head. Akito regained his balance, and the three entered the room where Shigure and Hatori were already waiting for them.
It was a large room and mostly empty. A sliding door separated it from the garden. Nami looked outside at the dark trees and wished that she was out there rather than in here. Shigure and another man were kneeling on the ground, facing the front. Yuki knelt down next to them and motioned her to do the same.
Akito walked to the front of the room and turned around to face them. "Hatori, what do you think?" He asked moving a small step in the man's direction.
"Well, Shigure explained the situation to me. I think we should consider all possible solutions," Hatori said but stopped himself before going on. Nami looked over at him, expecting more of an opinion.
"I think we should just let this whole thing slide," Shigure said with his usual laidback manner. "The sheer idea that we have to go to absurd lengths to hide our family is degrading." Nami noticed a sinister smile on his face.
"I agree," Yuki spoke, "and I think that we should be able to decide who to trust and who not to." Everyone abruptly turned their attention to him, surprised at this comment.
"What's the matter, Yuki-kun?" Akito walked over to him and gently touched his cheek. Nami thought that his behavior towards Yuki seemed unusual. He continued, "Is Tohru not enough?"
Nami saw Yuki's fist clench, and figured she ought to say something before things got out of hand. "If you're worried about your secret I can assure you that I won't tell anyone. I'd have no reason to," Nami said to everyone there but particularly to Akito.
"No one has spoken to you," Akito answered her, sounding annoyed above anything else. "You have two choices; your memory or your life. Which do you treasure more?"
Nami's eyes widened as what he said sunk in. No one spoke for a moment. Hatori finally broke the silence, realizing that nothing would change Akito's mind.
"In that case, I don't see any reason to postpone this." When Akito nodded, Hatori positioned himself in front of Nami and put his palms on her forehead. She naively fixed her eyes on his face, willing herself to remember any of this no matter what. He was creepy, she thought. Akito scared her, but at least he was obvious about it. Hatori, on the other hand, was mysterious and had this strange power. He frightened her more.
"Sohma Hatori," she said, her voice barely audible. "Sumimasen," she finally gave into her own fear and shut her eyes, not knowing what to expect. Everyone watched except for Yuki who kept his eyes on the floor. Deep inside he was actually a bit glad that Akito decided to erase her memory. He didn't know if he could deal with her knowing what he told her. He made a mental note to think twice next time. That was just too close for comfort.
"Don't look so innocent. You brought this upon her," Akito whispered to Yuki and pulled a stray hair from his face. Yuki tried frantically to drone out his words.
After several moments of complete silence, Shigure began shuffling around in his spot. He thought that this shouldn't be taking so long. Finally, Hatori removed his palms and looked helplessly at Akito. "I can't do it," he confessed.
"What?" The tension in Akito's voice was felt throughout the room.
"I don't understand it at all." Hatori was simply speechless. His lips moved as if he tried to say something, anything at all. "I.. it's not.." He stuttered, in complete shock.
"Ha-san.. what's the matter?" Shigure asked, moving closer to them.
"It's just not.. working," Hatori replied, helplessly. Nami's eyes popped open upon hearing this.
"You can't erase her memory?" Yuki had been stunned by this as well. Hatori nodded in response.
"Are you sure about that?" Akito asked in an eerily calm way. The three of them knew that he wouldn't be so calm unless he had a backup plan.
"It is only hypnosis, after all. Maybe her will overpowered me. It isn't magic; something can always go wrong. Although.. this is the first time." Hatori thought of a quick theory.
Everyone grew silent as they awaited Akito's next order. Sure enough, he raised his eyebrows and casually yet sternly ordered, "Kill her."
A sudden rush of fear made it's way into Nami's heart and squeezed her stomach. His words echoed in her mind and she could do nothing. She was frozen in her spot and all she felt were his words flowing through her veins. Overwhelmed, she fainted. Hatori effortlessly caught her before her head hit the ground, taking serious precaution to do it without turning into his Juunishi form. Successful at doing so, he placed her down gently. He kept his hand under her head as cushioning from the ground. Yuki made a short and sudden movement to help her as well, but one stern look from Akito stopped him dead in his tracks.
