"Prison Cell"
Much like Nami, Akito wakes in the morning hoping for a natural disaster. He opened his eyes upon realizing that the curse has not yet put him out of his misery. He mumbled something to himself about how that was an awful night's sleep. He was about to go on and complain to himself about how it's not going to get any better when he noticed a soft flower laid out delightfully on the pillow next to his. He sat up on the edge of his bed and held the flower in his hands. Suddenly, the light from the hall was broken by a figure.
"I picked it for you," she said as she walked further into the room.
"Why?"
"Hatori-san said you were feeling better. I thought it would be a nice surprise early in the morning."
Akito scolded himself for forgetting to tell Hatori about the leash. He sighed and examined the flower.
"You picked it," he said, dropping it to the ground. Nami immediately understood that the only flowers he liked were the live ones.
"I didn't realize.." she began but Akito didn't let her finish. He seemed to be making a habit of that.
"It's dead," he said darkly and hung his head. His hair fell over his eyes, making it hard for her to see his expression.
"If you want, we can go out into the garden and look at the rest of the flowers," Nami suggested.
"Stop talking to me as if I'm a child."
"That wasn't my intent." After a moment of silence, Nami sensed that he really did want to go. "Well, come," she said as he held out her hand to him. He stood up and walked past her, ignoring the gesture.
"Take my shawl," he said, slowly making his way down the hall. Nami sighed and picked up the large scarf from his chair. She found herself thinking that sometimes she doesn't know rather to treat him like a child or an old man. She caught up with him at the doors and handed him the shawl. He wrapped it around his shoulders and led her outside.
As Nami stepped into the garden, she felt a cold wind rush around her. "I think I'll go get a jacket," she said and turned back around.
"Iie," Akito grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him. "We need to have a quick talk," he added. He was hurting her but she knew that if she pulled back it would only hurt more. He sat down on the ground and let her go.
"Sit," he ordered, as if speaking to a trained dog. Nami obediently sat down next to him. "What you're doing is idiotic," he told her.
"I don't understand. What do you mean?"
"This act you're putting on. I don't know why you're doing this."
"What act? Stop being so vague."
"Stop being so ignorant!"
They both became frustrated and stopped speaking. Eventually Nami said, "I really don't know."
"This act of trying to understand me and this family," Akito became very cynical. "The last thing I need is another liar at my side!"
"Akito-san, that is the most ridicules thing I've ever heard! How can you be so skeptical? I'm not acting, I actually see that there is more to you than the evil you show the world."
"How can you see?" He asked, his tone diminishing her credibility.
"Through your eyes," she answered softly.
"Oh, my eyes?" He asked sarcastically and chuckled as if the concept were childish.
"Your eyes tell me what you're feeling. When you're calm, so are they. When you're angry, I can almost see the fire in them. I suppose the saying is true... they are the windows to the soul."
"So is that why my eyes are black?" Akito countered resentfully.
"I think they're beautiful," she said, her voice getting quieter with each word.
"If my eyes are the windows to my soul, how can they be beautiful?" He asked, a bit taken aback by her words. He held in a manic laugh, knowing that this could become useful in the future.
Feeling another sharp gust of, Nami stood up with her back facing Akito, so that the wind wouldn't hit her face. Hence the question went unanswered. She knew that he wasn't thrilled about having to talk to her. The repeated warnings from Hatori were a big clue. Not to mention the way Akito seemed to injure her almost every time she was around him. She thought about going back inside and heaving the warnings when suddenly, she felt a touch around her shoulders. Akito had draped his shawl over her arms and wrapped it around her body. She spun around to face him. Overwhelmed by this unexpected act of kindness coming from him, Nami threw her arms around him and held him.
"See, I knew you had a heart. I can hear it beating," she said cheerfully.
"Baka," Akito said, pulling away from her. "You need to learn your place."
Nami was confused by this. "Nani? What did I do wrong?" She asked, as Akito pulled her back into the house and through the halls.
"You'll have plenty of time to figure that out," he said darkly and stopped in front of a large door. He slid it open, and threw her inside. It was "Yuki's room", so dubbed for the many times he was locked inside of it as a child. Akito bolted the door behind her.
"Akito-san! Let me out!" Nami called to him from behind the door. He didn't answer. He needed some time to figure out what to do with her. Time was all.
"Akito-san.."
