See, it's long!

...kinda

Um… just some background info for those of you who haven't read that far in the manga or seen that much of the anime (I've actually seen like, 3 episodes of it, heehee), Ren is Akito's mother. Um… She was a maid in the Sohma household but then she fell in love with Akira, who was God at the time. He was sick a lot (duh) and she took care of him, and they got married. He totally loved Akito when he was born, like a lot, and Ren got REALLY jealous, and she completely hates Akito. Akira died pretty soon (boohoo and duh) and Ren still really hates Akito, and… yeah. She hates him a lot, and thinks that he stole her husband away from her. Ren tries to convince Akito that his bond with the Jyuunishi is fake, and they have a bet. If the Zodiac still returns to Akito instead of Tohru Honda, then Akito get to stay the head of the family, but if they don't, he gives his title up to Ren…. Oh, also she 'befriends' Rin (Isuzu—the horse) and gets her to try to sabotage him.

I think, I'm really not that far, tell me if I have it wrong.

Um… anything else?

I like doughnuts…

Yeah, I have finals coming up (boohoo) :( and… oh! I thought about bringing you all souvenirs from Boston but apparently that's like, impossible, since you can't download them.

My author's notes are too long.

Oh, and since I never did it before: I do not own Fruits Basket. Just Mahiru and apartment friends. And the couch in her room. I think. Her name is Paul…a.

Don't sue me, I got no money.

There's Beauty in the Breakdown

-------

Mahiru heard thumping from overhead. She ignored it, and went back to her dream. It was a very nice one, where she was beating a God-in-a-Box over the head with a rocking horse. The thumping persisted. Mahiru groaned and was yanked ungratefully awake. She listened closely and heard what sounded like coughing from upstairs.

'Omigosh what if the Sohmas are being robbed?'

She tiptoed out of bed, her tank-top and sleep pants still warm with their reminiscence of sheets and a comforter. She edged into the hallway, and inched through until she came to the stairs. She slowly climbed up, her eyes trained on a shadow, that looked to be sitting on a step a little more than halfway down. It coughed hoarsely, its breathing ragged. She crept carefully closer, as the figure seemed to be ignorant of her presence.

"What do you want?"

…or not.

Mahiru almost fainted when she heard it talk, although upon recognizing the voice, she realized she should have known who it was all along. She bowed "Good evening Sohma-sama."

"Oh, so now we're playing nice?"

"Okay, never mind." Mahiru knew that technically, she should apologize. She was living in his house, off of his charity, with his family, and she had just pretty much cursed him out. "What are you doing here?"

He gave her a death stare, "This is my house. I can go wherever I please."

"Well, yeah. I mean… of course. You should. Go wherever you please, I mean. In the house. Which is yours." Mahiru heard her self babbling and took a 'deep, cleansing breath'. Once calmed, she studied him more closely. He was hunched over, holding his robe tightly around him with trembling pale hands, as though trying to ward out a phantom chill, his breathing coming in ragged, uneven wheezes. "Are you alright?"

His death gaze returned.

"O…Kay. Touchy subject." Mahiru sat on the stairs next to him.

-------

Akito was appalled at this girl. She was sitting there, next to him, without an invitation. What she should be doing is just getting him his glass of water. With a start, he realized he hadn't told her to do that.

He was really starting to miss the Morphine drip…

-------

Mahiru settled into her position. It was vaguely comfortable, once she leaned her elbows on the step. She realized how truly little she knew about the Sohma Head of House. She turned to him "What do you want to be when you grow up?", only realizing the mistake of her words once they came out of her mouth. But there they hung, and she was unable to take them back. "Sorry, never mind." She turned back to facing down the stairs. 'omigod omigod omigod how insensitive is that!'

Akito blinked. No one, not one single person, had EVER asked him that. Even after she had taken it back, told him she didn't expect an answer, he continued to think about it. What would he have done with his life? "…A politician perhaps. If I had the time or strength for it…" He gaped at himself. He had just said that out loud. It was supposed to stay in his thoughts. He felt the girl looking at him.

"I was going to be a ballerina."

He smirked slightly. "I answered truthfully."

"So did I." Mahiru sighed and looked at the house's enormous, high ceiling. "I was going to be a ballerina. With the Astral Troupe." She looked at him "Ever heard of it?"

He hesitated, disbelieving at the conversation he was having, then shook his head.

"Yeah. They're not that good, or that well known. I was always told that I could do so much better than them. But they were my dream."

Akito glared at her "Why are you telling me this?"

She looked at him thoughtfully "You know, I don't know. Maybe because you know how it feels when you don't think it'll all be okay, like everyone tells you it will."

He shook his head "You know nothing of pain."

"Don't I?" She sighed and stood up. "I'm going back to sleep." She started down the stairs, taking her time, contemplating each carpeted step.

Akito watched her go, his mouth still dry, and his legs still spent. He called her name to stop her. When she turned he simply said "Get me a glass of water."

"Alright." She hopped down the rest of the stairs and towards what he knew to be the kitchens. That had been surprisingly easy. He had been expecting some kind of argument. She returned with a large glass of cold water, and she held it out to him, but when he didn't reach for it just set it next to him.

"Akito… Akito-sama, I mean. Sohma-sama." He looked up at her "What are you doing here? I mean here on the stairs."

He motioned limply to the glass of water, his gaze disinterestedly falling back down.

She was about to walk away again, when the good manners she had been taught as a working-girl surged their way to the surfaced again "Are you sure you're okay? You don't need help or anything?"

