Chapter Thirty-Two: Consequences

(Hatori's POV)

"You know that wasn't good for you Akito." I kept my eyes to the floor as the young head of the family leaned against the couch. The boy had disappeared the day before; the whole family had become frantic at the news.

"Hatori your with him all of the time where is he?"

"…Is he sick?"

"…Has he died?"

On the other hand some people in the family were overjoyed with the thought of his death. I had gone to Shigure's house to escape the badgering of the rest of the family. Although not a good place to relax, I thought it would be good to try and see if Akito was there.

When I got there, Shigure had been fluttering around overjoyed with the fact that not only was Akito missing but that blonde girl, Pohli, as well. When I had picked up the phone to call around, Yuki miraculously called in to inform Shigure that he would be staying at the hot springs for the night. I asked if he had seen Akito and for a few moments there was nothing but silence on the other end.

This meant to Yuki's distain, Akito was with him.

"I'm fine." Akito snapped, "Fresh air never hurts, isn't that what you always used to tell me as a child? Hatori? Answer me!" Never looking up I nodded. "Good, I'll always have you Hatori. I'll have you there at my death bed with poison in your hand telling me it's better for all of them." The sadistic boy stood up and walked across the room never changing his tone in voice.

I tightened my jaw, knowing that no matter what Akito said to me I could not argue. Akito was like a viper; he would smile while waiting to strike. Then he would smile as you breathed your last breath.

"Hatori," He looked back at me and held out his hand so I could see it, "I will do as a please. If I want to sit in this room and rot I will. If I want to crush the life out of all those around me I will." The boy walked to his open doorway and looked up towards the upstairs window longingly. "If I want to look at those… those…" He whispered, at loss for words.

I took my chance and stood up.

"Those you know you will never be able to keep?" I took in a breath willing myself to go on; I would only have a few words out before he would lash out at me. "You've become soft Akito." I said with out any feeling, but inwardly noted this as good news.

"Shut up." The boy hissed.

"You've learned what being human is and you're afraid. You are afraid you will lose the power that you have now." I continued, much to Akito's fury.

"I said shut up…" He gritted his teeth.

"But what is worth more to you? Your power? Your control?" I paused and walked over to the doorway with him, "Your health?" I looked up to the window I knew he was staring at. Pohli was sitting in the window seat with her back to us reading a book, a small smile spread across my lips, "Or her?"

Then Akito snapped, "I SAID SHUT UP! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HOW I FEEL!" Akito snarled and stretched his hand out to strike me but I grabbed his wrist forcing him to listen.

"Think about it Akito! You don't have much longer, you know this!" The boy struggled to break free so I forced him to his knees. "The one thing you want more then anything you can't have! You can't have her! I know you want her but we can't always have what we want can we?" I couldn't help but yell at him; all of the anger I had ever felt towards him was coming out in spades.

"Do you think you can break the curse?" I shouted repeated what he had told Kana so long ago, "It's all your fault! You bare the center of our curse! Do you think you can fight it? Ever since you were born you knew you had to die!"

The boy looked up at me with a face filled with anger and hatred.

"FUCK YOU ALL!" The boy did something I should have guessed he would. Akito slammed his fist into my face knocking me off balance. "IF I HAVE TO DIE I WILL MAKE ALL YOUR LIVES MISERABLE TILL I TAKE MY LAST BREATH!"

I lay there sprawled on the ground as Akito raged around me.

"Just because I want to be alive and happy I have to die? I have to die for you, all of you? It's a sick joke!" He took a deep breath and kicked me in my ribs. "The way fate toys with us…" The boy mused and laughed a little before walking across the room.

Slowly I sat up, clutching my side in pain. "You have two months Akito. Two months and the day you die will come. You think that because you have to die you have to force us as well," I shook my head looking up at him.

"Hatori?" He asked as he began to climb the stairs that led to his room.

"Will you drag her down as well?" I added as I stood up and walked out. Akito was forcing himself to die; without knowing it his whole life he wanted to die. All he ever wanted was for it all to end.

