"Breaking Parole"
Nami stood in an eternity of nothingness. There was darkness all around her; she felt nothing, heard nothing and saw nothing. Suddenly, she recognized a tapping sound in the distance. As the tapping became louder, she realized that it was the tap of someone's shoes on the ground. Then a figure appeared in the void and gradually became larger. Stopping ten feet in front of her, the figure's face was undetectable but his voice was unmistakable.
"Nami," he called her name, "you left me to die. You could have broken the curse, but instead you turned your back on me and left me to die alone."
"Iie, that's not how it happened," Nami began explaining herself to the figure.
"Don't lie to me! It's your fault. Why did you leave me?"
"Akito-san! Gomen!" She ran to the image and wrapped her arms around him. "If I hold you tight enough, you'll be in my arms when I wake up," she wished.
Nami abruptly opened her eyes and wiped the tears that had fallen on her cheek.
"Will he haunt me forever?" She asked herself. She looked over at her alarm clock and realized that she overslept. There was no school that day so she didn't set it. She got out of bed and got dressed, exceedingly happy to be home. As she brushed her hair, she decided to take a look at the cut. She unwrapped the bandage around her forehead and saw that the cut had healed almost completely. She was sure there'd be no scar.
Nami ate around noon and decided to pay Yuki and Shigure a visit to tell them that she's home. She remembered her way to their house and was there that afternoon. She knocked on the door and Shigure answered.
"Maa! No way!" He called when he saw her. Excited, he took her hands and began jumping up and down. Nami did the same, and they just jumped around like so for quite a while without even realizing it. Nami felt that she could be as goofy as she wished around Shigure.
"How did you ever get him to let you go?" Was his first question.
"Honestly, I don't know what to tell you. He was so cruel the whole time and he very suddenly just said I could leave. I wasn't about to object," Nami explained.
"Just like that?"
"Just like that. My theory is that he wanted me off his hands. Hatori-san actually believes he did it to make me happy," Nami said with a sort of nervous laughter.
"Ah, Ha-san, so young and hopeful," Shigure commented dreamily, his chin perched on his palm.
"Absurd, isn't it?"
"It's not so far-fetched. Akito might've taken a liking to lovely Nami."
"Shigure-san, where is Yuki-kun?" She suddenly remembered.
"The kids went out to the store. They should be back any moment now so you'll get to meet the infamous Kyou and the sweet Tohru."
"Great, I wish I could meet them right now."
As if purposely coming to kill the wish, Hatori barged in through the door at that moment. He had a look of distraught on his face.
"Ha-san, what is it?!?" Shigure stood up and walked to him.
"Nami," Hatori said, "how lucky I found you here."
"What happened?" She asked and stood up, ready for almost anything.
"After you left last night, Akito collapsed in the garden and hasn't woken up since. I know this is a lot to ask so soon, but I wish you'd come back."
"I'll go!" Shigure said willingly and began walking towards Hatori's car. Nothing ever seemed to depress him.
"So will I," Nami announced and thought to herself that she really needs to stop making wishes. They never seem to come true.
"Maa, Ha-san! You keep us in so much suspense! Tell us exactly what happened," Shigure pleaded as the three made their way to the Sohma estate.
"Well, it was already very late. I was getting ready to go to bed but decided to check on Akito one more time. When I looked in his bedroom he wasn't there. I searched the entire house when I eventually found him in the garden. He was on the ground, barely alive. I took him upstairs and he's been wavering between life and death all night. Don't ask me why, but I think he went out there to pick a flower."
Nami's heart sank. "Why did you leave him?" The thought suddenly occurred to her and made her a bit angry. She didn't mean to come off as if she were blaming Hatori for it.
"He asked for you," Hatori explained himself. "He regained consciousness for barely two seconds which was long enough to say your name. I went to your house looking for you but there was no one there. I was going to have Shigure find you while I returned to Akito."
