Mini-glossary of Japanese words/phrases used in this chapter and roughly
translated English equivalent:
konnichiwa - good afternoon
hai - yes
iie - no
ne - hey / right
sumimasen - excuse me/ I'm sorry
arigatou gozaimasu - thank you very much
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CHAPTER 7: Unexpected Fallings
She hesitated outside the door.
After Akito yelled at her to leave the last time, she had done so as quickly as she could only to come to a panicked halt immediately after making her exit from the room because she was at a loss about where she was supposed to go from there. All he had said was to come back after lunch but she didn't know where or when exactly lunch in this place was supposed to be and she most definitely didn't want to go back in there and ask him about it and risk angering him any further. So, feeling nervous and frightened, she quietly returned to the room designated to her and had simply sat, waiting patiently, though for what she didn't know.
Luckily, it turned out that that was what she was supposed to do as Natsuki reappeared soon after with a portable tray bearing a meal that had been prepared for her. After questioning Natsuki, it became clear that her meals were supposed to be taken in her room unless otherwise decreed by the head of the Souma family. Though the meal was obviously quite well prepared, the amount of stress she'd undergone in such a short amount of time had taken its toll and prevented her from enjoying the food as much as she would have under different circumstances. She was sure it tasted wonderful, no doubt much better than her own cooking, but her preoccupied thoughts seemed to cause every bit of food that passed her lips to come across as bland. Still, despite her lack of appetite, feeling she'd need all the energy she could muster, she managed to finish every bite. Afterwards, she left the empty tray outside her room as Natsuki had instructed her to do before she'd left right after delivering the tray and helping her to pin her hair up in a loose bun, a hairstyle that suited the neatness of her new clothes as well as helped keep her feeling a little cooler as the summer day became warmer.
And now she was here again, a lamb about to brave the lion's den, not wanting to go in again but having no other choice. It was a cowardly thought and she shook her head as if she could shake it away, steeling herself to the best of her ability to withstand whatever reception awaited her as she tapped lightly on the sliding door to announce her presence.
"Come in."
She did as she was told, sliding the door closed again behind her after she entered, partly feeling with a sense of dread that she was trapping herself with him. A quick, uneasy glance around showed her that her old clothes were nowhere in sight and, though she wondered what had been done to them, she didn't think it was important enough to ask and risk irritating him, not with the memories of what had so recently gone on before so fresh in her mind. So she pushed that particular issue away and, this time, remembering, she was quick to offer up her greeting to the figure reclining on the floor by the open outer doors.
"Konnichiwa, Akito-san." She bowed politely.
His gaze was calm, his expression one of approval and she was inwardly relieved that the bad mood that had taken hold of him on their last parting had apparently dissipated. But she knew that she couldn't relax her guard, not with the way his mood could shift so suddenly. It was, oddly enough, at this point while she was edgily waiting for Akito's next movement once again that she admired Yuki more than ever because she now had a taste of what he'd endured growing up here. For years he'd been in this environment, facing more than what she had so far, when she'd only been here less than twenty-four hours. She only hoped that she could endure it just as well.
Akito motioned her closer to him and she went, sinking down to kneel beside him after he'd given his unvoiced permission. She waited silently, growing nervous when his gaze narrowed with some odd emotion she couldn't decipher. Whatever it was had her skin prickling and goosebumps flowing across her flesh as she worriedly wondered what she'd done now to bother him.
"What's with your hair?"
"Ah." She resisted the urge to self-consciously pat the object under discussion. "Natsuki-san pinned it up for me."
"I see." His lips tightened. "I don't like it. Undo it."
It was definitely a command and, though she felt bad about undoing all the effort Natsuki had gone to in pulling her hair back, Tohru wanted to avoid putting him in a bad mood again so she did as she was told. Within moments she'd taken the pins out, her long brown hair cascading gently down her back once more while he surveyed her with an almost critical expression.
"Better," was all he said.
Then, the folds of his kimono whispering with his movements, he stood until he was towering over her kneeling position. He looked down at her, his expression inscrutable, while she gazed silently back, wondering what was going to happen now. She didn't have long to wonder as he turned his back on her to face the outer doors opening to the sunny garden. As she watched, he took a few steps out onto the wooden walkway formed by the extension of the floorboards as they protruded a few feet out from the sides of the building. Sunlight glinted off his dark hair as he tipped his head to glance back at her.
"Ne. It's a nice day to be outdoors, isn't it?" he asked lightly.
"Hai," she replied softly.
He smiled, almost gentlemanly. "Let's take a walk outside, shall we?"
She hesitated.
He frowned, eyes narrowing. "What?"
"Shoes," she whispered, glancing down at his bare feet and nearly trembling in her hopes that he wouldn't lose his temper again thinking her brief comment was too forward.
But his expression cleared and he rolled his eyes. "You really don't know anything, do you?"
It was a rhetorical question so she remained quiet.
He sighed in exasperation. "Just follow me."
And she did, trailing after him as he continued down the wooden walkway that extended all along the building. While he glided down the path in bare feet, she padded after him with her tabi-clad feet, alert to his movements though she couldn't help but take the time to satisfy some of her curiosity and glance around at the sunny garden visible to her as she followed him.