But now when he has finally found something worth living for…

"Hatori, I don't want to die…" I heard him whisper as he closed the door sealing his fate.

(Pohli's POV)

"Hey Yuki have you seen Midori today? She wasn't at school…" I asked the silver-haired boy as I climbed in his window without permission and a very surprised Yuki jumped when he heard my voice.

"Pohli, I thought she might have been with you. I'm worried…" he looked down at something he was holding in his lap. I fell to the floor and rolled over to where he was sitting so I could get a better view of what he was holding.

The guy was holding Tsuka's head. I don't mean the head as in the body is just hanging there, I mean only its head was there. Little tufts of fuzz were sticking out where the body should have been.

I cringed and pointed to Yuki. "Oh my God, you've killed it! You pervert! You couldn't get enough of Midori so you stole her doll!" Yuki blinked at me with wide eyes, "You sick bastard making love to a bodiless plushy!" I threw my hands into my hair and acted as if I was going to pull it out, "You disgust me! Oh what would Midori say?"

Yuki cried out in protest, "I, I would never! I have the utmost respect for Midori…" He turned a dark shade of red as he stammered for an excuse.

"Yuki, I was kidding." I gave him a bonk on the back of his head, "But hey, why do you have its head anyway?" I let out a small laugh and stood up stretching.

"I found it outside of Midori's house on the sidewalk. When I rang her doorbell to return it no one answered. I'm concerned…" He looked down into his lap at the dolls now dim eyes.

"Saki's a bitch. I bet this is her fault you know. I can't stand that girl with all of her sucking personalities and electric waves." I said with my voice dripping with annoyance. Come on I can call her a bitch, there are certain people in this world you can just look at and just know. Like I know most of the world is full of greedy little slime bags with secret agendas.

"Saki isn't as bad as she seems, nor is Arisa as much as you hate her. They were there for Tohru when she needed them. I won't interfere with your fight with your cousin but maybe… Maybe if you all just talked it could be better. Only when you're around does Arisa act the way she does. Maybe…" Yuki stopped and looked up at me, "Just try it sometime."

"I could say the same about you and Kyou." I snorted and opened the door to the hallway, "See you later Yuki. I'll go check on Midori tomorrow. Plus I need to return her lighter to her anyway. Heh, I kind of forgot I had it." And I walked into the dark hallway and closed the door. I wandered down the stairs looking for Shigure for no real reason.

"Hey Pohli." Shigure called from the kitchen while reading some book. The book was titled: 'Do it yourself, become a homo-sexual, remain a hetero and enjoy the luxuries of hair and being an older brother.'

I always knew he was a little… off.

"What are you doing here this late?" Shigure inquired, never looking up from his book.

"I don't really know actually. I guess I came to ask if you'd seen Jack lately." I opened the fridge to find nothing edible. Shigure sighed and closed his book.

"Jack came by before he left. He looked very upset I might add. He said he would be gone for a while and not to worry about him too much. I figured he had a fight with Akito again." Shigure took off his reading glasses and looked up at me. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about it would you?"

I glanced around nervously, recalling that night.

"Can't you see I… I…" Jack grabbed my shoulder and pressed me against the cabinet and leaned in so close to me. I could feel the heat coming off of him as he drew nearer to me. His lips only inches away from mine…

"What are you doing!" Jack jerked back at the sound of Akito's raging voice.

"I, well…" I stuttered to find the right words and this made Shigure arch an eyebrow.

"Akito being his usual controlling self I see. I'll talk to him later and see if he knows anything about Jack. Or at least tell me where he hid the body." He laughed at his own joke as I flinched. "Don't worry, go home I'll come by later. First I have to go call up Aya and tell him to take his book back; I really don't need information on how to be an older brother." Shigure stood and walked to the phone.

What about the other stuff in the title… Do you really need all of that?

I went to go tell Shigure goodbye before I left but he was busy flirting with Aya over the phone. I figured it was safer to leave him alone then to get involved with the bubbles that were miraculously floating around him… So I set off back to my new home, Akito's home. Back to our home, back to what ever we would make it in the future.

TO BE CONTINUED