Hi! Another chapter we will start! (Sendoh: Hey! That's your eighth chapter! Are you sure you have any plans at all of ending that fic of yours?) Aah, shut up! You shouldn't give a damn about this! (Sendoh: Why're you so hot headed? Sob… Sob… /makes sad puppy eyes/) You won't get me with those eyes of yours! (Sendoh: Really, huh? Why don't you just admit that you're distracted because you think I'm gorgeous, ne?) What the!? Like it wouldn't even cross my mind! (Rukawa: Sendoh, hot? You guys must be joking…) Yeah, that's right! (Rukawa: … 'coz I'm hotter…) Whaaatt!!? Forget it! I'm never gonna side with any of you guys again! Shut up 'coz I'm still gonna continue with my fic. (Sendoh: You're so cruel… Sob… Sob…) Whatever!! Anyways, here's the continuation of the fic. It's getting near the end so… It's either gonna end in this chapter or the next, but it's near, nonetheless…

Aki finally sees her brother for who he really is and what his intentions were. But the realization came too late. Akito managed to bring Aki to the main house with his magical powers. He laid Aki on the floor of the genkan and sat beside her.

"Akito… Why are you doing this?"

"Aki…"

"Akito…" Aki wept as she spoke. "Akito, why are you doing this to me?" Tears streamed down her face continuously.

"Aki, I love you – "

"You're my brother! What you're saying is impossible!"

"Nothing is impossible in love, Aki!"

"I do not love you!"

"You will love me! You will, or your little secret will be out…" There was a trace of anger on Akito's face but it was soon replaced with an evil grin.

"A – Akito!"

"You don't want anyone to know about this thing you've been hiding for such a long time, do you? Especially your precious Hatsuharu?"

"Hhh… Don't – mix – Haru in – this…" Aki was starting to feel energy drain out of her. Her breaths were slow and deep. She didn't know why it was happening to her but she didn't bother wondering. Her brain seemed so tired, she didn't want to think anymore.

"So, you don't want Hatsuharu in this, do you? Well then, I won't lay a finger on him if you coem quietly. If you just accept my deal, Hatsuharu will not be harmed. I won't have to deal with him like I will with Honda…"

"Ho – Honda!? A – kito! Don't – don't – Tohru!" frustration and panic struck Aki, even worse than the pain she was feeling in her head. It became very hard for her to speak.

"Shhh…" Akito heaved Aki's head on his chest and hugged her gently, placing his two arms around her, across her shoulders. "You don't need to worry about anything anymore…"

"A – Akito…"Aki sighed heavily and finally fell asleep.

The girl ran. She ran as fast as her long, thin legs could take. She ran for an eternity. She ran through the rain. She looked back and bumped into someone. She tripped.

"A – " The girl's face almost hit the ground. Hands reached out and held her shoulders to break her fall.

"Are you all right?"

"A – Hai." (Yes.)

"You're all wet. Let us bring you to our house so we could put dry clothes on you and clean you up, ne?"

"Hn…"

The couple took the girl home. At their house…

"I'm Akito. Whats your name?" the little boy asked in curiosity at the girl.

"A – Aki – to?"

"Yes, that's my name. What's yours?"

"A – ki – to… Aki – to… Akito…"

"Mom, she doesn't want to say her name!" the boy called out to his mother.

"Little Miss, may I know what your name is?" the woman asked when she went near. The girl, however, replied by shaking her head. She didn't know her name. Or, she didn't have a name…

"Huh? You don't have a name?"

"Akito!" the child's father scolded.

"Do you have a name, Little Miss?" the mother asked gently. The girl shook her head again. The father pulled the mother away to talk to her. They left Akito and the girl playing.

"What do you think happened to her?" the father asked.

"I don't know… It's impossible to tell, from a child…" the mother bowed her head as she spoke. Sudden;y, a blinding red light flashed all around them. When they turned, they saw a small red dragon looking up at a golden-red phoenix hovering above.

"Akito!" the mother cried as she and the father rushed towards their son, who became the dragon they were now seeing.

"Leave him…" several voices said simultaneously.

"!?"

"Do not touch the boy…" the voice said again. Its speech was calm, yet threatening. Finally, the father spoke.

"Ou rson is cursed. He turns into adragon when hugged by females! Please don't hurt him!" the father looked around, in search of the voice he was speaking to.