The garden was done in a more traditionally classical Japanese style in its abundance of green rather than the more modern European styles that made more use of brightly colored flowers. A combination of trees, bushes, tufts of moss, and rocks were laid out in an asymmetrical design that was aesthetically pleasing to the eye, creating a reflective and harmonious atmosphere that she found soothing to her worn nerves. The gentle rippling sounds of water from the large nearby pond added to the peaceful setting as she walked behind the figure before her who followed the wooden walkway as it suddenly diverged away from the building as it became a covered bridge that arched over the pond until it connected to a tiny gazebo structure on the other side where they came to a stop. They had traveled a short distance to such a different change of scene, all without having to set one foot on grassy ground.
They stood there silently, saying nothing as the wordless quiet that fell between them became almost comfortable, looking out from the gazebo across the pond and surrounding shrubbery while flashes of color could sometimes be seen as lively Koi fish darted around in the water below. The tranquil atmosphere was soothing and, though she knew she shouldn't let herself relax around him no matter how unthreatening he seemed at the moment, she just couldn't seem to help herself. Even the warmth of the summer day, and the afternoon sun shining down on them brightly even with the gazebo roof shading them, seemed to be against her as she felt her body becoming heavier, her mind becoming more sluggish. She had no idea how long they'd been standing there when she blinked, trying to focus herself to no avail as her vision wavered, blurred, and then, finally, disappeared altogether.
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Hatori entered the room, gaze immediately going to the two figures on the floor, one lying down and the other sitting, scowling.
When one of the servants had come to his door with a summons, Hatori had rushed over as quickly as he could, dread over what he might find preoccupying his mind and praying that the reality wouldn't be as frightful as his imaginings. And now, with the sight of the unconscious girl lying before him on the floor, the cause of which was still unknown, he felt a renewed rush of guilt wash over him his part in this situation. But he was a doctor so he pushed personal emotions aside to do his job.
"What happened?" he asked, kneeling beside the prone form.
"How should I know?" Akito's expression was irritated. "That's why you were summoned. You're the doctor."
Hatori kept his face impassive. "It may help me to know the circumstances."
Akito's eyes narrowed and then he smirked. "Don't worry. I didn't do anything to her." He waved a hand airily. "We were out at the gazebo and all of a sudden she just collapsed." Some unreadable emotions flashed across his features. "Really, it was so annoying."
"At the gazebo?" Hatori frowned, looking at her attire while he took her pulse. "Like this? For how long?"
"I don't know." Akito shrugged. "A while. Why?"
"Honda-kun's not used to being covered up so much in this type of heat. Especially not outside in the middle of it for who knows how long during the hottest part of the day." He touched the pink silk, feeling more than one layer and tried to keep his tone even. "And you have her wearing a juban, don't you?"
"What of it?" he asked a bit hostilely. "It's traditional. And much more aesthetically pleasing overall than those cheap eyesores she usually wears."
Hatori restrained his temper at the way Akito tossed insults at an unconscious girl who worked honestly for the few things she had even if they weren't up to passing the critical tastes of someone who was born into wealth, had other people to do the work for him, and never lacked for the most basic of necessities. And Akito's talk about the aesthetics of the traditional when it came to clothes was a laugh considering how he flaunted it himself the way he messily wore his own clothes to best suit his comfort. Even Shigure followed the proper etiquette of wearing such clothes more precisely than the head of the clan. But, of course, Akito was the one who set the rules among the family so he could flaunt traditional etiquette without any consequences, something he often did as the untidy way he wore his garments was but one of the many examples. And knowing this, Hatori refrained from pointing out Akito's own faults because it would do no good other than anger him, something that would be best to avoid for everyone's sake.
"Maybe so," Hatori said evenly, "but even the servants don't wear a juban in this heat. No wonder why she collapsed."
"She's weak fainting like that," Akito said derisively. "How like a girl."
"Hai," Hatori said blandly. "No doubt the stress she's been under has weakened her physically and mentally and made her more susceptible to the heat."
"Hatori." Akito smiled silkily, warningly. "Are you implying that it's stressful to be around me? That I make people sick?"
"Of course not," Hatori lied. "Honda-kun's gone through a lot having her regular environment and schedule change so suddenly. She may be having a difficult time adjusting."
Akito eyed him in a considering manner, weighing the truth of the doctor's words before relaxing though there was still a suspicious glint in his eyes. Despite Akito's seeming at ease, Hatori told himself to be more careful about his choice of words and tone. If he upset Akito too much, the head of the clan might fly off the handle and banish him from the place he needed to be most right now, by the unconscious girl's side. Yuki and Kyou would never forgive him if he were prevented from tending to her properly as a doctor should just because he couldn't hold his tongue, anymore than he would forgive himself though there was plenty already that he felt guilty for.
"Well, then," Akito said, breaking into the doctor's thoughts. "Fix her." He smiled charmingly, a cold smile. "It's what a doctor does, after all, ne? Otherwise, what else are you good for?"
Hatori took the insult silently, concentrating on the task at hand, frowning at the sweat dotting Tohru's brow. "She needs to be cooled down. It's an easy enough task. A cooling cloth can be placed on her forehead," he said, making a mental note to get a small towel and basin of water for it. He reached for her obi belt as he continued, "And we can loosen her kimono to-"
He stopped short, drawing back suddenly as his had was painfully slapped away in a quick motion as fast as the striking of a snake. He looked up in surprise to find Akito's dark gaze boring into him with a sharp intensity, rage swirling in their depths, that sent chills shivering down his spine despite the summer's heat.
"Don't touch her," Akito commanded harshly.
"Akito," Hatori said cautiously, brows drawing together in a frown. Hatori didn't want to agitate Akito anymore but he also couldn't let things rest like this so he adopted a reasoning tone. "She's overheated and needs to be cooled down. Her clothes are too constricting and needs to be-"
"I know that," Akito snapped, practically hissing as his dark eyes flashed with temper. "Do I look stupid?"
