Chapter 1
Breaking Waves Upon the Shore
~Nami-kun,
Tohru, Kisa and I are leaving for the hot springs today. Tohru thought it would be a good idea to take Kisa on a vacation since she's been working so hard at school. Maybe it was even a secret plan to get me away from Kyou. We've been fighting incessantly lately, and I just can't think of the first thing to get through to the baka neko. He is just so set on winning a fight with me he'll go to absurd extremes. Like last night; we both decided to walk Tohru home from work. On the way there, he started babbling like an idiot so I told him to shut up. Predictably, he lost his temper and attacked me. Long story short, I threw him into the lake. He emerged soaked and shivering. Did you know, Nami-kun, that cat's don't like water? Even though it was a cold night, the baka neko refused to go back home and let me bring Tohru myself. He sneezed and coughed the whole way there and the whole way back, and now he's unbearably angry because he can't go to the hot springs with us. Baka. Serves him right. Gomen, Nami- kun, for babbling on like this to you. How are you? Has anything bad happened? I know you hate it when I worry, but I can't help it. I'll be waiting for your reply.
Yuki~
Nami was laying down on the side of the fountain in the garden. She had just finished her lessons with Hatori when the mail arrived. Her hair was spread towards one side to avoid getting wet. One hand held the letter while the other swam through the water. Her legs were stretched out along the side and one hung slightly off the edge. She was dressed in warm clothes; black stockings with a gray skirt over them, a gray sweater and a scarf wrapped snuggly around her neck.
Suddenly her peace was disrupted by the sounds of something being nailed down. She looked over at the source of the noise, and frowned at the sight of a group of construction workers setting things up for the upcoming ball. The Sohma family threw an extravagant and prestigious party on the first day of each new year. This would be her first time attending it, even her first time hearing that one exists. She looked forward to meeting more of the family, but had a nagging feeling that not everyone would come.
"Nami-kun." A gentle voice called her past the commotion. She slowly turned her head and her hair rearranged itself.
"Haru," she said and smiled. The boy walked over to her and sat on the ground next to the fountain. Nami didn't sit up.
"Are you alright?"
"Fine, and yourself?" Nami asked sweetly, folding the letter back up and hiding it in the envelope.
"Alright. Another letter from Yuki-kun?"
"Hai. He worries too much," she said and held out her hand to him. Naturally, he took it.
"Yuki-kun is a very caring person. It's part of the reason why I love him so much. I went to Shigure's house yesterday, but he wasn't there."
Nami smiled and sat up on the fountain. "I know. He wrote in the letter that he's gone to the hot springs with Tohru and Kisa. Kyou stayed home, ne?"
Haru nodded and scrunched his eyebrows. "Baka neko," he said under his breath.
"Haru-kun, he can't be all that bad. Do you think it's possible that you don't like Kyou simply because he doesn't get along with Yuki?"
"Possible, I suppose... but you don't know Kyou," Haru replied.
"I would like to." Nami smiled and he looked up at her in a sort of amused shock. "I would like to know Tohru and Kisa as well."
Haru sighed. "Akito-san is very paranoid about who you spend time with. He doesn't want you to interact with the younger Juunishi in fear that you'll get too attached to them. I sometimes wonder why he hasn't retaliated against me yet. He's made it quite clear that he doesn't want us spending time together."
"Hai, I know Haru-kun. I wish I could understand why he fears it so much. It just goes to show that I'm not as free as I think I am."
"If you have doubts about Akito-san then why did you decide to stay in the first place?"
"For foolish reasons. I had hoped that I could really get through to him and really change him. Now, I seem so naive to myself."
"I think you're very kind for making such a sacrifice," he told her.
"I don't know if it's even possible for Akito-san to change. You may think so but it turns out to be a trick."
"Come with me," Haru said suddenly.
"Where?"
"Don't know. If we decide on a place to go we'll probably get lost on the way there anyway."
Nami laughed, "I don't know if Akito-san would approve of that."
"He claims that you're here on your own free will, ne? You could test him to see if it really was just a lie."
"You're right, Haru. I'll go now!" She said and stood up. Haru followed her into the house and up to Akito's bedroom.
"Nami, Haru. What a pleasant surprise. Come in," Akito said when he saw them. He was sitting in his chair, facing what seemed like abyss. Nami decided that it might be a good idea to kneel since she was asking a favor. Haru knelt down next to her.
She got right to the point. "I'd like to leave with Haru today. Just for a couple of hours and I'd be back before dark."
