"Out of sight, out of mind,

out of time…to decide…

do I run?

Should I hide?

For the rest…of my life…

Can we fly?

Do I stay?

We could lose…we could fail…

And the more…minutes it takes…to make plans…or mistakes…

Thirty minutes, a blink of an eye,

Thirty minutes to alter lives,

Thirty minutes to make up my mind,

Thirty minutes to finally decide,

Thirty minutes to whisper your name,

Thirty minutes to shoulder the blame,

Thirty minutes could risk thirty lives,

Thirty Minutes To Finally Decide…"

"Thirty Minutes" by T.A.T.U.


Dusk is one of the few moments in the day where the weather seems just right. The day's heat meets the cold night, and the two mix to create ideal conditions, if not for just a little bit. Tonight was an especially nice night. A peaceful sort of mood lay about, and only the breeze warned of the approaching thunderclouds. However, as menacing as the oncoming clouds were, nothing could compare to the storm that was brewing within the walls of the Sohma family estate.

Sitting just outside the oh-so-familiar room, Akito stared blankly at the darkening sky. His face and body language remained unreadable by the servant who waited patiently by the door (who, having been called earlier and not told yet why he was here, stood, awaiting orders that never came). But his eyes…his eyes were another story. Staring off into the distance, his eyes watered slightly, but not enough to spill over and become tears. No…the head of family was too strong for that…or at least, that's what the servant believed. However, not long ago the servant would have found it hard to believe he'd ever see the violent teen look sad…let alone tear up. Something terrible must have happened. Not the servant particularly cared. He was just here to fulfill his duty, get paid, and continue living off the meager wages he made here at Sohma house.

"Go"

This startled the subordinate, who had been enjoying the peaceful silence. "Ummm…", he started, "…I understand you called for m-"

"Go", Akito repeated, still staring off at nothing in particular. His voice was neither angry nor demanding, but, nevertheless, told the servant that he should leave. Without another word, the servant left the melancholy room, leaving the teen alone.

The wind started to pick up, and a sudden chill blew through the Sohma grounds. Akito remained unaffected by the sudden temperature drop. Allowing the sudden wind to rush through his black hair, the teen continued staring out at the world that had, in the last twenty-four hours, become so dear yet so foreign to him.

The distant rain clouds had drawn closer, and it wasn't long before they started sprinkling. Little rain droplets fell from the soggy clouds and soon found there marks on anything not covered. A droplet rolled down Akito's face, and, any nearby observer would have mistaken it for just another rain drop…

However, sitting under the protection of the big, sweeping roof top of the building, the rain was unable to reach Akito. As the rain continued to pour on the unsuspecting outside world, more tears spilled onto the teen's cheeks, while he made no effort to stop them.

"How…how much longer do I have?" the head of family asked hoarsely.

"Well, if history repeats itself, as it has so often done in the past, probably another week…at the most…", the doctor had replied, matter-of-factly.

"A week…" Akito whispered to himself, his gaze still fixated on the now pouring skies. He had known it would come down to this…he had known that his whole life…even still…somehow it seemed as though it had snuck up on him, a bolt out of the blue. This had happened all too fast…his life couldn't seriously be coming to a close already? Surely seventeen years didn't pass in what seemed like a few moments? But, when it came to it, it had, and if the book was right, Akito didn't have much time left in existence.

A week…a week that would be spent in this very room…a week, within which he probably would see no one except that stupid dragon who had written out the teen's death sentence, or at least as good as had. Hatori had insisted that Akito be taken to a hospital to spend his remaining days, but the head of family wouldn't hear of it. If he was going to die, he wanted to do so in the 'comfort' of his room. Unable to argue with Akito's decision, Hatori warned him that if anything else should come up, or if the bruises were to start bleeding (which was the next phase), to call for the dragon immedeatly, and he would be rushed to the hospital for urgent care. So, for the last few hours, the head of Sohma family had sat in the same position, just outside his room, watching the ever-fleeting world pass him by.

A sudden noise caused Akito to turn quickly. There were voices…?…yes, voices…just outside his room. The teen stood up and made his way over to the door. Shooting through him, a severe pain reminded him of his current condition, and, just as he arrived at the door, Akito slid to the ground in defeat. That took more out of him than it should have…how could a simple task such as walking to the door be so difficult? Trying to shake off the foreboding feeling that was growing in his mind, Akito tried to focus on the voices outside.

"Hello Hari! So, how is our 'beloved leader' doing?"

"Don't even joke Shigure…this is serious"

"My apologies. So I take it by your call that things are indeed happening as you had guessed…?"

Silence…then Shigure's voice could be heard. "I see…shall I tell the others?"

"That", the dragon said, "would be entirely up to Akito…seeing as it concerns him. However, if I were you, I'd leave him be for now…he seems to have taken the news rather hard"

"Understood…I think I would to if I were on my death bed!"

"Shigure…"

"Sorry! I'll quit joking!"

After another moment of silence, the dog could be heard. "So…have we already picked a new head of the household…seeing as we'll be needing one soon?"

"Not yet…the preparations for the funereal have to be made first…and then, of course, there is the three day mourning period. After that, the next head of family will be considered…"

The voices faded as the two adults passed the room and continued down the hall.

