"Sentenced to Life"
"Nami. Nami, I'm sorry I'm waking you up but this is important." Hatori's voice echoed through her dream and eventually brought her back to reality. She sat up in her bed to find him kneeling next to it. He handed her a folded piece of paper.
"What is this?" She asked, still wavering between the dream world.
"That is the number to my cell phone. If you feel sick or just need to ask me something, feel free to call it at any time."
"Where are you going?"
"Akito is very sick. He has a dangerously high fever, and I have to run out and get him some more medicine. It's as if I have to up his dosage every day," Hatori said and stood up. Walking out the door, he added, "Another thing, please don't go to him today. For your own good, don't speak with him." With that, he left.
Nami got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror. Hatori had wrapped a bandage around her head. She touched the spot that covered the cut and flinched at the unexpected pain. She got washed up and changed her clothes.
She didn't like being in the house. It had a cold, haunting feel about it. She decided to stay in the garden for a while. Walking down the hall, she heard a deafening scream come from Akito's bedroom. She ran through the slightly ajar door. Akito had been sitting up in his bed, desperately clawing at his feet with both hands. She saw broken fragments of glass everywhere and a frightened maid huddled in a corner. The maid was the one whose scream she heard.
Nami immediately ran over to Akito and forced his hands together in order to protect him, the maid, and herself. She saw him desperately gasping for air.
"Can't.. swim.." he managed to tell her.
"Nani?! Wake up!" Nami said, not fully understanding the situation. She figured that he must be hallucinating from the high fever, or maybe he's still asleep and actually dreaming.
Akito didn't respond, attempting to free his hands from her grasp. The illness has made him weak so Nami could easily keep him down. He was now hysterically heaving for air.
Nami looked at his feet where he had been clawing before, and saw that a sheet had wrapped itself around his ankles. She carefully untangled it. The second the blanket was off, Akito wrapped his arms around her neck and breathed heavily into her shoulder.
"It's alright. Just breathe," she told him. His body felt hot, burning with the fever. He loosened his grip on her and she slowly placed him back on the bed.
Nami turned to the maid, who was now standing behind her and watching. "Are you alright?"
"Fine, fine. Just a bit startled. He began throwing things around the room. I didn't know what to do. I'm not hurt," she replied in a shaky voice.
"Then can you get me a small towel and a bowl of warm water?" Nami asked of her. The maid nodded and left the room. She turned her attention back to Akito, who seemed to be slowly coming back to himself.
"What happened?" He asked her, more calmly now.
"You were hallucinating... I think? Probably from the combination of the high fever and the loads of medication Hatori-san has you on. From what I gather, you thought you were drowning and that the sheet was a weight around your feet," Nami explained but left Akito a bit confused.
Then the maid returned with the water and towels. Nami thanked her and began to moisten the towels. She carefully folded one and placed it on Akito's forehead to make him cooler.
"Where's Hatori?" He asked, completely exhausted.
"He went out for a moment."
"He left me?" He seemed like a small child to her just then.
"He'll be back soon," Nami reassured him. "Do you want me to call him?"
Akito shook his head and rested it on the opposite side, away from Nami. She got the impression that he wanted her to leave, so she stood up.
"Stay," he said as his burning hand reached for hers.
By the time Hatori returned, Akito had been fast asleep. Hatori became a bit flustered at the idea of Nami being so close to Akito. The entire time he was gone, he was worried that something may go wrong. He eventually thanked her for her help, and with that she was relieved of her duty as caretaker. After her experience with Akito she realized another important thing about him; he was just human. Hatori was right, even Akito needs someone. She had an idea that might help her get through to him.
~
A cool evening set upon the Sohma estate and Hatori had just gotten through force-feeding Akito. Akito lay alone in his bed when Nami visited him, hiding something in her hands. If Hatori had known of this visit, he would have surely chained her down to prevent it; however, Nami made sure to go about it as quickly and silently as possible. Akito watched her walk into the room and sit down on the bed, next to him. A quick thought ran through his mind to suggest to Hatori that a leash might be useful. He smirked a bit and turned his full attention back to her.
"I brought you something," she said.
"Nani?"
Nami opened her hands to reveal a small, white bird resting on her palm. Akito held out his finger and the bird almost immediately perched on it.
"Why did you bring it?"
"What do you think?"
"I think I hit you too hard," he responded, focusing on the bandage wrapped around her forehead.
"I think so, too." Nami smiled and continued, "That's not why I brought it, though. I thought that you and I couldn't possibly have anything in common. Until yesterday when I saw you with that bird. I had just wished to be able to fly away. I wanted to borrow its wings so that I could escape this prison. Then I saw you and I knew that you were wishing the same thing. You, and I, and this dove have all been captured. You crushed that bird yesterday because you were angry that it can be happy and you can't. That's why this one is incredibly scared right now. That's why you're so horrible to everyone, and why I cry every night before I sleep."
They both fell silent for a moment. Suddenly, Akito spoke. "Prison? Is that what this is?" Nami didn't respond. He then took her hand and gently placed the frightened bird in it. She held it and looked at him as if awaiting instruction. "Let it go."
Nami stood up and approached the window. She had a tough time getting it open but she eventually succeeded. The bird spread its wings and flew into the sky where it joined the others.
Akito had been watching from his bed but averted his eyes when Nami turned her attention back towards him.
"At least now the bird is free," she said and left the room.