"Akito-kun, now I know you don't mean that!" Shigure managed to say, getting his words from some everlasting spring of optimism. One might comment that his outburst was somewhat inappropriate but he was right; Akito may be coldhearted but he's not a murderer.
"You can't just kill someone!" Yuki retorted angrily.
"Akito, this is incredibly drastic, to say the least. It's not an option," Hatori backed him up.
"I don't like the fact that this girl has clouded your judgment; however, I agree to a point. This is very drastic and I'm willing to consider a better alternative. If you have any brilliant suggestions, this would be the perfect time to share them." Akito seemed reasonable for the first time that night. "If not, please don't hesitate to put the miserable creature out of her pain."
"I have a suggestion," Hatori spoke up in a desperate attempt to save the girl's life, "You won't like it and neither will she. We need to keep constant surveillance on her and the best way to do that is to keep her as close as possible. I say that we have her move into the estate.. permanently."
Akito paced the room, debating this with himself.
"Ha-san, that was a good effort but we can't very well just put her in someone's house and say, 'watch her'." Shigure pointed out to them.
"I'll take responsibility for her since I wasn't able to.. fulfill my duty. She can live with me," Hatori replied.
"How generous of you, Hatori." Akito said, a bit too smug for comfort. "I actually rather had my heart set on her living here.." He smiled a sadistic little smile, "..with me."
No one seemed to find any effective argument against this but they all felt like letting out a loud scream of protest.
Hatori turned his attention back to Nami as he felt her head move on his hand. She opened her eyes and was lost within her own mind for a brief moment. As she slowly regained consciousness, the idea that they had already killed her begun to grow in the far corners of her imagination and soon developed into a full-blown reality. She sat up abruptly and screamed.
"Sh, sh.. it's ok. Calm down, it's ok." Hatori tried to soothe her as she regained control of herself. She stopped screaming and felt embarrassed for a moment. She looked up at him and placed her palm on her head. She shuddered at the sight of Hatori leaning over her. Someone with a power like his frightened her.
"Do you know who I am?" Hatori asked.
She nodded and said, "Hai, Sohma Hatori. You haven't killed me."
"Consider yourself lucky," Akito finally spoke as he made his way to her from across the room. "I've decided on an alternative. Instead of death, you'll just stay here for life instead. Sounds fun, ne?" He said in the most sadistic voice he could muster.
"I have to stay here forever?" Nami asked, reminding him a bit of a stubborn child who didn't get her way. He chuckled at the idea.
"Don't bother trying to run away. It won't work," he said flatly and walked away from her. "Yuki, Shigure, you may go now. In fact, I insist you do," He gestured them out the door.
On his way out, Yuki knelt down by Nami and assured her that he'll think of a better way. He had sufficient time to place the blame squarely upon himself. If he had only been more careful... and now she has to suffer such a horrible fate. Erasing her memory would be more merciful than trapping her in this Hell.
Akito began walking back down the hall to his bedroom and said, "Come along, Nami-chan! I'll show you your room!" He chuckled again. Mocking her predicament brought him some sort of a wicked satisfaction.
"Can you stand up?" Hatori asked as he helped her to her feet. She nodded and followed Akito out the room. Hatori walked not far behind her incase she decided to faint again, without realizing that it just made her more paranoid.
"Make yourself comfortable," Akito said to her in a sinister tone, "you'll be here for a long time." He stopped in front of a door on his right and pointed to it. "This is your bedroom."
Nami's knees gave out and she fell to the floor, overcome with helplessness and grief. She was now a prisoner in the house of the devil. Upon hearing her cry, Akito chuckled again. 'Viciously well' would be a good way to describe his mood. She was just another possession to him. Although he wasn't particularly fond of keeping her, it's always good to have another person to project pain onto.
Hatori tried to help her up again until he heard Akito's voice calling him.
"I have to go," he said. "It's alright. I'll talk with you tomorrow morning. Why don't you just get some rest?" Nami nodded, glad that he was leaving, and Hatori walked to Akito's bedroom.
"I'm very disappointed in you, Hatori. I really expected you to come through." Akito said to him, facing the window.