[Preview of next chapter- a very eventful chapter. Akito makes a surprising decision regarding Nami]
Much like Nami, Akito wakes in the morning hoping for a natural disaster. He opened his eyes upon realizing that the curse has not yet put him out of his misery. He mumbled something to himself about how that was an awful night's sleep. He was about to go on and complain to himself about how it's not going to get any better when he noticed a soft flower laid out delightfully on the pillow next to his. He sat up on the edge of his bed and held the flower in his hands. Suddenly, the light from the hall was broken by a figure.
"I picked it for you," she said as she walked further into the room.
"Why?"
"Hatori-san said you were feeling better. I thought it would be a nice surprise early in the morning."
Akito scolded himself for forgetting to tell Hatori about the leash. He sighed and examined the flower.
"You picked it," he said, dropping it to the ground. Nami immediately understood that the only flowers he liked were the live ones.
"I didn't realize.." she began but Akito didn't let her finish. He seemed to be making a habit of that.
"It's dead," he said darkly and hung his head. His hair fell over his eyes, making it hard for her to see his expression.
"If you want, we can go out into the garden and look at the rest of the flowers," Nami suggested.
"Stop talking to me as if I'm a child."
"That wasn't my intent." After a moment of silence, Nami sensed that he really did want to go. "Well, come," she said as he held out her hand to him. He stood up and walked past her, ignoring the gesture.
"Take my shawl," he said, slowly making his way down the hall. Nami sighed and picked up the large scarf from his chair. She found herself thinking that sometimes she doesn't know rather to treat him like a child or an old man. She caught up with him at the doors and handed him the shawl. He wrapped it around his shoulders and led her outside.
As Nami stepped into the garden, she felt a cold wind rush around her. "I think I'll go get a jacket," she said and turned back around.
"Iie," Akito grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him. "We need to have a quick talk," he added. He was hurting her but she knew that if she pulled back it would only hurt more. He sat down on the ground and let her go.
"Sit," he ordered, as if speaking to a trained dog. Nami obediently sat down next to him. "What you're doing is idiotic," he told her.
"I don't understand. What do you mean?"
"This act you're putting on. I don't know why you're doing this."
"What act? Stop being so vague."
"Stop being so ignorant!"
They both became frustrated and stopped speaking. Eventually Nami said, "I really don't know."
"This act of trying to understand me and this family," Akito became very cynical. "The last thing I need is another liar at my side!"
"Akito-san, that is the most ridicules thing I've ever heard! How can you be so skeptical? I'm not acting, I actually see that there is more to you than the evil you show the world."
"How can you see?" He asked, his tone diminishing her credibility.
"Through your eyes," she answered softly.
"Oh, my eyes?" He asked sarcastically and chuckled as if the concept were childish.
"Your eyes tell me what you're feeling. When you're calm, so are they. When you're angry, I can almost see the fire in them. I suppose the saying is true... they are the windows to the soul."
"So is that why my eyes are black?" Akito countered resentfully.
"I think they're beautiful," she said, her voice getting quieter with each word.
"If my eyes are the windows to my soul, how can they be beautiful?" He asked, a bit taken aback by her words. He held in a manic laugh, knowing that this could become useful in the future.
Feeling another sharp gust of, Nami stood up with her back facing Akito, so that the wind wouldn't hit her face. Hence the question went unanswered. She knew that he wasn't thrilled about having to talk to her. The repeated warnings from Hatori were a big clue. Not to mention the way Akito seemed to injure her almost every time she was around him. She thought about going back inside and heaving the warnings when suddenly, she felt a touch around her shoulders. Akito had draped his shawl over her arms and wrapped it around her body. She spun around to face him. Overwhelmed by this unexpected act of kindness coming from him, Nami threw her arms around him and held him.
"See, I knew you had a heart. I can hear it beating," she said cheerfully.
"Baka," Akito said, pulling away from her. "You need to learn your place."
Nami was confused by this. "Nani? What did I do wrong?" She asked, as Akito pulled her back into the house and through the halls.
"You'll have plenty of time to figure that out," he said darkly and stopped in front of a large door. He slid it open, and threw her inside. It was "Yuki's room", so dubbed for the many times he was locked inside of it as a child. Akito bolted the door behind her.
"Akito-san! Let me out!" Nami called to him from behind the door. He didn't answer. He needed some time to figure out what to do with her. Time was all.
"Akito-san.."
[Preview of next chapter- a very eventful chapter. Akito makes a surprising decision regarding Nami]