"Of course not," Hatori said.
Dangerous but definitely not stupid, he thought as sweat began slickening his skin at the chilling aura that Akito was radiating, always an unpredictable thing that Hatori hadn't been able to avoid provoking after all, despite his best efforts. From here on out, it would be tricky but it was important to placate Akito as much as possible to prevent anything more than harsh words being thrown about because he was a thousand times worse when his rage boiled over and he became physically violent. When it got to that point, Akito could strike out wildly without a particular target in mind and anyone who happened to be by was apt to get caught in the crossfire. And Hatori didn't want that to happen. Not, he thought as his gaze flickered to the bruise on her cheek, when she'd already been hurt more than she deserved.
"Get out," Akito said sharply, dark eyes glinting.
"What?" Hatori asked, surprised.
Suddenly Akito yawned, as if tired. "Must you bore me with these tedious questions?" He waved a hand towards the door. "I want you to leave." He gave a derisive smile. "Is that so hard to understand?" He flicked a glance to the prostrate girl. "Or is her simple-mindedness rubbing off on you?"
Hatori stiffened, refraining from foolishly leaping to her defense at the insult. "What about her? Are you saying to just leave her like this?"
Akito smirked. "Ne, you don't really think I'm that cold-hearted, do you?"
"Of course not," Hatori lied.
"Good answer," Akito said softly, gaze hard and watchful. Then he smiled pleasantly. "So Hatori won't mind leaving the two of us alone then, ne?"
Hatori remained silent.
A loud crack suddenly resounded in the quiet room when Akito's palm slapped against the floor harshly while his features remained pleasantly composed. "Hatori," Akito said calmly. "You shouldn't take so long to answer. It very rude, ne?"
"Sumimasen," Hatori apologized softly.
Akito chuckled lightly. "Oh, it's not me you should be apologizing to." His eyes reflected cruel enjoyment though his expression appeared serene. "The one you're being rude to is Tohru-san."
Hatori's gaze narrowed slightly, wondering how Akito reasoned that out.
"After all," Akito continued, confidence in the rightness of his belief reflected in his tone, "you're being really unprofessional today, ne? You're supposed to help the sick but here you are, preventing Tohru-san from getting better because you won't go away when you're told to."
Hatori's mouth tightened but he said nothing.
"Or maybe," Akito drawled, gaze sharpening, "the good doctor's in love with her and doesn't want to leave her alone with another man."
Hatori's head snapped up in shock, horrified that he would think that.
Akito laughed at his expression. "A joke, it's just a joke." He waved it aside. "Hatori would never do anything like that, I know." He looked at the doctor darkly. "Not after the last time, ne?"
He swallowed hard. "Of course not," he replied a bit hoarsely.
"Good, very good," he said nodding, pleased. He tilted his head consideringly. "As a reward, because I know how much a good doctor worries, I'll say that I'll take care of her. "So you," he stared at Hatori, "can leave."
"You will?" Hatori couldn't completely keep all the suspicion from his tone.
Akito looked hurt. "Do you doubt me?" Then he smirked. "Don't worry. Loosen her kimono and keep her cool. Sounds easy enough to do. I think I can manage alone." He glanced at Hatori. "Don't you?"
"Of course," he responded though he shuddered at the idea of leaving Akito to tend to her when she was this vulnerable. Then, recalling something, he regarded Akito thoughtfully. "You said before that you were at the gazebo when she collapsed?"
An eyebrow arched curiously at the unexpected question. "Hai. What about it?"
"How did she get back here?" he asked, eyeing Akito intently.
Akito stiffened but looked at the doctor archly. "Why I carried her, of course. Would you rather I had waited to let you do the honors?" He gave a light little laugh, an airy sound. "That would have been a sight, I'm sure. Really, I should have waited and let you try, after all." He smiled with dark amusement, eyes hard. "Of course, I would have to be very, very careful afterwards not to step on you, ne?"
Hatori flinched at the mention of his hated cursed form. Still, he couldn't help but wonder over the revelation that Akito had helped someone other than himself. He couldn't recall anything like that ever happening before. It was such a small thing but it relieved Hatori's mind somewhat although the implications behind it were disturbing and in no way less nerve-wracking. If anything, it cast things into a new territory that might possibly more unpredictable and dangerous than if Akito had stayed true to his selfish personality that never lifted a hand himself to help someone else. But it was still all so new and required more thought to make sense out of it and Hatori felt it safe enough for the time being to leave the task of seeing to Tohru's care to Akito. He did reserve some doubts as to the wisdom of it but, unless he wanted to bring about Akito's full rage, Hatori had better do as he was ordered.
Akito sighed at the doctor's silence, bored with it all. "If you're still worried about her, then don't. I won't do anything too bad." He smirked. "It's no fun when the victim's unconscious, after all. Besides, I don't like playing with sick people. They're less likely to remember certain," his dark eyes glinted gleefully, "things."
Hatori refused to rise to the goad this time, making his decision. "Then I'll be going now if that's what you want."
"You should have said that a long time ago," Akito snapped, glaring. Then he sighed again, exasperated, waving a hand in dismissal. "Hai, hai, hai. Go already." Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "And tell someone to bring something to cool her down with."
Hatori paused, already at the door. "I'll have one of the servants bring a basin of cool water and a cloth."
