"Free Will"
Nami awoke too afraid to look up at Akito. She just kept her head on the side and her eyes focused on the window. It was still very dark outside but some light shone through. She figured it was very early in the morning.
Suddenly, she realized something was a bit off. Akito's hand wasn't tucked under her cheek where she had left it before she fell asleep. Instead, it was resting on her head. She touched it and his fingers stroked her face. She turned to him and saw him looking down at her. Instantly, she fell into his arms and held him close to her. She wasn't afraid anymore. He didn't embrace her but she didn't expect him to anyway.
"How are you?" She asked, pulling away a bit.
"Alive," he answered.
"I'll get Hatori-san to look you over," Nami let him go and walked slowly out of the room. Akito watched her leave as he lay back down on his bed.
Walking into the hall, Nami saw that Shigure and Hatori had fallen asleep perched against each other on the floor. She knelt down next to them and touched Hatori's shoulder, careful not to wake Shigure in the process.
"Hatori-san," she whispered. He woke up and she led him inside Akito's room. "He's awake," she told him excitedly.
"Good morning," Hatori said to Akito and Nami left the room. She walked past the sleeping body of Shigure and decided to freshen up.
After she had gotten dressed, Nami found Shigure outside her door. "Shigure-san, what is it?" She asked.
"Oh, don't look so serious!" He chuckled. "I just wanted to know what happened in there."
"Hasn't Hatori-san already finished?"
"Iie, he's still speaking with Akito. But what I really wanted to know is, well let me put it this way: The fact that Akito shows any emotion towards you whatsoever is strange, very strange. Ha-san said that during the only moment Akito was awake he said your name. That is highly unusual, to say the least. However insignificant it may seem to you, I can tell that there has been a huge change in him. What I want to know is why?" He followed her down the hall.
"Shigure-san, I don't know. Really, I wish I did."
"Careful what you wish for," Shigure said passively and added, "I'm sure you've heard more about the Sohma curse than you can stand, but did you know that it can be broken?"
Nami suddenly stopped walking and turned to face him. "Iie, I didn't know that. How?"
"I wish I knew! No one's ever been able to break it, obviously. People have tried to figure out the odds and ends but it all seems useless in the end. My theory is that it has to be something obvious yet something that no one would think of."
"Shigure-san, that's incredibly confusing."
"I know, I know but bear with me. This change in Akito just might be it. Everyone knows that no one's ever been able to get through to him like you have. Try, Nami-kun. Just try."
"I wouldn't know what to do."
"Alright, new deal. Don't try, just do what you'd do anyway."
Nami giggled nervously. "Shigure-san, I have to say that this conversation must have been the most confusing one I've ever been a part of."
"Smile, Nami-kun! It's a good day," Shigure squeaked as he took her hand and skipped down the hall. Suddenly, Nami broke away from his grasp and began in the other direction. "Where are you going?" He blinked.
"To the garden," Nami responded, "to find whatever Akito-san was out there for last night."
"Akito, I don't understand why you're in such a hurry to leave your bed," Hatori said as he watched Akito get dressed. Putting on anything but a robe was fairly unusual for Akito to begin with, amongst other things.
"I feel fine," he muttered back as he buttoned up his shirt.
Hatori briefly wondered what had possessed him to put on a shirt. "I have to strongly advise against.. Akito?" He stopped mid-sentence as he realized that he was no longer in the room.
Before Hatori had any more chance to object, Akito opened the doors to the garden and went out. He spotted Nami sitting by the flowers, looking as if she had lost something. He walked over and sat down next to her.
"What are you looking for?" He asked curiously.
"I'm not quite sure. What were you looking for?"
He immediately understood that she asked about the night before and answered, "I thought of you all day yesterday." Nami looked up at him with a sort of amused shock. The words Shigure had said to her were arranging themselves in her mind. He continued, "I came to the garden to get flowers for you. It occurred to me that even after a flower is picked it can still survive and look beautiful."