Tears sliding down his cheeks, the teen rested his head on his knees. He was dying…literally dying…what had the dog said? …on my death bed…? Is that what I am?

Akito sat, shivering, in the corner of the room. How could they all ready be thinking beyond his death…as though it was just another event in their daily lives? Did his existence mean nothing to them?

Suddenly, his sadness turned to hatred. No…this isn't the end…there was still time. And that time wouldn't be spent grieving. Clenching his fists until his nails dug into his skin, Akito glared at the door. He had time yet. He'd make them pay…he'd make them all pay…the name Akito Sohma would live on, even after his demise…a name that would haunt the member of the Zodiac to their grave…

A sudden drowsiness took a hold of the head of family, causing his vision to blur slightly. Realizing the shot Hatori gave him earlier was beginning to take effect, the teen fought to stay awake. Sliding to the floor, Akito lay on his side, staring at the walls, until he slipped into a long, troubled sleep.


"Are you okay?"

A little, brown-haired girl stared at her friend. Something was wrong. She had never seen him like this before. He was panting heavily, and sweating profusely. His face contorting in pain, the boy slipped to the ground, gasping for breath.

Rushing to his side, the girl panicked. She didn't know what to do! She'd never seen anyone ever look like this before!

Suddenly, a woman appeared out of nowhere, and shoved the girl aside. Wrapping a blanket around the boy, she gave him what appeared to be some medicine, and slowly the gasping subsided. The little girl was relieved. Thank goodness someone had come at last! Before she could open her mouth to thank the woman, the lady whipped around and pointed an accusing finger at her.

"This is YOUR fault! If he hadn't been out playing with you, this never would have happened!" the black haired woman screamed.

"Bbb..but I…"

"HE DOESN'T NEED YOU! YOU DO NOTHING BUT CAUSE TROUBLE FOR HIM, AS WELL AS THE REST OF THIS FAMILY! IT'S YOUR FAULT! IT'S YOUR FAULT! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU ANYWHERE NEAR MY SON EVER AGAIN, DO YOU HEAR ME?"

The girl stood staring up at the lady, eyes wide with fear. Turning to look at her former companion, she saw the same fear in his dark eyes. Eyes watering, the girl sniffed, and attempted one last plea to the woman. "I'mmm…sorry…I…I didn't…"

"LEAVE NOW AND NEVER COME BACK!"

Taking off in the direction of the woods, the girl ran without looking back, the woman's cruel words echoing in her head. Stumbling along the dense underbrush, she tripped over a tree root and fell face first to the ground. Recognizing the favorite play spot, she crawled under the willow and sat facing the river. Unable to contain it any longer, she burst into tears. Her friend…her best friend in the world…gone…forever…

Sitting in the shelter of the willow, the girl hugged her knees closer to her. The rain outside intensified, and the world became one vast sea of water.


Tohru Honda woke with a start. What had that been? Not being one for much dreaming, this one had taken her by surprise. What an odd dream. It was so foreign to her...yet so real…as though she had been watching an actual film.

Looking at her clock, she tried to make out the numbers in the red blur. Eyes adjusting to the darkness, she read the time: 1:00 A.M. Well, it was certainly too early to get up and make breakfast…but, seeing as she couldn't fall back to sleep, Tohru found herself crawling out of bed and standing at the window. Outside the rain continued to pour, and the odd crack of thunder could be heard in the distance, accompanied by a flash of lightning. However, as active as it was outside, Tohru's mind wasn't on the weather.

That dream…what had it been about? Tohru couldn't recall anyone ever existing in her past that looked like the woman. And the boy…she had gotten the feeling that he was a close friend…could this figment of imagination really exist? Was he out there, somewhere, staring out at the rain too, which continued to pour down on the earth mercilessly? Was he?


Author's Note:

Sorry it's been awhile since the last update...school's started and life is getting a little hectic (is that even how you spell it?) The most confusing of all my classes is French. Parlez Vous Francias? (Do you speak French?) Oui! (Yes!) I'm not one hundred percent sure how I'm ending this fic...but I have a general idea. However, it might be awhile to the next update, considering I have two other stories that haven't been updated for even longer...


Review Response:

ilikewhitetiger- I'm glad you liked it :)

Animedreamer240- Hey! Sup? XP XD I always enjoy your reviews the most, because it always seems like you and I are having a conversation in them :) Very sorry the RPing didn't work...my comp froze at the last minute (grrrr...evil technology...) I agree with you though...I wonder how the rest of the family will react when they notice the symptoms...?

ChildlikeEmpress- Thanks for the review! I hope I updated soon enough:D

Yanikei- I'm glad you like it so much :D Thank you for the really kind review!

Reiko - It's not that the fact that he's dying suprised him...(I mean, he's been doing that his whole life)...it's more the fact that he's basically into his final stages of death...meaning he doesn't have very much time left...and THAT suprised him. Don't worry... more from the girl coming up...(heh, but now it's a little more obvious who it is XP)

ShuichisLover- Okay, so I didn't update as fast THAT time...but hey...no one's perfect XP XD Jk, thanks for the review!