"Fine," Akito said shortly, patience with the prolonged conversation coming to an end. "Just go."
He went. And when he was gone, leaving the two figures alone in the room, Akito's expression changed as he gazed down at the unconscious girl lying by his side.
"Weak," he muttered, not knowing for certain if he was referring to her or himself.
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She woke slowly, thoughts feeling disjointed and out of sorts. The first thing she became aware of was something cool and damp soothing her forehead. After that, other senses came to her as well: the hardness of a wooden floor against her back, a brightness that filtered through her closed lids and told her that the sun was still up, the distant droning of insects and chirping birds from outside, a soft breeze whispering across her upper chest and legs which felt bare, the weight of someone's gaze watching her. It was the last two that had her bolting upright in sudden alarm, eyes widening, only to gasp and clutch the edges of the loosened kimono closed when they gaped open, baring her scantily clad breasts, at her sudden movement which also sent the cooling cloth on her forehead falling into her lap with a soft plop.
"Now you've gone and ruined it," a dark voice beside her said.
She looked down at her lap where the damp cloth had stained pink silk where it had landed. Then she turned to the speaker, her expression stricken.
Akito made a disgusted sound. "You'd think I'd just told you that the world was ending." He scowled. "At least you're up now."
Tohru's memory was vague. "What happened?" she asked hesitantly.
"You fainted," he said derisively. "Because you got too hot or so Hatori said."
Tohru blinked. "Hatori-san was here?"
"That's right." He gave her a look, an unfathomable something lying within that dark gaze of his. "It was a lot of trouble asking him to take time out of his regular schedule just to check up on you."
"Sumimasen," she apologized miserably, head bowed.
"You should be sorry." His tone was annoyed. "Being so weak and fainting like that, creating a big fuss, ruining the new clothes I so kindly gave you."
"Sumimasen," she repeated, even more miserably.
"Such a troublemaker." He shook his head then leaned in closer until their faces were just mere inches away from each other. "Just how can you make it up to me, I wonder." He smiled silkily. "After all, I even had to go through the nuisance of taking care of you and undoing your kimono."
"Akito-san did?" Her face paled as she clutched the edges of the kimono even tighter.
He drew back a bit, obviously displeased at her response. "Would you rather I had let Hatori do it?" he snapped.
Her face fell, thinking of the shameful marks on her body that no one else knew about. No, she didn't want it made known to others if she could help it so she shook her head in response to Akito's question.
"Then there's no problem, is there?" Irritated, he flipped something into her lap. "Take this."
She stared at it, a long strip of white material, in confusion. "What is it?"
He heaved an exasperated sigh. "Looks like I'll have to explain this, too." He scowled. "It's called an eri-sugata." He gestured to the white collar. "Wear that around your neck instead of the juban," at her blank look he amended, "the white slip you're wearing."
"Hai," she said uncertainly, not sure that she really understood.
"Now," Akito said, an inscrutable expression on his face, "go back to your room." He looked at her with his dark eyes. "I'm being nice enough to give you the rest of the day off." He reached out, cupped her chin in his hand. "So be a good girl and do as I say." He waved a hand in dismissal. "Now go away."
Too unsettled by the day's events, she did as she was told without hesitation or protest, clutching the material of the kimono closed and picking up the pieces of the obi belt that had been removed. She moved as quickly and quietly as she could, eager to be away so that she could be alone with her thoughts and puzzle over everything that had happened, everything that seemed to move too fast in such a short amount of time that her sluggish brain just couldn't process at the moment. But despite her desire to be gone, she paused at the door, turning back to him hesitantly, not really wanting to but feeling she had to all the same.
"What is it?" he asked sharply.
"Arigatou gozaimasu, Akito-san." She bowed. "For taking care of me."
He stared at her, something undefinable flickering across his face before it was gone, leaving his expression cold. "Are you stupid or what?" He smirked. "It's like I told Hatori. A sick victim is no fun to play with." His gaze narrowed. "So keep your health up and don't let something like this happen again."
"Hai," she said softly.
"Now get out." His eyes flashed at her, brooking no refusal.
She bowed again, heeding his words and the look he shot her, and then left the room and him behind once more, each of them preoccupied with their own thoughts that went unsaid though they had much to do with the other.
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Yuki sat at the table, staring at nothing really as the quiet of the living area enveloped him, a perfect reflection of the solitude that seemed to encase him in an impenetrable shell, an intangible thing but there all the same. Meanwhile Shigure was off in his own room, doing whatever it was that he did, while Kyou was probably either on the roof or in his own room as consumed with his thoughts as Yuki was, no doubt focused on the same person as they had been ever since she'd stepped out the door and failed to return as they had foolishly hoped she would.
What was she doing now? How was she? Was she alright?
Such worrisome thoughts as well as others continued to plague his mind as they had last night, allowing him no sleep as he couldn't help but dwell on what fate might have befallen her. Nightmarish imaginings, augmented by his own personal experiences, made him half-afraid to close his eyes and give way to dark dreams that he doubted he wanted any part of. However, asleep or awake, his thoughts didn't budge from the unhappy path they tread as his mind couldn't help but wander to her and what was keeping her from coming back to where she belonged.
But a ringing noise broke through his carefully isolated solitude and he rose, dutifully if half-heartedly, to answer the door only to pause, ice forming in his gut as he took in the entourage and feared the worse. Wanting to know and yet not wanting to know, just like another time in recent memory, he stepped aside to let them enter.