[Preview of next chapter- An unexpected act of kindness seemly brings Nami and Akito somewhat closer.. but something goes not quite as planned. Surprise ending in anticipation of the following chapter]
"Nami. Nami, I'm sorry I'm waking you up but this is important." Hatori's voice echoed through her dream and eventually brought her back to reality. She sat up in her bed to find him kneeling next to it. He handed her a folded piece of paper.
"What is this?" She asked, still wavering between the dream world.
"That is the number to my cell phone. If you feel sick or just need to ask me something, feel free to call it at any time."
"Where are you going?"
"Akito is very sick. He has a dangerously high fever, and I have to run out and get him some more medicine. It's as if I have to up his dosage every day," Hatori said and stood up. Walking out the door, he added, "Another thing, please don't go to him today. For your own good, don't speak with him." With that, he left.
Nami got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror. Hatori had wrapped a bandage around her head. She touched the spot that covered the cut and flinched at the unexpected pain. She got washed up and changed her clothes.
She didn't like being in the house. It had a cold, haunting feel about it. She decided to stay in the garden for a while. Walking down the hall, she heard a deafening scream come from Akito's bedroom. She ran through the slightly ajar door. Akito had been sitting up in his bed, desperately clawing at his feet with both hands. She saw broken fragments of glass everywhere and a frightened maid huddled in a corner. The maid was the one whose scream she heard.
Nami immediately ran over to Akito and forced his hands together in order to protect him, the maid, and herself. She saw him desperately gasping for air.
"Can't.. swim.." he managed to tell her.
"Nani?! Wake up!" Nami said, not fully understanding the situation. She figured that he must be hallucinating from the high fever, or maybe he's still asleep and actually dreaming.
Akito didn't respond, attempting to free his hands from her grasp. The illness has made him weak so Nami could easily keep him down. He was now hysterically heaving for air.
Nami looked at his feet where he had been clawing before, and saw that a sheet had wrapped itself around his ankles. She carefully untangled it. The second the blanket was off, Akito wrapped his arms around her neck and breathed heavily into her shoulder.
"It's alright. Just breathe," she told him. His body felt hot, burning with the fever. He loosened his grip on her and she slowly placed him back on the bed.
Nami turned to the maid, who was now standing behind her and watching. "Are you alright?"
"Fine, fine. Just a bit startled. He began throwing things around the room. I didn't know what to do. I'm not hurt," she replied in a shaky voice.
"Then can you get me a small towel and a bowl of warm water?" Nami asked of her. The maid nodded and left the room. She turned her attention back to Akito, who seemed to be slowly coming back to himself.
"What happened?" He asked her, more calmly now.
"You were hallucinating... I think? Probably from the combination of the high fever and the loads of medication Hatori-san has you on. From what I gather, you thought you were drowning and that the sheet was a weight around your feet," Nami explained but left Akito a bit confused.
Then the maid returned with the water and towels. Nami thanked her and began to moisten the towels. She carefully folded one and placed it on Akito's forehead to make him cooler.
"Where's Hatori?" He asked, completely exhausted.
"He went out for a moment."
"He left me?" He seemed like a small child to her just then.
"He'll be back soon," Nami reassured him. "Do you want me to call him?"
Akito shook his head and rested it on the opposite side, away from Nami. She got the impression that he wanted her to leave, so she stood up.
"Stay," he said as his burning hand reached for hers.
By the time Hatori returned, Akito had been fast asleep. Hatori became a bit flustered at the idea of Nami being so close to Akito. The entire time he was gone, he was worried that something may go wrong. He eventually thanked her for her help, and with that she was relieved of her duty as caretaker. After her experience with Akito she realized another important thing about him; he was just human. Hatori was right, even Akito needs someone. She had an idea that might help her get through to him.
~
A cool evening set upon the Sohma estate and Hatori had just gotten through force-feeding Akito. Akito lay alone in his bed when Nami visited him, hiding something in her hands. If Hatori had known of this visit, he would have surely chained her down to prevent it; however, Nami made sure to go about it as quickly and silently as possible. Akito watched her walk into the room and sit down on the bed, next to him. A quick thought ran through his mind to suggest to Hatori that a leash might be useful. He smirked a bit and turned his full attention back to her.
"I brought you something," she said.
"Nani?"
Nami opened her hands to reveal a small, white bird resting on her palm. Akito held out his finger and the bird almost immediately perched on it.
"Why did you bring it?"
"What do you think?"
"I think I hit you too hard," he responded, focusing on the bandage wrapped around her forehead.
"I think so, too." Nami smiled and continued, "That's not why I brought it, though. I thought that you and I couldn't possibly have anything in common. Until yesterday when I saw you with that bird. I had just wished to be able to fly away. I wanted to borrow its wings so that I could escape this prison. Then I saw you and I knew that you were wishing the same thing. You, and I, and this dove have all been captured. You crushed that bird yesterday because you were angry that it can be happy and you can't. That's why this one is incredibly scared right now. That's why you're so horrible to everyone, and why I cry every night before I sleep."
They both fell silent for a moment. Suddenly, Akito spoke. "Prison? Is that what this is?" Nami didn't respond. He then took her hand and gently placed the frightened bird in it. She held it and looked at him as if awaiting instruction. "Let it go."
Nami stood up and approached the window. She had a tough time getting it open but she eventually succeeded. The bird spread its wings and flew into the sky where it joined the others.
Akito had been watching from his bed but averted his eyes when Nami turned her attention back towards him.
"At least now the bird is free," she said and left the room.
[Preview of next chapter- An unexpected act of kindness seemly brings Nami and Akito somewhat closer.. but something goes not quite as planned. Surprise ending in anticipation of the following chapter]