"I know and it worries me, too. I'm beginning to think that I may have lost my ability," he replied and obediently knelt down on the ground .
"You know, I don't get angry with you very often but something like this is just very frustrating." Akito moved closer to him and Hatori shut his eyes, expecting a sharp sting to his cheek. None came.
He opened his eyes to find Akito smiling smugly at him. "She'll be my responsibility. I'll make sure she stays out of your way," Hatori assured him.
"You can keep her as long as you don't forget to feed her." Akito chuckled and retreated to his bed. Hatori left the room.
[Preview of next chapter- Nami gathers up her courage and talks to Akito about her current situation]
Yuki, Nami and Shigure all walked down the hall to Akito's bedroom as if they were going to an execution. Shigure and Yuki were well aware of the rules of a meeting with Akito, but they wisely decided that at this late hour Akito would only become more bitter if he had to leave his bedroom. This was a sort of emergency situation, after all. Bravely, Yuki entered the room first.
"Akito," he called sternly. Nami was close behind Yuki but all she could see was a completely dark room with a single tall window. A chair stood by that window, large enough to seat two people at once. The figure occupying this large chair was actually very small and frail. Nami wondered if this was the man they were all so afraid of.
"Is that really the voice of my Yuki-kun I hear?" The man stood up and walked slowly to the door. "Have you finally decided to visit?" He asked of Yuki and then turned his attention to Nami. His eyes narrowed as he quickly summed her up in his mind. She glanced over at Yuki as if asking him what to do. He caught her gaze, and moved in between her and Akito. Without meeting his eyes, Akito coldly ordered, "Move." Yuki didn't budge but Nami felt him quiver.
Wasting no time, Akito simply pushed him away and into a wall. Nami instantly wanted to run to him but Akito stood in her way.
"Akito," Shigure said as a reminder to calm down.
"Shigure, go find Hatori and meet us downstairs. I have a feeling his abilities might be needed tonight." Shigure wasn't sure if Akito predicted using Hatori's memory erasing ability or his medical ability. Either way, he followed orders and happily went on his way to find Hatori.
"Who are you?" Akito asked Nami harshly.
"My name is Daishi Nami," she answered, keeping her focus mostly on Yuki.
"Look at me," Akito ordered when he saw her gaze wonder. "Why are you in my house?"
"Well you see, I tripped and Yuki-kun caught me so..."
Akito stopped her mid-sentence, "...so, you did it again, Yuki. Do I have to remind you what happened last time?" He moved closer to Yuki and a sadistic look appeared in his eyes. He whispered, "Maybe you need a small.. reminder, ne?" Yuki swallowed hard but tried to put a brave face on. Akito chuckled, sensing his fear.
"It was my fault.. Yuki was just trying to help and..." Nami's sentence was yet again not finished.
"That was always his weak point," Akito murmured and proceeded down the hall. Nami followed him with her eyes. She had to admit that she now feared him more than when she first saw him. She thought that maybe it was his voice or the way that he carried himself. He spoke in a steady tone as if he knew his word was law. He seemed graceful yet stern; outspoken yet mysterious. She found herself believing that convincing him to keep her memory will be close to impossible.
"Come," Akito called Nami and Yuki to follow him. They did with little reason to object. Apparently, Akito was keen on using the traditional meeting room. As they walked down the hall, Nami noticed that he suddenly slowed his pace and leaned against the wall. She reached out for him, but Yuki took her hand and shook his head. Akito regained his balance, and the three entered the room where Shigure and Hatori were already waiting for them.
It was a large room and mostly empty. A sliding door separated it from the garden. Nami looked outside at the dark trees and wished that she was out there rather than in here. Shigure and another man were kneeling on the ground, facing the front. Yuki knelt down next to them and motioned her to do the same.
Akito walked to the front of the room and turned around to face them. "Hatori, what do you think?" He asked moving a small step in the man's direction.
"Well, Shigure explained the situation to me. I think we should consider all possible solutions," Hatori said but stopped himself before going on. Nami looked over at him, expecting more of an opinion.