"Come in," he said, letting them file in as he left to get the others, knowing that the conversation to come asked for all to be present and dreading as to just where it would lead.
konnichiwa - good afternoon
hai - yes
iie - no
ne - hey / right
sumimasen - excuse me/ I'm sorry
arigatou gozaimasu - thank you very much
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CHAPTER 7: Unexpected Fallings
She hesitated outside the door.
After Akito yelled at her to leave the last time, she had done so as quickly as she could only to come to a panicked halt immediately after making her exit from the room because she was at a loss about where she was supposed to go from there. All he had said was to come back after lunch but she didn't know where or when exactly lunch in this place was supposed to be and she most definitely didn't want to go back in there and ask him about it and risk angering him any further. So, feeling nervous and frightened, she quietly returned to the room designated to her and had simply sat, waiting patiently, though for what she didn't know.
Luckily, it turned out that that was what she was supposed to do as Natsuki reappeared soon after with a portable tray bearing a meal that had been prepared for her. After questioning Natsuki, it became clear that her meals were supposed to be taken in her room unless otherwise decreed by the head of the Souma family. Though the meal was obviously quite well prepared, the amount of stress she'd undergone in such a short amount of time had taken its toll and prevented her from enjoying the food as much as she would have under different circumstances. She was sure it tasted wonderful, no doubt much better than her own cooking, but her preoccupied thoughts seemed to cause every bit of food that passed her lips to come across as bland. Still, despite her lack of appetite, feeling she'd need all the energy she could muster, she managed to finish every bite. Afterwards, she left the empty tray outside her room as Natsuki had instructed her to do before she'd left right after delivering the tray and helping her to pin her hair up in a loose bun, a hairstyle that suited the neatness of her new clothes as well as helped keep her feeling a little cooler as the summer day became warmer.
And now she was here again, a lamb about to brave the lion's den, not wanting to go in again but having no other choice. It was a cowardly thought and she shook her head as if she could shake it away, steeling herself to the best of her ability to withstand whatever reception awaited her as she tapped lightly on the sliding door to announce her presence.
"Come in."
She did as she was told, sliding the door closed again behind her after she entered, partly feeling with a sense of dread that she was trapping herself with him. A quick, uneasy glance around showed her that her old clothes were nowhere in sight and, though she wondered what had been done to them, she didn't think it was important enough to ask and risk irritating him, not with the memories of what had so recently gone on before so fresh in her mind. So she pushed that particular issue away and, this time, remembering, she was quick to offer up her greeting to the figure reclining on the floor by the open outer doors.
"Konnichiwa, Akito-san." She bowed politely.
His gaze was calm, his expression one of approval and she was inwardly relieved that the bad mood that had taken hold of him on their last parting had apparently dissipated. But she knew that she couldn't relax her guard, not with the way his mood could shift so suddenly. It was, oddly enough, at this point while she was edgily waiting for Akito's next movement once again that she admired Yuki more than ever because she now had a taste of what he'd endured growing up here. For years he'd been in this environment, facing more than what she had so far, when she'd only been here less than twenty-four hours. She only hoped that she could endure it just as well.
Akito motioned her closer to him and she went, sinking down to kneel beside him after he'd given his unvoiced permission. She waited silently, growing nervous when his gaze narrowed with some odd emotion she couldn't decipher. Whatever it was had her skin prickling and goosebumps flowing across her flesh as she worriedly wondered what she'd done now to bother him.
"What's with your hair?"
"Ah." She resisted the urge to self-consciously pat the object under discussion. "Natsuki-san pinned it up for me."
"I see." His lips tightened. "I don't like it. Undo it."
It was definitely a command and, though she felt bad about undoing all the effort Natsuki had gone to in pulling her hair back, Tohru wanted to avoid putting him in a bad mood again so she did as she was told. Within moments she'd taken the pins out, her long brown hair cascading gently down her back once more while he surveyed her with an almost critical expression.
"Better," was all he said.
Then, the folds of his kimono whispering with his movements, he stood until he was towering over her kneeling position. He looked down at her, his expression inscrutable, while she gazed silently back, wondering what was going to happen now. She didn't have long to wonder as he turned his back on her to face the outer doors opening to the sunny garden. As she watched, he took a few steps out onto the wooden walkway formed by the extension of the floorboards as they protruded a few feet out from the sides of the building. Sunlight glinted off his dark hair as he tipped his head to glance back at her.
"Ne. It's a nice day to be outdoors, isn't it?" he asked lightly.
"Hai," she replied softly.
He smiled, almost gentlemanly. "Let's take a walk outside, shall we?"
She hesitated.
He frowned, eyes narrowing. "What?"
"Shoes," she whispered, glancing down at his bare feet and nearly trembling in her hopes that he wouldn't lose his temper again thinking her brief comment was too forward.
But his expression cleared and he rolled his eyes. "You really don't know anything, do you?"
It was a rhetorical question so she remained quiet.
He sighed in exasperation. "Just follow me."
And she did, trailing after him as he continued down the wooden walkway that extended all along the building. While he glided down the path in bare feet, she padded after him with her tabi-clad feet, alert to his movements though she couldn't help but take the time to satisfy some of her curiosity and glance around at the sunny garden visible to her as she followed him.
The garden was done in a more traditionally classical Japanese style in its abundance of green rather than the more modern European styles that made more use of brightly colored flowers. A combination of trees, bushes, tufts of moss, and rocks were laid out in an asymmetrical design that was aesthetically pleasing to the eye, creating a reflective and harmonious atmosphere that she found soothing to her worn nerves. The gentle rippling sounds of water from the large nearby pond added to the peaceful setting as she walked behind the figure before her who followed the wooden walkway as it suddenly diverged away from the building as it became a covered bridge that arched over the pond until it connected to a tiny gazebo structure on the other side where they came to a stop. They had traveled a short distance to such a different change of scene, all without having to set one foot on grassy ground.
