"Tohru- kun."
She cocked her head at Shigure. "Hai?"
"You've been summoned to the main house; Akito wants to see you."
A tremor of fear crossed her expression. "I see. When?"
"This afternoon. Yuki and I are to go with you; Hatori will be there as well."
She relaxed slightly at this. "All right. I'll change my clothes, and leave whenever you're ready."
He nodded, putting a gentle hand to her shoulder in silent support.
-
"You are to wait here." Kureno told them. "He wants to see Honda Tohru first, alone."
"But-!" Yuki protested.
"We'll be right outside the door." Shigure assured Tohru, who had suddenly paled. "You are not a Sohma- he can't hurt you. He knows that." It would have been more comforting if Shigure hadn't looked sick himself.
The rooster put a hand to Tohru's back, and guided her into the room. She knelt, waiting for what the head of the family would say.
Kureno let himself back out, leaving Tohru alone with Akito.
Akito smiled slightly at the sight of the cast on her arm. "Took a spill, did you?"
"Hai." Tohru said quietly.
"You should be more careful."
"Hai." she repeated.
"Are you going to leave?"
"Are you asking me to?" she countered the question with a question of her own, but kept her tone respectfully polite.
"Would you if I did?"
"I am only living at Shigure- san's house by your kindness. I have found out the greatest secret of the family you lead; I am obligated to follow your wishes, as much as Yuki- kun, Kyou- kun, Shigure- san and the others are."
He stepped in front of her and adjusted his kimono; Tohru tensed, recognizing the posture.
"Fell into grouping yourself with the others rather easily, didn't you?"
She was silent.
He grabbed her hair, yanking her face up until it was a scant inch away from his own. "Do you think you're a Sohma? You will never be one of us." he hissed. "You know nothing of us, of the curse we suffer under or the scars we bear! You know nothing of what we need, yet you thrust yourself into our lives and act as though we should be honored to have you there!"
"I- I'm sorry-"
"A simple 'Gomen nasai' won't cover such presumption. Tell me, Honda Tohru, do you think you can save the Sohmas?"
"I- I'm not capable of anything so great-"
Akito was shouting now; the sounds of an argument could be heard on the other side of the door. "Can you extend my life? Can you take away the pain from my body, can you strengthen me? What can you do, Honda Tohru? What good are you?"
He threw her away from him; Tohru stumbled. When she looked up, Akito had taken off his kimono and was loosening the hadajuban beneath it; stuttering and blushing, she turned her gaze away.
"Look!" he demanded, tone lower but fiercer.
"I-"
She heard the footsteps as Akito walked over to her; she didn't move, save for squinching her face into a miserable grimace.
He grabbed her hair tightly- he seemed to have a penchant for doing that- and forced her to look at him.
Tohru's eyes widened. "You're-!"
"Female." Akito finished coolly, tossing her back again. Tohru stared as Akito closed his- her- hadajuban again, and returned the kimono to its customary loose position on her shoulders.
"Why?" Tohru asked simply.
Akito gave a bitter laugh. "Why what? Why do I bind my breasts and let everyone think I'm male? Why did I show you that I'm not?
"It's better that a male be cruel than a female, isn't it? Better to be a cruel dictator than a pissy bitch?"
"Akito- san…"
Akito's steps were measured and sure as she advanced on Tohru. "You think you know everything about the Sohmas? You think you can cure us? You think you belong here?"
"I… I…"
Tohru cried out as the older woman kicked her, hard, in the side. Akito followed up with several hard punches, and it occurred to Tohru somewhere in the back of her mind that Akito was a bit like Yuki…
The door crashed open. Someone pulled Tohru away; someone else grabbed the shrieking head of the Sohmas.
"You can't hurt Tohru- kun! Besides its being wrong, and her not being a Sohma, she has friends who are already suspicious, Akito!" Shigure yelled, holding her back.
"Are you all right, Honda- san?" Yuki cried.
Her side hurt worse than Tohru would have believed, and she couldn't seem to catch her breath. "… fine…"
"Akito!" Yuki shouted, turning on her.