"I think we should just let this whole thing slide," Shigure said with his usual laidback manner. "The sheer idea that we have to go to absurd lengths to hide our family is degrading." Nami noticed a sinister smile on his face.
"I agree," Yuki spoke, "and I think that we should be able to decide who to trust and who not to." Everyone abruptly turned their attention to him, surprised at this comment.
"What's the matter, Yuki-kun?" Akito walked over to him and gently touched his cheek. Nami thought that his behavior towards Yuki seemed unusual. He continued, "Is Tohru not enough?"
Nami saw Yuki's fist clench, and figured she ought to say something before things got out of hand. "If you're worried about your secret I can assure you that I won't tell anyone. I'd have no reason to," Nami said to everyone there but particularly to Akito.
"No one has spoken to you," Akito answered her, sounding annoyed above anything else. "You have two choices; your memory or your life. Which do you treasure more?"
Nami's eyes widened as what he said sunk in. No one spoke for a moment. Hatori finally broke the silence, realizing that nothing would change Akito's mind.
"In that case, I don't see any reason to postpone this." When Akito nodded, Hatori positioned himself in front of Nami and put his palms on her forehead. She naively fixed her eyes on his face, willing herself to remember any of this no matter what. He was creepy, she thought. Akito scared her, but at least he was obvious about it. Hatori, on the other hand, was mysterious and had this strange power. He frightened her more.
"Sohma Hatori," she said, her voice barely audible. "Sumimasen," she finally gave into her own fear and shut her eyes, not knowing what to expect. Everyone watched except for Yuki who kept his eyes on the floor. Deep inside he was actually a bit glad that Akito decided to erase her memory. He didn't know if he could deal with her knowing what he told her. He made a mental note to think twice next time. That was just too close for comfort.
"Don't look so innocent. You brought this upon her," Akito whispered to Yuki and pulled a stray hair from his face. Yuki tried frantically to drone out his words.
After several moments of complete silence, Shigure began shuffling around in his spot. He thought that this shouldn't be taking so long. Finally, Hatori removed his palms and looked helplessly at Akito. "I can't do it," he confessed.
"What?" The tension in Akito's voice was felt throughout the room.
"I don't understand it at all." Hatori was simply speechless. His lips moved as if he tried to say something, anything at all. "I.. it's not.." He stuttered, in complete shock.
"Ha-san.. what's the matter?" Shigure asked, moving closer to them.
"It's just not.. working," Hatori replied, helplessly. Nami's eyes popped open upon hearing this.
"You can't erase her memory?" Yuki had been stunned by this as well. Hatori nodded in response.
"Are you sure about that?" Akito asked in an eerily calm way. The three of them knew that he wouldn't be so calm unless he had a backup plan.
"It is only hypnosis, after all. Maybe her will overpowered me. It isn't magic; something can always go wrong. Although.. this is the first time." Hatori thought of a quick theory.
Everyone grew silent as they awaited Akito's next order. Sure enough, he raised his eyebrows and casually yet sternly ordered, "Kill her."
A sudden rush of fear made it's way into Nami's heart and squeezed her stomach. His words echoed in her mind and she could do nothing. She was frozen in her spot and all she felt were his words flowing through her veins. Overwhelmed, she fainted. Hatori effortlessly caught her before her head hit the ground, taking serious precaution to do it without turning into his Juunishi form. Successful at doing so, he placed her down gently. He kept his hand under her head as cushioning from the ground. Yuki made a short and sudden movement to help her as well, but one stern look from Akito stopped him dead in his tracks.
"Akito-kun, now I know you don't mean that!" Shigure managed to say, getting his words from some everlasting spring of optimism. One might comment that his outburst was somewhat inappropriate but he was right; Akito may be coldhearted but he's not a murderer.
"You can't just kill someone!" Yuki retorted angrily.
"Akito, this is incredibly drastic, to say the least. It's not an option," Hatori backed him up.
"I don't like the fact that this girl has clouded your judgment; however, I agree to a point. This is very drastic and I'm willing to consider a better alternative. If you have any brilliant suggestions, this would be the perfect time to share them." Akito seemed reasonable for the first time that night. "If not, please don't hesitate to put the miserable creature out of her pain."