"I will not hurt your son. I am here to ofer you a blessing…"

"A blessing?"

"I can take away the curse of your son, if you want." the voice offered.

"What shall we gice in return, then?"

"You shall keep this child. Accept her into your family. Name her your family name."

"But… Why?"

"This child is the only survivor of the war of the gods. She needs a family to take care for her…"

"War of the… gods?"

'Hn… When the right time comes, she will go up to the heavens and fulfill her duty as a goddess…"

"But… Are you a god, too?"

"The spirit of a god…"

"Then, you should know… Why did our family acquire this curse? Why do the Souma family members have to turn into animals of the zodiac?"

"Destiny… It is destiny that gave you this curse…"

"But – "

'I have already told you. I can take the curse off, only from your son, but in return, you will keep this child,"

"But, isn't it that this little girl will turn into a phoenix when a male hugs her?"

"If you take her in, she will not turn into a phoenix when hugged by the Soumas, which will be her kin, if that will be the case… What do you say?"

"She is the same age as Akito… She looks gentle…" the father said.

"She looks like a good girl… We can take her in…" the mother said. "And, Akito will be relieved, too,"

"Well then… We agree… We will take the child…"

"From now on, she will be named a Souma, too. And, after your son has transformed into his human form, he will never again become a dragon…" A red light flashed. Where there was a small dragon lay two children, asleep. The voice never spoke again.

"We shall name her Aki… She will be Akito's twin… And we will be her parents from now on…" the father said to his wife.

"Sleep tight, you two… Akito… Aki…" the mother said, gazing at her two children.

Since then, Akito became very thankful to his sister, the one who lifted the curse from him. He vowed to love Aki with all his heart. Though his parents explained that Aki would be his twin sister, he knew the truth. No one can stop him from being grateful. He vowed to do this to repay Aki of his debt, of the removal of the curse that could have burdened his life. He wanted to marry Aki.

Yuki ran all the way from Shigure's to the main house. He arrived and slammed the door open, just in time to see Aki lying motionless, Akito holding her in his arms. He was just in time to see Akito raising the head of the sleeping Aki, to kiss her. At the sight of Yuki, however, Akito stopped and stared at Yuki.

"What are you doing here, Yuki?"

"…" Yuki was too exhausted to reply. He fell on his knees, gasping for air. "Don't – touch… Don't touch – her…" Yuki took in deep breaths.

"Why shouldn't I? She's mine now, Yuki. You can't do anything. Nor can Hatsuharu or Kyo… Or Hatori…" At these words, something heavy (I don't wanna say what thing it was… Too violent!) hit Akito in the back of the head and he immediately fell asleep. Hatori hit him.

"Hatori!" Yuki exclaimed. Hatori never got mad at Akito, even if he had all the reasons to do so. But this time was different.

"Yuki… You won't get beaten by this useless person, will you?"

"Ha – Hatori-san… Aki… Do you – "

"I have no interest in joining your fight, Yuki. You, Kyo and Haru are already fighting over the same girl…"

"But – why – "

"Aki is a sister to me, Yuki… She was always there for me, especially when I lost Kana… She even blamed herself for our separation… We do not have the kind of relationship you all are thinking about…" After Hatori spoke, he left the house. (Makes even me wonder where he went but… there you go. He just left. Out of depression, maybe?)

"Hatori-san…" Then, Haru, Kyo, Momiji, Tohru and Shigure arrived. Just in time to see Aki waking up. She removed Akito's arms from around her and sat up. When she saw Tohru…

"Tohru! What are you doing here!?"

"Eh?"

"You have to go, Tohru!"

"Aki, why?" Everyone was confused the way Aki was acting. Just then, Akito suddenly stood up and took hold of Tohru's arm…

That was a long one! So here, stuff about the story is explained. The next chapter will be the last, hoepfully. Good there's no Rukawa, Sendoh or Mit-chan to bother me, that's why I was able to write something longer… Oh wait… Mit-chan's here again… (Mitsui: Ahahahaha! The hottest god of basketball is here!) Haah… Gonna have to deal with another airhead like Sendoh-kun and Rukawa-kun again… (Mitsui: Airhead? Who ya callin' an airhead!?) No one, Mit-chan… (Mitsui: And don't call me 'Mit-chan!!') Whatever… Mit-chan, Mit-chan, Mit-chan! (Mitsui: Shut up!!) Aheeheehee! Til next chapter, guys!