Disclaimer: I don't (::thinks "I'm sounding like a broken record"::)
Tohru looked at each of member of the family; but when her glance passed over them, they tried their best to avoid it. Though she tried not to, her eyes welled up with tears at the thought.
"I wouldn't know what to do if I've never celebrated my birthday. No party with friends and family. No wishes from the birthday cake. No games. No balloons. No presents. No laughter. No nothing. I just wouldn't know what to do if I'd never experienced that."
As she finished, Shigure spoke up. "I don't know what he'd do if we gave him a party. I mean, he hardly has the energy to stand up, much less enjoy a party."
Tohru looked at him with still tearing eyes. "But why? What do you mean he doesn't have the energy?"
"Ever since he was young," Ayame broke in, "he has been terribly sick. Both him and Hatori know that he won't last more than 5 more years. Most days it takes every ounce of strength he has just to get out of bed. He spends most of his day sitting in the window watching the children outside play - "
"Wishing he could do the same." Kisa's soft voice cut him short. "He enjoys the company of the birds who visit him from time to time. Inside, he's really a gentle person." Everyone looked at the young girl in shock.
"And how would you know this Kisa?" Yuki asked almost ferociously.
"I've watched him before. He doesn't like noise and since I'm a fairly quiet person, he lets me sit with him." She had a pure and innocent smile on her face that stretched from ear to ear.
Another silence echoed in their ears. Kyo twitched in his seat, trying not to lash out at anything because there was no reason to. No one had ever considered that Akito might have a reason for being as insensitive as he was. He had never really made contact with anyone besides Hatori, Yuki and Kisa, though some of those encounters weren't pleasant. Shigure stood and gathered up the now empty cups.
"Why don't Yuki, Kisa and Momiji go pick some vegetables from the garden. Ayame will help Shue with an outfit for the New Years celebration. Kagura can help him while Tohru and myself fix up a room for the master. And Haru, why don't you do the dishes." Everyone bowed and calmly went on their way.
Tohru pulled out the softest silken blankets from the linen closet as Shue was whisked away in to a back room followed by Ayame and Kagura, their arms full of fabric and supplies. Kyo sighed and made his way outside seeing that he wasn't allowed to participate in the festivities.
He sat outside the door and listened to the excitement inside for a long time. He had just started to doze off and didn't hear the screen door open. He opened his eyes slowly and blinked at the sight before him. Shue stood in front of him in a flowing kimono of black and gold with tints of red and silver.
She spun around once and smiled. "So what do you think?" she asked sweetly. Kyo sat up and stared.
"It . . . It's nice. I like it." He stood up and looked her over again. She looked harmless but he had already learned not to underestimate her.
The joy of the moment was broken by the grind of gravel in the driveway and the slam of a car door. Everyone rushed inside just in time to see Hatori barge into the living room, make his way through the hall, and head for the stairs. His footsteps were heavy and the thud echoed through the house from the strain of the access weight that he carried in his arms. Akito's limp, pale, and fragile form rested breathless in the doctor's grasp.
"Tohru bring me a cold damp cloth and a glass of water," he ordered as he climbed the stairs. "Shigure get me the respirator, you know where it is and Ayame, bring me my bag from the car." Everyone else followed him into the reserved room and gathered just inside the doorway as Hatori walked over to the bed. He spread out Akito over the silken sheets and placed his head carefully on the soft pillow.
Shigure, Tohru and Ayame pushed through the crowd, carrying all the supplies. Shigure rolled the wheeled machine over to the bedside and fumbled to plug it in. The bowl of water and rag were set on the nightstand and the bag at Hatori's side. The doctor leaned over his patient and exhaled deeply into the boy's lungs. He waited, and tried again. Akito coughed and gasped, a gentle river of blood streaming from his mouth.
"Get me a rag," he commanded roughly, reaching out a hand. The wet cloth was in his palm in a flash and he wiped away the blood. Now that his patient was breathing, he took the air mask and placed it over Akito's face. Flipping the switch, the machine hummed and pumped clean air into his lungs. Hatori folded the cloth and draped in over the boy's forehead. With a sigh, he brushed away the sweat that had begun to bud on his skin.
Momiji stepped up to the bedside, watching Hatori pull out a syringe, testing the medicine inside. "Is he going to be okay?" He spoke softly and cringed as the shot was injected.
"Yeah, at first his pulse was almost gone, but he should be alright now." Getting up, the doctor looked out the window at the setting sun. "I think it's about time to be having dinner, baths and going to bed."
Authoress Note: Awww!!! Poor Akito ::huggles but gets smacked:: that's what I get for being nice . . . .