They stood there silently, saying nothing as the wordless quiet that fell between them became almost comfortable, looking out from the gazebo across the pond and surrounding shrubbery while flashes of color could sometimes be seen as lively Koi fish darted around in the water below. The tranquil atmosphere was soothing and, though she knew she shouldn't let herself relax around him no matter how unthreatening he seemed at the moment, she just couldn't seem to help herself. Even the warmth of the summer day, and the afternoon sun shining down on them brightly even with the gazebo roof shading them, seemed to be against her as she felt her body becoming heavier, her mind becoming more sluggish. She had no idea how long they'd been standing there when she blinked, trying to focus herself to no avail as her vision wavered, blurred, and then, finally, disappeared altogether.
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Hatori entered the room, gaze immediately going to the two figures on the floor, one lying down and the other sitting, scowling.
When one of the servants had come to his door with a summons, Hatori had rushed over as quickly as he could, dread over what he might find preoccupying his mind and praying that the reality wouldn't be as frightful as his imaginings. And now, with the sight of the unconscious girl lying before him on the floor, the cause of which was still unknown, he felt a renewed rush of guilt wash over him his part in this situation. But he was a doctor so he pushed personal emotions aside to do his job.
"What happened?" he asked, kneeling beside the prone form.
"How should I know?" Akito's expression was irritated. "That's why you were summoned. You're the doctor."
Hatori kept his face impassive. "It may help me to know the circumstances."
Akito's eyes narrowed and then he smirked. "Don't worry. I didn't do anything to her." He waved a hand airily. "We were out at the gazebo and all of a sudden she just collapsed." Some unreadable emotions flashed across his features. "Really, it was so annoying."
"At the gazebo?" Hatori frowned, looking at her attire while he took her pulse. "Like this? For how long?"
"I don't know." Akito shrugged. "A while. Why?"
"Honda-kun's not used to being covered up so much in this type of heat. Especially not outside in the middle of it for who knows how long during the hottest part of the day." He touched the pink silk, feeling more than one layer and tried to keep his tone even. "And you have her wearing a juban, don't you?"
"What of it?" he asked a bit hostilely. "It's traditional. And much more aesthetically pleasing overall than those cheap eyesores she usually wears."
Hatori restrained his temper at the way Akito tossed insults at an unconscious girl who worked honestly for the few things she had even if they weren't up to passing the critical tastes of someone who was born into wealth, had other people to do the work for him, and never lacked for the most basic of necessities. And Akito's talk about the aesthetics of the traditional when it came to clothes was a laugh considering how he flaunted it himself the way he messily wore his own clothes to best suit his comfort. Even Shigure followed the proper etiquette of wearing such clothes more precisely than the head of the clan. But, of course, Akito was the one who set the rules among the family so he could flaunt traditional etiquette without any consequences, something he often did as the untidy way he wore his garments was but one of the many examples. And knowing this, Hatori refrained from pointing out Akito's own faults because it would do no good other than anger him, something that would be best to avoid for everyone's sake.
"Maybe so," Hatori said evenly, "but even the servants don't wear a juban in this heat. No wonder why she collapsed."
"She's weak fainting like that," Akito said derisively. "How like a girl."
"Hai," Hatori said blandly. "No doubt the stress she's been under has weakened her physically and mentally and made her more susceptible to the heat."
"Hatori." Akito smiled silkily, warningly. "Are you implying that it's stressful to be around me? That I make people sick?"
"Of course not," Hatori lied. "Honda-kun's gone through a lot having her regular environment and schedule change so suddenly. She may be having a difficult time adjusting."
Akito eyed him in a considering manner, weighing the truth of the doctor's words before relaxing though there was still a suspicious glint in his eyes. Despite Akito's seeming at ease, Hatori told himself to be more careful about his choice of words and tone. If he upset Akito too much, the head of the clan might fly off the handle and banish him from the place he needed to be most right now, by the unconscious girl's side. Yuki and Kyou would never forgive him if he were prevented from tending to her properly as a doctor should just because he couldn't hold his tongue, anymore than he would forgive himself though there was plenty already that he felt guilty for.
"Well, then," Akito said, breaking into the doctor's thoughts. "Fix her." He smiled charmingly, a cold smile. "It's what a doctor does, after all, ne? Otherwise, what else are you good for?"
Hatori took the insult silently, concentrating on the task at hand, frowning at the sweat dotting Tohru's brow. "She needs to be cooled down. It's an easy enough task. A cooling cloth can be placed on her forehead," he said, making a mental note to get a small towel and basin of water for it. He reached for her obi belt as he continued, "And we can loosen her kimono to-"
He stopped short, drawing back suddenly as his had was painfully slapped away in a quick motion as fast as the striking of a snake. He looked up in surprise to find Akito's dark gaze boring into him with a sharp intensity, rage swirling in their depths, that sent chills shivering down his spine despite the summer's heat.
"Don't touch her," Akito commanded harshly.
"Akito," Hatori said cautiously, brows drawing together in a frown. Hatori didn't want to agitate Akito anymore but he also couldn't let things rest like this so he adopted a reasoning tone. "She's overheated and needs to be cooled down. Her clothes are too constricting and needs to be-"
"I know that," Akito snapped, practically hissing as his dark eyes flashed with temper. "Do I look stupid?"
