Chapter Eleven: Chat with Akito

It was pretty selfish of me to isolate myself for my own reasons. Every time Yuki tried to help with his small acts of comfort, I would completely ignore him. I'm sure even Pohli had figured out something was wrong by now…

The three of us were walking together to the first part of the traditional Sohma New Years celebration. Power had also been restored some time ago much to the relief of everyone. My long sleek black wavy hair hung loosely around my mid back, instead of being in its usual braid like Saki's. Pohli was having trouble walking in the kimonos Ayame gave us. I guess it would be uncomfortable for an American and it didn't help that it was much too small for her. Yuki on the other hand seemed to be in a deep thought. When I looked up at him (yes, I have to look up because I am so short…) he would smile at me. Even though he smiled, I could tell that behind that smile was a mystery and a sad one too. All the Sohmas had that same smile as well. But it had to be more than just the Zodiac Curse… or at least what I had been told about it.

Yuki escorted us to an even larger building. Inside we slipped off our shoes and proceeded to a room with many small tables with food prepared on it. My stomach growled from only eating dried ramen for breakfast… suddenly the food looked really appetizing. Instead of one large table there were several smaller tables that could seat three or four people. Yuki led us over to a table in the corner by a window, far away from the other freaks in the room. I hesitated, when Yuki and Pohli took their seats leaving one for me in between them both.

"Um… excuse me, I'll just go out for some fresh air." I bowed and turned away; Pohli gave me a pleading look when Yuki started a conversation with her.

"So do you like chicken?" Yuki asked.

"No, my sign is the rooster; I'm a chicken rights activist." Pohli explained as if it was absolutely normal to be a chicken rights activist.

I looked back to see Yuki giving Pohli a bewildered look. "Um… what?"

"I'm a chicken rights activist, damn it! Get it through your head!!!" Pohli shouted to the whole room.

I opened the door to step outside away from the very weird… people. Since it was winter the sun was setting much earlier and it was already growing dark. Closing the door I sighed and saw my breath escape from my mouth.

"So who are you?" Someone whispered into my ear.

"Ack!" I jumped and spun around to see the so-called Akito.

"I asked you a question, stupid." Akito snarled.

Talk about a bad first impression. "I'm Midori Hanajima… Saki's sister… friend of Tohru… Saki's her friend, not me." I explained dryly with absolutely no emotion.

Akito raised an eyebrow at me. "Really…?"

"Yes." I said slowly… was this Akito guy arrogant and slow? Is that why Pohli likes him so much… or does she really want to hang him?

"Are you Pohli's friend?" Akito sneered with an air of superiority.

"Yes." This conversation was getting nowhere fast.

"She is hard to resist now, isn't she?" Akito pondered this in a very serious tone. I stared at him, at a loss for words. In my mind I was only thinking 'ewwww!' "I guess I shouldn't be discussing this with you, you are a child after all. You wouldn't understand such adult things." Akito scoffed.

Oh really, adult things such as adultery, infidelity, pornography, those things that really go bump in the night. I'm sure I knew more than this Akito did. Now my virgin mind is scarred for life!

"Are you… Yuki's friend?" Akito smirked.  

"Yes…" I said warily, praying that he didn't say Yuki was irresistible too.

Instead he sufficed with a, "Hmmm… interesting." I thanked Kami-sama silently in the background. "There should be some way I can make him suffer…" Akito muttered to where I couldn't hear.

"Hmm? Did you say something?" I asked hesitantly.

"No, why would I be talking to a child such as you?" Akito cornered me.

"B-but you just-!" I stuttered.

"It's none of your concern!" Akito stormed off back inside.

I stood there utterly clueless. A bad feeling was creeping into the back of my mind. Shaking my head, I went back inside to see Pohli try and explain to Yuki just what a chickens right activist is.

"We have to protect our fellow chicken!" Pohli exclaimed while waving her arms around madly. Yuki tried to take a bite out of some chicken but Pohli slapped the chicken away. "Are you not understanding anything I'm saying?!" Yuki shook his head and attempted to take a bite out of another chicken when he saw me approaching.

"Oh, Midori-san. What took you so long?" Yuki asked as I sat down.

"Oh… nothing really…" I decided it would be best not to mention the conversation with the creepy Akito to the others. Especially since I, myself wanted to forget it. Without meaning to, I shuddered at the very thought, catching the attention of Yuki.

"Daijoubu?" Yuki asked.

I nodded and picked at my food slowly. I was starving, yet not hungry at the same time. Pohli was highly enjoying her vegetables while swatting at Yuki every time he tried to reach for the plate of chicken. Eventually he flat out gave up and headed off to eat something else, Pohli seemed very proud of this accomplishment.

"So where's Akito? Anyone seen him around, anyone?" Pohli asked casually shoving a carrot in Yuki's direction. Yuki glared at her through the corner of his eyes and shoved it back onto her plate.

"Um… I haven't seen him." I shook my head vigorously.