"I have a suggestion," Hatori spoke up in a desperate attempt to save the girl's life, "You won't like it and neither will she. We need to keep constant surveillance on her and the best way to do that is to keep her as close as possible. I say that we have her move into the estate.. permanently."
Akito paced the room, debating this with himself.
"Ha-san, that was a good effort but we can't very well just put her in someone's house and say, 'watch her'." Shigure pointed out to them.
"I'll take responsibility for her since I wasn't able to.. fulfill my duty. She can live with me," Hatori replied.
"How generous of you, Hatori." Akito said, a bit too smug for comfort. "I actually rather had my heart set on her living here.." He smiled a sadistic little smile, "..with me."
No one seemed to find any effective argument against this but they all felt like letting out a loud scream of protest.
Hatori turned his attention back to Nami as he felt her head move on his hand. She opened her eyes and was lost within her own mind for a brief moment. As she slowly regained consciousness, the idea that they had already killed her begun to grow in the far corners of her imagination and soon developed into a full-blown reality. She sat up abruptly and screamed.
"Sh, sh.. it's ok. Calm down, it's ok." Hatori tried to soothe her as she regained control of herself. She stopped screaming and felt embarrassed for a moment. She looked up at him and placed her palm on her head. She shuddered at the sight of Hatori leaning over her. Someone with a power like his frightened her.
"Do you know who I am?" Hatori asked.
She nodded and said, "Hai, Sohma Hatori. You haven't killed me."
"Consider yourself lucky," Akito finally spoke as he made his way to her from across the room. "I've decided on an alternative. Instead of death, you'll just stay here for life instead. Sounds fun, ne?" He said in the most sadistic voice he could muster.
"I have to stay here forever?" Nami asked, reminding him a bit of a stubborn child who didn't get her way. He chuckled at the idea.
"Don't bother trying to run away. It won't work," he said flatly and walked away from her. "Yuki, Shigure, you may go now. In fact, I insist you do," He gestured them out the door.
On his way out, Yuki knelt down by Nami and assured her that he'll think of a better way. He had sufficient time to place the blame squarely upon himself. If he had only been more careful... and now she has to suffer such a horrible fate. Erasing her memory would be more merciful than trapping her in this Hell.
Akito began walking back down the hall to his bedroom and said, "Come along, Nami-chan! I'll show you your room!" He chuckled again. Mocking her predicament brought him some sort of a wicked satisfaction.
"Can you stand up?" Hatori asked as he helped her to her feet. She nodded and followed Akito out the room. Hatori walked not far behind her incase she decided to faint again, without realizing that it just made her more paranoid.
"Make yourself comfortable," Akito said to her in a sinister tone, "you'll be here for a long time." He stopped in front of a door on his right and pointed to it. "This is your bedroom."
Nami's knees gave out and she fell to the floor, overcome with helplessness and grief. She was now a prisoner in the house of the devil. Upon hearing her cry, Akito chuckled again. 'Viciously well' would be a good way to describe his mood. She was just another possession to him. Although he wasn't particularly fond of keeping her, it's always good to have another person to project pain onto.
Hatori tried to help her up again until he heard Akito's voice calling him.
"I have to go," he said. "It's alright. I'll talk with you tomorrow morning. Why don't you just get some rest?" Nami nodded, glad that he was leaving, and Hatori walked to Akito's bedroom.
"I'm very disappointed in you, Hatori. I really expected you to come through." Akito said to him, facing the window.
"I know and it worries me, too. I'm beginning to think that I may have lost my ability," he replied and obediently knelt down on the ground .
"You know, I don't get angry with you very often but something like this is just very frustrating." Akito moved closer to him and Hatori shut his eyes, expecting a sharp sting to his cheek. None came.
He opened his eyes to find Akito smiling smugly at him. "She'll be my responsibility. I'll make sure she stays out of your way," Hatori assured him.
"You can keep her as long as you don't forget to feed her." Akito chuckled and retreated to his bed. Hatori left the room.
[Preview of next chapter- Nami gathers up her courage and talks to Akito about her current situation]