"Why did you let me go?" This had been on Nami's mind ever since her conversation with Hatori on the day she left.
"I saw you crying in the garden, and I realized that what you said about us and the birds was true. I didn't want you to be miserable like a caged bird.. or like me, for that matter," Akito said and hung his head a bit. "Why did you come back?" He added.
Nami chuckled and answered, "This is going to sound absurd, but I came back because of a dream. I swore not to tell you about it." Akito looked up at her again, feeling more interested in what she would say. "The night I left, I had a dream that you were really angry with me for going and blamed me for your death. By the end of that dream all I wanted to do was to come back." She turned her attention away from him.
"I'm so glad you did." He touched her cheek so she'd look back at him. "Will you stay?" He whispered.
Nami looked at the ground, logically thinking of what to say. Honestly, she didn't know what she wanted.
"Will you?" He asked again and moved closer to her. As Nami glanced up, she saw his eyes looking down at her. They felt warm, not cruel and withdrawn as usual.
"Hai," she said softly.
Akito moved his hand to hold her cheek. He was glad she wanted to stay; he wasn't too thrilled about having to force her again. He leaned closer to her so that his cheek rested next to hers. How warm and alive he felt to her.
Hatori watched from the window in Akito's bedroom. He covered his face with his hands. "Not this," he said to himself.
Shigure appeared behind him and touched his shoulder. "It is difficult, even impossible, to go against Akito's wishes. Nami, though.. I like her. I don't want to hurt her." Hatori didn't say anything. He turned around, and left the room as if he couldn't watch any more. Shigure stayed to see the outcome of the scene in the garden, and then went to find Hatori again. They definitely needed a plan.
Akito moved away a bit, just enough to reach her lips and kissed her. The most gentle kiss.
[Not the end! Part II coming shortly with lots and lots of unexpected twists and turns. How genuine is Akito's change? What objections could Hatori and Shigure possibly have to what they witnessed in the garden? Nami has no idea what she is getting herself into.]
Nami awoke too afraid to look up at Akito. She just kept her head on the side and her eyes focused on the window. It was still very dark outside but some light shone through. She figured it was very early in the morning.
Suddenly, she realized something was a bit off. Akito's hand wasn't tucked under her cheek where she had left it before she fell asleep. Instead, it was resting on her head. She touched it and his fingers stroked her face. She turned to him and saw him looking down at her. Instantly, she fell into his arms and held him close to her. She wasn't afraid anymore. He didn't embrace her but she didn't expect him to anyway.
"How are you?" She asked, pulling away a bit.
"Alive," he answered.
"I'll get Hatori-san to look you over," Nami let him go and walked slowly out of the room. Akito watched her leave as he lay back down on his bed.
Walking into the hall, Nami saw that Shigure and Hatori had fallen asleep perched against each other on the floor. She knelt down next to them and touched Hatori's shoulder, careful not to wake Shigure in the process.
"Hatori-san," she whispered. He woke up and she led him inside Akito's room. "He's awake," she told him excitedly.
"Good morning," Hatori said to Akito and Nami left the room. She walked past the sleeping body of Shigure and decided to freshen up.
After she had gotten dressed, Nami found Shigure outside her door. "Shigure-san, what is it?" She asked.
"Oh, don't look so serious!" He chuckled. "I just wanted to know what happened in there."
"Hasn't Hatori-san already finished?"
"Iie, he's still speaking with Akito. But what I really wanted to know is, well let me put it this way: The fact that Akito shows any emotion towards you whatsoever is strange, very strange. Ha-san said that during the only moment Akito was awake he said your name. That is highly unusual, to say the least. However insignificant it may seem to you, I can tell that there has been a huge change in him. What I want to know is why?" He followed her down the hall.
"Shigure-san, I don't know. Really, I wish I did."
"Careful what you wish for," Shigure said passively and added, "I'm sure you've heard more about the Sohma curse than you can stand, but did you know that it can be broken?"