"Of course not," Hatori said.
Dangerous but definitely not stupid, he thought as sweat began slickening his skin at the chilling aura that Akito was radiating, always an unpredictable thing that Hatori hadn't been able to avoid provoking after all, despite his best efforts. From here on out, it would be tricky but it was important to placate Akito as much as possible to prevent anything more than harsh words being thrown about because he was a thousand times worse when his rage boiled over and he became physically violent. When it got to that point, Akito could strike out wildly without a particular target in mind and anyone who happened to be by was apt to get caught in the crossfire. And Hatori didn't want that to happen. Not, he thought as his gaze flickered to the bruise on her cheek, when she'd already been hurt more than she deserved.
"Get out," Akito said sharply, dark eyes glinting.
"What?" Hatori asked, surprised.
Suddenly Akito yawned, as if tired. "Must you bore me with these tedious questions?" He waved a hand towards the door. "I want you to leave." He gave a derisive smile. "Is that so hard to understand?" He flicked a glance to the prostrate girl. "Or is her simple-mindedness rubbing off on you?"
Hatori stiffened, refraining from foolishly leaping to her defense at the insult. "What about her? Are you saying to just leave her like this?"
Akito smirked. "Ne, you don't really think I'm that cold-hearted, do you?"
"Of course not," Hatori lied.
"Good answer," Akito said softly, gaze hard and watchful. Then he smiled pleasantly. "So Hatori won't mind leaving the two of us alone then, ne?"
Hatori remained silent.
A loud crack suddenly resounded in the quiet room when Akito's palm slapped against the floor harshly while his features remained pleasantly composed. "Hatori," Akito said calmly. "You shouldn't take so long to answer. It very rude, ne?"
"Sumimasen," Hatori apologized softly.
Akito chuckled lightly. "Oh, it's not me you should be apologizing to." His eyes reflected cruel enjoyment though his expression appeared serene. "The one you're being rude to is Tohru-san."
Hatori's gaze narrowed slightly, wondering how Akito reasoned that out.
"After all," Akito continued, confidence in the rightness of his belief reflected in his tone, "you're being really unprofessional today, ne? You're supposed to help the sick but here you are, preventing Tohru-san from getting better because you won't go away when you're told to."
Hatori's mouth tightened but he said nothing.
"Or maybe," Akito drawled, gaze sharpening, "the good doctor's in love with her and doesn't want to leave her alone with another man."
Hatori's head snapped up in shock, horrified that he would think that.
Akito laughed at his expression. "A joke, it's just a joke." He waved it aside. "Hatori would never do anything like that, I know." He looked at the doctor darkly. "Not after the last time, ne?"
He swallowed hard. "Of course not," he replied a bit hoarsely.
"Good, very good," he said nodding, pleased. He tilted his head consideringly. "As a reward, because I know how much a good doctor worries, I'll say that I'll take care of her. "So you," he stared at Hatori, "can leave."
"You will?" Hatori couldn't completely keep all the suspicion from his tone.
Akito looked hurt. "Do you doubt me?" Then he smirked. "Don't worry. Loosen her kimono and keep her cool. Sounds easy enough to do. I think I can manage alone." He glanced at Hatori. "Don't you?"
"Of course," he responded though he shuddered at the idea of leaving Akito to tend to her when she was this vulnerable. Then, recalling something, he regarded Akito thoughtfully. "You said before that you were at the gazebo when she collapsed?"
An eyebrow arched curiously at the unexpected question. "Hai. What about it?"
"How did she get back here?" he asked, eyeing Akito intently.
Akito stiffened but looked at the doctor archly. "Why I carried her, of course. Would you rather I had waited to let you do the honors?" He gave a light little laugh, an airy sound. "That would have been a sight, I'm sure. Really, I should have waited and let you try, after all." He smiled with dark amusement, eyes hard. "Of course, I would have to be very, very careful afterwards not to step on you, ne?"
Hatori flinched at the mention of his hated cursed form. Still, he couldn't help but wonder over the revelation that Akito had helped someone other than himself. He couldn't recall anything like that ever happening before. It was such a small thing but it relieved Hatori's mind somewhat although the implications behind it were disturbing and in no way less nerve-wracking. If anything, it cast things into a new territory that might possibly more unpredictable and dangerous than if Akito had stayed true to his selfish personality that never lifted a hand himself to help someone else. But it was still all so new and required more thought to make sense out of it and Hatori felt it safe enough for the time being to leave the task of seeing to Tohru's care to Akito. He did reserve some doubts as to the wisdom of it but, unless he wanted to bring about Akito's full rage, Hatori had better do as he was ordered.
Akito sighed at the doctor's silence, bored with it all. "If you're still worried about her, then don't. I won't do anything too bad." He smirked. "It's no fun when the victim's unconscious, after all. Besides, I don't like playing with sick people. They're less likely to remember certain," his dark eyes glinted gleefully, "things."
Hatori refused to rise to the goad this time, making his decision. "Then I'll be going now if that's what you want."
"You should have said that a long time ago," Akito snapped, glaring. Then he sighed again, exasperated, waving a hand in dismissal. "Hai, hai, hai. Go already." Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "And tell someone to bring something to cool her down with."
Hatori paused, already at the door. "I'll have one of the servants bring a basin of cool water and a cloth."
"Fine," Akito said shortly, patience with the prolonged conversation coming to an end. "Just go."