She suddenly went still in Shigure's arms; he, having experience with this, didn't loosen his grip.
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?!"
She searched his gaze. "Do you hate me now, Yuki? Hate me in a way you didn't before?"
The rat moved in answer, with a speed Tohru could hardly believe was human. A slap rang through the room. Akito broke free of a shocked Shigure's hold, lashing out for all she was worth.
Hands were on her shoulders; Tohru glanced round to see Hatori's concerned gaze. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine…"
Akito and Yuki flashed past, trading blows. Yuki seemed to be getting the worst of it; despite his anger, he didn't look to be going all out.
Is his fear of Akito- san that deep…?
"Please, stop!" Tohru cried, lunging to her feet. "Akito- san, Yuki- kun, stop!"
Yuki's head turned toward her voice; Akito took advantage of the distraction and started beating Yuki to within an inch of his life.
Before Hatori could stop her, Tohru dashed forward, throwing herself between them. "Akito- san, stop!"
Shigure again seized Akito, who was struggling and yelling out strangled curses that Tohru couldn't have quite caught if she'd wanted to.
"Yuki- kun, are you all right?"
"Fine." he replied, brushing himself off. Tohru redirected her attention to the only other woman in the room.
"Akito- san, please. What's wrong?"
Akito's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "What's wrong?" she echoed incredulously. "You're still here is what's wrong! You're ugly, useless, foul…"
Tohru flinched at each comment but stood her ground and kept her gaze locked with Akito's furious one.
"- and crazy! You carry around pictures of that bitch mother of yours, talking to them like she's still alive-"
"Akito!" three outraged male voices chorused.
Akito's feral gaze sharpened, a look of twisted glee coming into it as she watched Tohru crumble before her eyes. "Your mother's dead! Get it through your head, you crazy, weak, worthless girl!"
Tohru fell to her knees; Yuki dropped down beside her, put a hand on her shoulder and took up one of her hands with his free one and began talking to her, but Tohru couldn't hear him. Hatori ran over and forced her to look at him, shouting her name.
It wasn't his voice that Tohru heard.
Shigure was still fighting to keep Akito restrained. "Get her out of here, Ha- san!"
"Come on." Hatori gripped one of her shoulders, Yuki the other, and together they ushered Tohru out, Akito's screams gradually fading behind them.
Okaa- san…
Okaa- san…
"Crazy, weak, worthless!"
Am I crazy, Okaa- san? I know- I know you're dead… but you can hear me, right? You're watching me, aren't you? Watching over me? You're not gone, right?
-
Shigure came home much later, sporting a black eye, several nasty, deep scratches on his face and arms, and bruises all over.
Yuki, sitting at the kotatsu table, glanced up. "Was it bad?"
The older man sat down heavily. "I wouldn't go over there for a few days if I were you."
"Arigatou, Shigure." Yuki murmured, redirecting his gaze to the tabletop.
"It's fine." he demurred. "What about Tohru- kun?"
"She tries to smile, but she hasn't said a word. Kyou and Hatori are sitting with her; she's asleep."
"I see." Shigure sighed.
Yuki stood. "I'll get Hatori to take a look at you."
-
"Ouch!"
"You should know by now that it stings a little." Hatori chided, but there was no rancor in his tone. "How did it go with Akito?"
"Not too well. Kureno had to come in and help calm him down when he started choking me."
There was silence for a few minutes before Shigure ventured, "And Tohru- kun?"
Hatori sighed. "It's like Kisa all over again. She isn't speaking."
Shigure paused a moment before asking, "And physically?"
"She seems to be all right- she's going to have some nasty bruises on her ribs, but I think she'll be okay."
Hatori finished his work in a heavy silence.
-
A/N: Sorry if it's not a hadajuban, I just picked up the term from a site and decided to use it. And I read that Akito was actually a woman, so… if she seems a bit off, sorry. I may be crazy, but I'm not insane, so I can't fully understand how Akito thinks. ;D