Akito stood and walked up in front of her. He smiled and turned his head to the side, facing Haru. "Leave," he said. Haru stood up and waited for Nami to join him. She wasn't exactly sure what to do until she felt Akito's fingers wrap around her wrist. "You stay," he said to her. Nami fell silent and looked away from them both.
"I think she should come with me," Haru insisted.
"Haru-kun, please go," Nami pleaded, worried about Black Haru clashing with Akito. What a scary, scary thought.
Hearing the tone of her voice, Haru immediately understood what had happened.
"Good-bye, Nami-kun. I'll visit soon," he told her and left the room.
After Haru left, Akito let go of Nami's wrist and walked over to look out his window. Nami stood up and quietly went to him. She stood behind him and kept her eyes on the floor.
"So it was a lie?" She said peacefully.
"What was?" He asked. Of course, he had a pretty good idea of what she meant.
"My freedom. The whole thing was an act to make it easier on you." She had to make sure her voice stayed steady and calm. She knew how quickly Akito could get angry.
"I suppose I should give you more credit then," he said seriously. "But that's not entirely right. I did it to make it easier on you, too."
"You could have just as well kept me here by force. Why go through all the trouble?"
"You were happy until you figured it out. You felt free even if it was just an illusion," he turned to face her. He seemed calm and he smiled at her. Something about him made her nervous though. She felt that the smile was a lie as well.
"So you did it out of good intentions?" She asked, childishly.
"That," he said it as if it were the insignificant reason of the two, "and because you'd feel less need to run away. You see, Nami, when you keep a bird caged for long enough it starts to believe that the cage is its home. To test that the bird really belongs to you, you let it go. If it returns, you know its yours forever."
Nami fell silent, contemplating what he just told her. She understood now. It was just a test to see if she really belonged to him. She came back, just like the bird. What a stupid thing to do. He really owned her now.
"The kiss was a lie as well?"
"You mean.. this kiss?" He asked in a sadistic tone and kissed her. It wasn't nearly as gentle as before. In fact, he was hurting her. She pulled away.
"Not quite like that," she said and left the room.
Akito sat back down in the chair and called after her, "I hate you."
"I hate you more," she replied. He watched her leave in the reflection from the window. She went to her room, where she stayed the rest of the day, to try and separate the truth from the lies.
Breaking Waves Upon the Shore
~Nami-kun,
Tohru, Kisa and I are leaving for the hot springs today. Tohru thought it would be a good idea to take Kisa on a vacation since she's been working so hard at school. Maybe it was even a secret plan to get me away from Kyou. We've been fighting incessantly lately, and I just can't think of the first thing to get through to the baka neko. He is just so set on winning a fight with me he'll go to absurd extremes. Like last night; we both decided to walk Tohru home from work. On the way there, he started babbling like an idiot so I told him to shut up. Predictably, he lost his temper and attacked me. Long story short, I threw him into the lake. He emerged soaked and shivering. Did you know, Nami-kun, that cat's don't like water? Even though it was a cold night, the baka neko refused to go back home and let me bring Tohru myself. He sneezed and coughed the whole way there and the whole way back, and now he's unbearably angry because he can't go to the hot springs with us. Baka. Serves him right. Gomen, Nami- kun, for babbling on like this to you. How are you? Has anything bad happened? I know you hate it when I worry, but I can't help it. I'll be waiting for your reply.
Yuki~
Nami was laying down on the side of the fountain in the garden. She had just finished her lessons with Hatori when the mail arrived. Her hair was spread towards one side to avoid getting wet. One hand held the letter while the other swam through the water. Her legs were stretched out along the side and one hung slightly off the edge. She was dressed in warm clothes; black stockings with a gray skirt over them, a gray sweater and a scarf wrapped snuggly around her neck.
Suddenly her peace was disrupted by the sounds of something being nailed down. She looked over at the source of the noise, and frowned at the sight of a group of construction workers setting things up for the upcoming ball. The Sohma family threw an extravagant and prestigious party on the first day of each new year. This would be her first time attending it, even her first time hearing that one exists. She looked forward to meeting more of the family, but had a nagging feeling that not everyone would come.
"Nami-kun." A gentle voice called her past the commotion. She slowly turned her head and her hair rearranged itself.
"Haru," she said and smiled. The boy walked over to her and sat on the ground next to the fountain. Nami didn't sit up.
"Are you alright?"
"Fine, and yourself?" Nami asked sweetly, folding the letter back up and hiding it in the envelope.
"Alright. Another letter from Yuki-kun?"