Nami suddenly stopped walking and turned to face him. "Iie, I didn't know that. How?"
"I wish I knew! No one's ever been able to break it, obviously. People have tried to figure out the odds and ends but it all seems useless in the end. My theory is that it has to be something obvious yet something that no one would think of."
"Shigure-san, that's incredibly confusing."
"I know, I know but bear with me. This change in Akito just might be it. Everyone knows that no one's ever been able to get through to him like you have. Try, Nami-kun. Just try."
"I wouldn't know what to do."
"Alright, new deal. Don't try, just do what you'd do anyway."
Nami giggled nervously. "Shigure-san, I have to say that this conversation must have been the most confusing one I've ever been a part of."
"Smile, Nami-kun! It's a good day," Shigure squeaked as he took her hand and skipped down the hall. Suddenly, Nami broke away from his grasp and began in the other direction. "Where are you going?" He blinked.
"To the garden," Nami responded, "to find whatever Akito-san was out there for last night."
"Akito, I don't understand why you're in such a hurry to leave your bed," Hatori said as he watched Akito get dressed. Putting on anything but a robe was fairly unusual for Akito to begin with, amongst other things.
"I feel fine," he muttered back as he buttoned up his shirt.
Hatori briefly wondered what had possessed him to put on a shirt. "I have to strongly advise against.. Akito?" He stopped mid-sentence as he realized that he was no longer in the room.
Before Hatori had any more chance to object, Akito opened the doors to the garden and went out. He spotted Nami sitting by the flowers, looking as if she had lost something. He walked over and sat down next to her.
"What are you looking for?" He asked curiously.
"I'm not quite sure. What were you looking for?"
He immediately understood that she asked about the night before and answered, "I thought of you all day yesterday." Nami looked up at him with a sort of amused shock. The words Shigure had said to her were arranging themselves in her mind. He continued, "I came to the garden to get flowers for you. It occurred to me that even after a flower is picked it can still survive and look beautiful."
"Why did you let me go?" This had been on Nami's mind ever since her conversation with Hatori on the day she left.
"I saw you crying in the garden, and I realized that what you said about us and the birds was true. I didn't want you to be miserable like a caged bird.. or like me, for that matter," Akito said and hung his head a bit. "Why did you come back?" He added.
Nami chuckled and answered, "This is going to sound absurd, but I came back because of a dream. I swore not to tell you about it." Akito looked up at her again, feeling more interested in what she would say. "The night I left, I had a dream that you were really angry with me for going and blamed me for your death. By the end of that dream all I wanted to do was to come back." She turned her attention away from him.
"I'm so glad you did." He touched her cheek so she'd look back at him. "Will you stay?" He whispered.
Nami looked at the ground, logically thinking of what to say. Honestly, she didn't know what she wanted.
"Will you?" He asked again and moved closer to her. As Nami glanced up, she saw his eyes looking down at her. They felt warm, not cruel and withdrawn as usual.
"Hai," she said softly.
Akito moved his hand to hold her cheek. He was glad she wanted to stay; he wasn't too thrilled about having to force her again. He leaned closer to her so that his cheek rested next to hers. How warm and alive he felt to her.
Hatori watched from the window in Akito's bedroom. He covered his face with his hands. "Not this," he said to himself.
Shigure appeared behind him and touched his shoulder. "It is difficult, even impossible, to go against Akito's wishes. Nami, though.. I like her. I don't want to hurt her." Hatori didn't say anything. He turned around, and left the room as if he couldn't watch any more. Shigure stayed to see the outcome of the scene in the garden, and then went to find Hatori again. They definitely needed a plan.
Akito moved away a bit, just enough to reach her lips and kissed her. The most gentle kiss.
[Not the end! Part II coming shortly with lots and lots of unexpected twists and turns. How genuine is Akito's change? What objections could Hatori and Shigure possibly have to what they witnessed in the garden? Nami has no idea what she is getting herself into.]