Nami was silent as was everyone else. She tried to understand the dream and its significance. Why had Akito asked for her? Hatori just hoped that they would get there in time. Shigure.. well, no one's ever revealed Shigure's thoughts and I'm not about to start now.
When they arrived at the Sohma estate, the four quickly made their way to Akito's quarters. They entered his room and saw that it was darker than ever before. Nami noticed that the flower she picked for him lay withered in his chair. She walked zombie-like to his bed and spread the curtains that hung around it. He lay there, motionless and unaware of his surroundings. She touched his cold cheek and knew that even if his body hasn't died yet, his hopes have. She couldn't even see through to his soul; his eyes where closed. His face had a look of incredible pain, as if he had just suffered a million tortures. Her heart broken, Nami fell on her knees and held his dying hand by her cheek, hoping to warm it.
"Shigure," Hatori whispered, "come with me." He led him out of the room and into the hallway.
"Ha-san, I don't understand what happened. Why did he get so sick so suddenly?" Shigure asked once outside the door.
Hatori lowered his voice to a mere whisper. "He went to pick a flower."
Shigure looked at him and scrunched his eyebrows. He was confused. "What does that have to do with it?"
"The bud, the very inside of this particular flower, is poisoned." Hatori replied, making sure his voice wasn't overheard. Shigure could only stare, jaw dropped. He couldn't even begin to know what to think about this.
"I came back," Nami knelt by Akito's bed and spoke softly to him. "I don't know why you asked for me but here I am. I'm not even sure why I came back. Maybe because of my dream. What an absurd dream, I won't ever tell you about it. I'm sorry I left you, really I am. You have to forgive me, Akito- san. Please just open your eyes. I wish you would just open your eyes." She held his cold hand in between her palms and rested her head on it. Eventually, she fell asleep by his bed.
[Preview of next chapter- Ah, I really can't give any of it away but I'll try my best. Shigure comes up with an interesting theory and Nami gets an unexpected proposition. Mwuaha..]
Nami stood in an eternity of nothingness. There was darkness all around her; she felt nothing, heard nothing and saw nothing. Suddenly, she recognized a tapping sound in the distance. As the tapping became louder, she realized that it was the tap of someone's shoes on the ground. Then a figure appeared in the void and gradually became larger. Stopping ten feet in front of her, the figure's face was undetectable but his voice was unmistakable.
"Nami," he called her name, "you left me to die. You could have broken the curse, but instead you turned your back on me and left me to die alone."
"Iie, that's not how it happened," Nami began explaining herself to the figure.
"Don't lie to me! It's your fault. Why did you leave me?"
"Akito-san! Gomen!" She ran to the image and wrapped her arms around him. "If I hold you tight enough, you'll be in my arms when I wake up," she wished.
Nami abruptly opened her eyes and wiped the tears that had fallen on her cheek.
"Will he haunt me forever?" She asked herself. She looked over at her alarm clock and realized that she overslept. There was no school that day so she didn't set it. She got out of bed and got dressed, exceedingly happy to be home. As she brushed her hair, she decided to take a look at the cut. She unwrapped the bandage around her forehead and saw that the cut had healed almost completely. She was sure there'd be no scar.
Nami ate around noon and decided to pay Yuki and Shigure a visit to tell them that she's home. She remembered her way to their house and was there that afternoon. She knocked on the door and Shigure answered.
"Maa! No way!" He called when he saw her. Excited, he took her hands and began jumping up and down. Nami did the same, and they just jumped around like so for quite a while without even realizing it. Nami felt that she could be as goofy as she wished around Shigure.
"How did you ever get him to let you go?" Was his first question.
"Honestly, I don't know what to tell you. He was so cruel the whole time and he very suddenly just said I could leave. I wasn't about to object," Nami explained.
"Just like that?"
"Just like that. My theory is that he wanted me off his hands. Hatori-san actually believes he did it to make me happy," Nami said with a sort of nervous laughter.