"Hai. He worries too much," she said and held out her hand to him. Naturally, he took it.
"Yuki-kun is a very caring person. It's part of the reason why I love him so much. I went to Shigure's house yesterday, but he wasn't there."
Nami smiled and sat up on the fountain. "I know. He wrote in the letter that he's gone to the hot springs with Tohru and Kisa. Kyou stayed home, ne?"
Haru nodded and scrunched his eyebrows. "Baka neko," he said under his breath.
"Haru-kun, he can't be all that bad. Do you think it's possible that you don't like Kyou simply because he doesn't get along with Yuki?"
"Possible, I suppose... but you don't know Kyou," Haru replied.
"I would like to." Nami smiled and he looked up at her in a sort of amused shock. "I would like to know Tohru and Kisa as well."
Haru sighed. "Akito-san is very paranoid about who you spend time with. He doesn't want you to interact with the younger Juunishi in fear that you'll get too attached to them. I sometimes wonder why he hasn't retaliated against me yet. He's made it quite clear that he doesn't want us spending time together."
"Hai, I know Haru-kun. I wish I could understand why he fears it so much. It just goes to show that I'm not as free as I think I am."
"If you have doubts about Akito-san then why did you decide to stay in the first place?"
"For foolish reasons. I had hoped that I could really get through to him and really change him. Now, I seem so naive to myself."
"I think you're very kind for making such a sacrifice," he told her.
"I don't know if it's even possible for Akito-san to change. You may think so but it turns out to be a trick."
"Come with me," Haru said suddenly.
"Where?"
"Don't know. If we decide on a place to go we'll probably get lost on the way there anyway."
Nami laughed, "I don't know if Akito-san would approve of that."
"He claims that you're here on your own free will, ne? You could test him to see if it really was just a lie."
"You're right, Haru. I'll go now!" She said and stood up. Haru followed her into the house and up to Akito's bedroom.
"Nami, Haru. What a pleasant surprise. Come in," Akito said when he saw them. He was sitting in his chair, facing what seemed like abyss. Nami decided that it might be a good idea to kneel since she was asking a favor. Haru knelt down next to her.
She got right to the point. "I'd like to leave with Haru today. Just for a couple of hours and I'd be back before dark."
Akito stood and walked up in front of her. He smiled and turned his head to the side, facing Haru. "Leave," he said. Haru stood up and waited for Nami to join him. She wasn't exactly sure what to do until she felt Akito's fingers wrap around her wrist. "You stay," he said to her. Nami fell silent and looked away from them both.
"I think she should come with me," Haru insisted.
"Haru-kun, please go," Nami pleaded, worried about Black Haru clashing with Akito. What a scary, scary thought.
Hearing the tone of her voice, Haru immediately understood what had happened.
"Good-bye, Nami-kun. I'll visit soon," he told her and left the room.
After Haru left, Akito let go of Nami's wrist and walked over to look out his window. Nami stood up and quietly went to him. She stood behind him and kept her eyes on the floor.
"So it was a lie?" She said peacefully.
"What was?" He asked. Of course, he had a pretty good idea of what she meant.
"My freedom. The whole thing was an act to make it easier on you." She had to make sure her voice stayed steady and calm. She knew how quickly Akito could get angry.
"I suppose I should give you more credit then," he said seriously. "But that's not entirely right. I did it to make it easier on you, too."
"You could have just as well kept me here by force. Why go through all the trouble?"
"You were happy until you figured it out. You felt free even if it was just an illusion," he turned to face her. He seemed calm and he smiled at her. Something about him made her nervous though. She felt that the smile was a lie as well.
"So you did it out of good intentions?" She asked, childishly.
"That," he said it as if it were the insignificant reason of the two, "and because you'd feel less need to run away. You see, Nami, when you keep a bird caged for long enough it starts to believe that the cage is its home. To test that the bird really belongs to you, you let it go. If it returns, you know its yours forever."
Nami fell silent, contemplating what he just told her. She understood now. It was just a test to see if she really belonged to him. She came back, just like the bird. What a stupid thing to do. He really owned her now.
"The kiss was a lie as well?"
"You mean.. this kiss?" He asked in a sadistic tone and kissed her. It wasn't nearly as gentle as before. In fact, he was hurting her. She pulled away.
"Not quite like that," she said and left the room.
Akito sat back down in the chair and called after her, "I hate you."
"I hate you more," she replied. He watched her leave in the reflection from the window. She went to her room, where she stayed the rest of the day, to try and separate the truth from the lies.