Author's Note: This is just a reminder for those who know about Akito's spoiler. Akito is still going to be a guy in our story no matter what.
Chapter Thirty-One: The Sinner's Sentence
"I can explain, Saki!" I begged my older sister desperately. Earlier today was when I returned from the Sohma hot spring and before I even set foot inside my house, Saki was waiting for me furiously. No matter how many times I told her that Pohli basically dragged me along on the trip, she wouldn't listen to me.
"I told you to stay away from Yuki!" Saki reiterated herself firmly.
We had been fighting for thirty minutes now and luckily our parents were out shopping with Megumi. But during our fight my room had been torn apart by both Saki and myself. The only thing that had not been thrown across the room at this point was Tsuka, and the white ribbon that Yuki had given me was concealed safely inside my balled up fist. "Why! Why do I have to stay away from Yuki! I love him and he feels the same for me! Is it because you want him to be with Tohru?" I demanded, nearing the verge of tears.
For a moment my older sister paused and then she muttered quietly. "That's why you think I told you to stay away from him? I'm not doing this just to try and ruin your life like you might think. Until you can control your anger you are a danger to yourself and others… even Yuki! You might hurt him even when you don't mean to."
I sat down on my bed, glaring at the floor. "It's not like you've never lost your temper before and hurt someone."
Saki's voice hardened as she continued to speak. "I could've really killed that boy in grade school because I was so angry at him for forcing me to eat a live newt. At that moment in time I hated him with every fiber of my being…"
"For a good reason! You were getting harassed endlessly by those kids!" I stood and looked into Saki's eyes, trying to reason with her.
Then she looked at me with a sad gaze that clearly said I didn't know what I was talking about. "Of course you wouldn't understand. You lashed out at Tohru last year, hurting her badly. And you've also done this to many of your other classmates in the past. Arisa was one of the lucky ones to not be so injured by your bad temper. But even though you've hurt so many you don't feel any regret for it."
"Yes I—" I blurted out but Saki interrupted me.
"Even though you really did take someone's life, you still don't carry a burden on your conscious? What would Yuki do if he found out you were the one who hanged that Yuki club fan girl who was loitering around outside of Shigure's house that one night?" Saki questioned grimly.
My blood ran cold and I fell to my knees, shaking. I had hoped that it had been a nightmare… I didn't want to accept that I had killed a girl.
"When I injured that boy in grade school. I wanted to be punished." Saki sighed and kneeled down beside me, resting her hand on my shoulder as if to provide some form of comfort. "And when I wasn't punished I wore all black to signify that I was a sinner. Even in junior high when the uniforms were not black I painted my nails black, to show everyone and keep my distance from my classmates."
That night… if Saki hadn't tried to seal the rest of my soul into Tsuka I wouldn't have been so filled with rage that I killed that girl… that's right… That was all her fault.
"Perhaps when you finally learn not to use your powers so lightly and lose your temper, you and Yuki can be truly happy—"
"It's your fault…" I gritted my teeth, not raising my eyes from the floor. "It's because you tried to seal away my personality for good!"
After I said that, there was a long silence between us… but then Saki removed her hand from my shoulder and I looked up at her briefly before she slapped me. Falling to the floor I held my cheek in shock.
"Grow up! Stop being so naïve and self-centered!" Saki yelled.
At this point I couldn't hold back the tears in front of my sister any longer… I collapsed onto the floor, sobbing and this time Saki made no move to comfort me.
Finally, Saki sighed and started moving towards the door of my room. "I've talked to mom and dad. And they've made the arrangements to send you to England for as long as it takes. Until then, you are forbidden to leave the house." She explained and then slammed my bedroom door shut on her way out.
I couldn't stop crying… no matter what… The thought of never being able to see Yuki again hurt so much that I would rather die than never see him again…
"I HATE YOU SAKI!" I screamed. "I HATE YOU!" Sitting up on my floor, I glared at Tsuka through my tears before grabbing the neck of the stuffed animal and ripping it clear off from the rest of the body. Then I opened my window and threw the pieces outside onto the sidewalk and slammed my window shut, nearly breaking the glass. Frustrated, hurt, and crying, I buried my face into my pillow on my bed and cried until I no longer had the strength to cry anymore. The only thing that provided me with comfort was the ribbon still in my grasp…
(Yuki's POV)
Midori had left so suddenly when we returned from the hot springs that I wondered if something was wrong. Everything had seemed so wonderful last night. Could I have possibly done something wrong or upset her? Sighing, I looked down at the ground with my hands in my pockets, walking towards her house. Looking up at the sky I smiled to myself, remembering last night and the smile she gave me. I wish I could see her smile like that all of the time…
Not paying any attention, I stumbled over something that blocked my path on the sidewalk. When I looked down I was surprised to see Midori's Tsuka plushy beheaded. I picked up the body and the head, careful not to lose any of the stuffing inside and quickly walked over to the door of Midori's house. Most of the lights within the house were shut off even though the sky was darkening outside. Nobody answered when I rang the doorbell several times but I thought I saw a shadow move past one of the second floor windows. Disheartened, I turned and left, giving the house one sad longing look before I went home.
TO BE CONTINUED