He went. And when he was gone, leaving the two figures alone in the room, Akito's expression changed as he gazed down at the unconscious girl lying by his side.
"Weak," he muttered, not knowing for certain if he was referring to her or himself.
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She woke slowly, thoughts feeling disjointed and out of sorts. The first thing she became aware of was something cool and damp soothing her forehead. After that, other senses came to her as well: the hardness of a wooden floor against her back, a brightness that filtered through her closed lids and told her that the sun was still up, the distant droning of insects and chirping birds from outside, a soft breeze whispering across her upper chest and legs which felt bare, the weight of someone's gaze watching her. It was the last two that had her bolting upright in sudden alarm, eyes widening, only to gasp and clutch the edges of the loosened kimono closed when they gaped open, baring her scantily clad breasts, at her sudden movement which also sent the cooling cloth on her forehead falling into her lap with a soft plop.
"Now you've gone and ruined it," a dark voice beside her said.
She looked down at her lap where the damp cloth had stained pink silk where it had landed. Then she turned to the speaker, her expression stricken.
Akito made a disgusted sound. "You'd think I'd just told you that the world was ending." He scowled. "At least you're up now."
Tohru's memory was vague. "What happened?" she asked hesitantly.
"You fainted," he said derisively. "Because you got too hot or so Hatori said."
Tohru blinked. "Hatori-san was here?"
"That's right." He gave her a look, an unfathomable something lying within that dark gaze of his. "It was a lot of trouble asking him to take time out of his regular schedule just to check up on you."
"Sumimasen," she apologized miserably, head bowed.
"You should be sorry." His tone was annoyed. "Being so weak and fainting like that, creating a big fuss, ruining the new clothes I so kindly gave you."
"Sumimasen," she repeated, even more miserably.
"Such a troublemaker." He shook his head then leaned in closer until their faces were just mere inches away from each other. "Just how can you make it up to me, I wonder." He smiled silkily. "After all, I even had to go through the nuisance of taking care of you and undoing your kimono."
"Akito-san did?" Her face paled as she clutched the edges of the kimono even tighter.
He drew back a bit, obviously displeased at her response. "Would you rather I had let Hatori do it?" he snapped.
Her face fell, thinking of the shameful marks on her body that no one else knew about. No, she didn't want it made known to others if she could help it so she shook her head in response to Akito's question.
"Then there's no problem, is there?" Irritated, he flipped something into her lap. "Take this."
She stared at it, a long strip of white material, in confusion. "What is it?"
He heaved an exasperated sigh. "Looks like I'll have to explain this, too." He scowled. "It's called an eri-sugata." He gestured to the white collar. "Wear that around your neck instead of the juban," at her blank look he amended, "the white slip you're wearing."
"Hai," she said uncertainly, not sure that she really understood.
"Now," Akito said, an inscrutable expression on his face, "go back to your room." He looked at her with his dark eyes. "I'm being nice enough to give you the rest of the day off." He reached out, cupped her chin in his hand. "So be a good girl and do as I say." He waved a hand in dismissal. "Now go away."
Too unsettled by the day's events, she did as she was told without hesitation or protest, clutching the material of the kimono closed and picking up the pieces of the obi belt that had been removed. She moved as quickly and quietly as she could, eager to be away so that she could be alone with her thoughts and puzzle over everything that had happened, everything that seemed to move too fast in such a short amount of time that her sluggish brain just couldn't process at the moment. But despite her desire to be gone, she paused at the door, turning back to him hesitantly, not really wanting to but feeling she had to all the same.
"What is it?" he asked sharply.
"Arigatou gozaimasu, Akito-san." She bowed. "For taking care of me."
He stared at her, something undefinable flickering across his face before it was gone, leaving his expression cold. "Are you stupid or what?" He smirked. "It's like I told Hatori. A sick victim is no fun to play with." His gaze narrowed. "So keep your health up and don't let something like this happen again."
"Hai," she said softly.
"Now get out." His eyes flashed at her, brooking no refusal.
She bowed again, heeding his words and the look he shot her, and then left the room and him behind once more, each of them preoccupied with their own thoughts that went unsaid though they had much to do with the other.
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Yuki sat at the table, staring at nothing really as the quiet of the living area enveloped him, a perfect reflection of the solitude that seemed to encase him in an impenetrable shell, an intangible thing but there all the same. Meanwhile Shigure was off in his own room, doing whatever it was that he did, while Kyou was probably either on the roof or in his own room as consumed with his thoughts as Yuki was, no doubt focused on the same person as they had been ever since she'd stepped out the door and failed to return as they had foolishly hoped she would.
What was she doing now? How was she? Was she alright?
Such worrisome thoughts as well as others continued to plague his mind as they had last night, allowing him no sleep as he couldn't help but dwell on what fate might have befallen her. Nightmarish imaginings, augmented by his own personal experiences, made him half-afraid to close his eyes and give way to dark dreams that he doubted he wanted any part of. However, asleep or awake, his thoughts didn't budge from the unhappy path they tread as his mind couldn't help but wander to her and what was keeping her from coming back to where she belonged.
But a ringing noise broke through his carefully isolated solitude and he rose, dutifully if half-heartedly, to answer the door only to pause, ice forming in his gut as he took in the entourage and feared the worse. Wanting to know and yet not wanting to know, just like another time in recent memory, he stepped aside to let them enter.
"Come in," he said, letting them file in as he left to get the others, knowing that the conversation to come asked for all to be present and dreading as to just where it would lead.