"Ah, Ha-san, so young and hopeful," Shigure commented dreamily, his chin perched on his palm.
"Absurd, isn't it?"
"It's not so far-fetched. Akito might've taken a liking to lovely Nami."
"Shigure-san, where is Yuki-kun?" She suddenly remembered.
"The kids went out to the store. They should be back any moment now so you'll get to meet the infamous Kyou and the sweet Tohru."
"Great, I wish I could meet them right now."
As if purposely coming to kill the wish, Hatori barged in through the door at that moment. He had a look of distraught on his face.
"Ha-san, what is it?!?" Shigure stood up and walked to him.
"Nami," Hatori said, "how lucky I found you here."
"What happened?" She asked and stood up, ready for almost anything.
"After you left last night, Akito collapsed in the garden and hasn't woken up since. I know this is a lot to ask so soon, but I wish you'd come back."
"I'll go!" Shigure said willingly and began walking towards Hatori's car. Nothing ever seemed to depress him.
"So will I," Nami announced and thought to herself that she really needs to stop making wishes. They never seem to come true.
"Maa, Ha-san! You keep us in so much suspense! Tell us exactly what happened," Shigure pleaded as the three made their way to the Sohma estate.
"Well, it was already very late. I was getting ready to go to bed but decided to check on Akito one more time. When I looked in his bedroom he wasn't there. I searched the entire house when I eventually found him in the garden. He was on the ground, barely alive. I took him upstairs and he's been wavering between life and death all night. Don't ask me why, but I think he went out there to pick a flower."
Nami's heart sank. "Why did you leave him?" The thought suddenly occurred to her and made her a bit angry. She didn't mean to come off as if she were blaming Hatori for it.
"He asked for you," Hatori explained himself. "He regained consciousness for barely two seconds which was long enough to say your name. I went to your house looking for you but there was no one there. I was going to have Shigure find you while I returned to Akito."
Nami was silent as was everyone else. She tried to understand the dream and its significance. Why had Akito asked for her? Hatori just hoped that they would get there in time. Shigure.. well, no one's ever revealed Shigure's thoughts and I'm not about to start now.
When they arrived at the Sohma estate, the four quickly made their way to Akito's quarters. They entered his room and saw that it was darker than ever before. Nami noticed that the flower she picked for him lay withered in his chair. She walked zombie-like to his bed and spread the curtains that hung around it. He lay there, motionless and unaware of his surroundings. She touched his cold cheek and knew that even if his body hasn't died yet, his hopes have. She couldn't even see through to his soul; his eyes where closed. His face had a look of incredible pain, as if he had just suffered a million tortures. Her heart broken, Nami fell on her knees and held his dying hand by her cheek, hoping to warm it.
"Shigure," Hatori whispered, "come with me." He led him out of the room and into the hallway.
"Ha-san, I don't understand what happened. Why did he get so sick so suddenly?" Shigure asked once outside the door.
Hatori lowered his voice to a mere whisper. "He went to pick a flower."
Shigure looked at him and scrunched his eyebrows. He was confused. "What does that have to do with it?"
"The bud, the very inside of this particular flower, is poisoned." Hatori replied, making sure his voice wasn't overheard. Shigure could only stare, jaw dropped. He couldn't even begin to know what to think about this.
"I came back," Nami knelt by Akito's bed and spoke softly to him. "I don't know why you asked for me but here I am. I'm not even sure why I came back. Maybe because of my dream. What an absurd dream, I won't ever tell you about it. I'm sorry I left you, really I am. You have to forgive me, Akito- san. Please just open your eyes. I wish you would just open your eyes." She held his cold hand in between her palms and rested her head on it. Eventually, she fell asleep by his bed.
[Preview of next chapter- Ah, I really can't give any of it away but I'll try my best. Shigure comes up with an interesting theory and Nami gets an unexpected proposition. Mwuaha..]