Pohli narrowed her eyes at me, as if able to tell I was lying. "You answered that awfully quick…" Pohli stated suspiciously. Yuki seemed to agree with her that I was lying, too.

"No, I haven't seen him since…" I had to think hard as to the last time I saw him before just a few minutes ago. "Breakfast… you know, when he was hanging all over you."

Pohli turned bright red. "He was NOT hanging all over me! He's was being kind, courteous, a perfect gentleman… I'll shut up now." She glared down at her hands, not making eye contact with either Yuki or me. If only Pohli knew what Akito had said about her a few moments before… and how indecent he was! Yuki seemed to hold the same opinion about Akito as me for he was giving Pohli a very serious warning look.

Tohru and Kyou wandered over to our direction, Kyou mumbled under his breath and was clearly complaining about having to leave his seat but oblivious Tohru would never notice unless it was beyond obvious.

"Yuki-san," Tohru smiled and the two of them took seats across from the three of us. "It was so nice of you to bring me to the Sohma mansion for New Years. I'm very glad that Uo and Hana could come too!" Pohli and I pouted because we weren't mentioned but then again, Tohru's an airhead…

Kyou mumbled under his breath, "Little does she know she was forced to come…"  

Yuki sighed. "Yes Honda-san, it was my pleasure to bring you here." For some reason or another I could tell Yuki was kind of tired of Tohru's clueless ness.

The sound of silverware hitting glass made everyone divert their attention to Hatori who stood in the opposite corner next to Ayame and Shigure. "Tonight, I'd like to make a toast to Akito… Actually I really WOULDN'T care! I could care less! I put cyanide in all your drinks! You're all going to DIE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Shigure slapped his hand over Hatori's mouth and eyes, knocking the spazzing Hatori to the ground.

Ayame stood over Hatori. "Good God man! You can make it through another year! I know you can!" The Mabudachi trio scuttled out of the room and everyone else acted like nothing happened and continued drinking their drinks.

"YUKI! DON'T DRINK IT! IT HAS CYAPANIDE IN IT!!!" Tohru exclaimed in horror while waving her arms around wildly.

Yuki sighed and put down his drink. "Tohru, Hatori does this every New Years. It's the one time of the year when he shows his true emotions about us all." Pohli and I sat in utter terror and neither of us drank anything after that.

"Who would have thought Hatori actually had emotions?" Kyou asked no one in particular.

"I always knew he had emotions! He has feelings too." Tohru cried and ran off. Kyou turned to the rest of us with a pleading look in his eye before running off after her.

Yuki sighed and laughed quietly. "Thank Kami-sama I didn't get into that…"

"Tohru is rather air headed and stupid…" I admitted.

"I lynched her once… it was fun… her rope was hot pink too!" Pohli shuddered at the thought of the horrendous color.

"So that's why Arisa said Tohru was afraid of you." Yuki put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Yep." Pohli grinned, proudly.

Yuki looked down at his watch and muttered to himself, "It's still early… Akito hasn't arrived yet…" He looked up at us. "I think it's time we head back."

"But what about Aki-?" Pohli didn't get to finish her question.

"It's getting late, we should head back now." Yuki was straining his smile.

"But you just said it was early…" I received a swift and hard kick from Yuki's direction but I tried not to flinch. He turned his fake smile to me.

"Now." Yuki grabbed us both by our arms and pulled us out the door and back towards the girls' house.

"But I wanna see Aki!" Pohli forced her arm out of Yuki's grip and tottered back inside.

When Pohli was out of sight and out of earshot I fidgeted with the hem of my sleeves nervously. "Um… Yuki?" I asked quietly.

"Yes, Midori-san?"

"Um… never mind…"

Five minutes later… "Um… Yuki?"

"Yes?"

"Well I… never mind…"

Five minutes later… "Um… Yuki?"

He turned to me slowly, in an irritated fashion. "Yes?"

"Um… never mind…" I stared down at my feet. "Yuki?"

"WHAT?!" Yuki snapped.

I jumped and stuttered my response. "W-well I… I saw Akito… and he…"

Yuki stopped dead in his tracks, getting the wrong idea. "What?"

"Well… I saw him after he was hanging all over Pohli and stuff. Tonight, when I went outside, he snuck up on me…"

Yuki put his hand on my shoulder and his eyes widened. "What did he do? Did he… touch you?"

I stared blankly at him before slapping him. "He touches Pohli you moron!"

"Whoops… wrong thing to say." Yuki removed his arm to hold his cheek while the other hand scratched the back of his head. I explained what had happened when I went outside alone. Yuki nodded slowly. "I see…" Without another word he turned around and left for the main house.

"That was weird…" I shrugged and went in to go to bed. The day's events had drained me of my energy. But Akito really scared me…

TO BE CONTINUED

Kyou-chan: Isn't Aki the greatest?!

Umi-chan: Um… yeah, sure, whatever…