The Glare returned. Mahiru thought about giving it a name. Perhaps some dumb pun to do with God's eyes. She chuckled to herself, amused at her middle-of-the-night sense of humor, and sat down again, stretching out comfortably on her back. The staircase had been an object of great admiration to Mahiru, carpeted and huge. The gleaming wood railings suggested Western Victorian influence, each step wide enough to fit a giant's foot comfortably onto it. At two in the morning, it was as good as any place to sleep. Mahiru felt her eyes slowly drift close, and the feeling of warmth and home she was just starting to get used to wash over her as they finally shut, covering her with a warm blanket of sleep.

-------

Akito silently watched the girl sleep for about an hour, slowly sipping the water. He half-stood, slowly, still in a crouched position, unused to his body after his long period of bed rest, and continued slowly down the stairs until he reached his room. When he entered, his eyes widened quickly, and then narrowed in annoyance. He had ordered the Dragon to add things to his room, namely a sofa, carpet, and a new bed. He had been told that they were working on it, and the room wasn't ready. That had been a lie. His room looked out at him exactly as he had ordered it. He felt his anger overtake him, pushing out the rare complacency he had felt while on the stairs with the girl. His frown deepened. The girl. That's why his faithful little fishy had turned into a liar. What else had Hatori been lying about? Akito intended to find out.

-------

Mahiru woke up with her neck hurting. She figured she'd fallen asleep on her textbook again. Going back to school after two months of being out had forced her to become almost glued to the book so she would be able to catch up. She opened her eyes reluctantly, wondering why her alarm hadn't gone off. What she saw was the giant Sohma staircase spreading out below her as though she was sitting on a pyramid. She sat up quickly, sending all the blood rushing to her head and blacking out her vision. She waited it out, and then looked around, realizing that she was, in fact, on the stairs. Seeing the empty glass on her right, she remembered her night. 'What exactly does that mean?' she asked herself, unable to come up with a conclusion 'Does he like me or not?'

"Mah-chan!" She heard Momiji's voice coming from down the hallway "MAH-CH… Oh. Hi." He spotted her on the stairs. "Come on, we're going to be late" he bounded over to her, and then stopped with a puzzled look on his face. "Did you sleep there?"

"Long story…. And late for what?" She rubbed her eyes, shading them against the sun that came streaming through the huge window right across from her.

"…School." Momiji cocked his head "Are you sure you're okay?"

"OMIGOSH, SCHOOL!"

Mahiru raced down the stairs and into her uniform, and barely made it by the last bell, a slightly confused but very amused Momiji skipping after her.

-------

Akito sat outside, leaning against his shoji doors, the winter sun warm on his face, his feet freezing in contrast. He exhaled, seeing the small fog of his breath in the air, remembering the last time he had been outside. He shivered slightly.

-------

Hatori sighed as he dropped his cigarette. Either they were continually getting shorter in some evil tobacco company conspiracy or he needed a vacation. He had recently put Hiro's mother on bed rest, but she didn't seem to understand that that meant that she should be resting in bed. He massaged his temples. She was normally a klutz, but now every time she fell he had to run over to see her, just to make sure. He was thinking of covering her house in bubble wrap. He began walking down the path to the Main House, the brown, dead plants of winter sympathizing with him. He could use the bigger bubble wrap for the floors, and corners would be covered with Styrofoam. Maybe he should just chain her down…

If only he could chain Akito down. He saw the God sitting outside, his yukata falling off one shoulder, and his eyes closed as he leaned against the house. 'How the hell did he get downstairs?' Hatori walked over to him.

"Akito-sama, I don't think you're well enough to be down here." The God ignored him. Hatori kneeled by him, and reached out one hand to feel his forehead.

"Why did you lie to me Hatori?" The God's voice was breathless, quiet, and deadly.

Hatori froze, and then awkwardly returned his hand to his pocket "About what?" He busied himself standing and brushing phantom dust off his pants.

"You know." Akito's eyes opened a crack and he looked out at Hatori malevolently "Were you trying to protect her?"

Hatori was at a loss of what to say. Yes, he had been trying to protect Mahiru, but he was sure answering such to Akito would end badly. He was saved when Akito's eyes fluttered closed. "Go away."

"Is something wrong Akito-sama?" Hatori was comfortable with this topic.

"Yes. I'm dying. Go away, you leech." The sun went behind a cloud, and Akito pulled his yukata tighter around himself. Hatori usually went quiet when he said things like that. He was tired, and his whole body hurt. While he was being quiet, he thought he could hear his heartbeat gradually slowing, thinking about how it would feel when it finally ground to a stop. He was not in the mood to deal with the doctor.

"At least get in bed."

"When I feel like it." Akito felt himself floating, losing interest. This scene had played out a hundred different times, all the same. Next, the Dragon would tell him 'You are very ill, I must insist, as your doctor, that you get in bed and let me examine you.' Or something in that vein.

"Last time you came out here you couldn't feel anything for months."

Well, that was new. Akito's eyes shot open, taking in the Dragon, who was apparently as shocked as he was.

Hatori cleared his throat "I… I mean—well, you should get in bed." This second attempt was pathetic, and when Akito told him to go away, he went willingly enough.

-------

So now you can press that pretty little button that says 'Go' next to the Submit Review thing.

Oh, and love to Amara Corbin!

Love Laur

You're mad jealous

OMFG AND I'M GOING TO A 'THE SCENE AESTHETIC' CONCERT!

AGAIN!

YAY ERIC AND ANDREW! I'm a musical freak.

Oh, and I said we were going to learn more about Mahiru here, and we did. A little bit. More in the next chapter, sorry. I think…