YAY! I UPDATED! Then I re-wrote bitsof the chapter, added a fewdetailsand reposted it.
Did I go over board with the "nice" bit? I hope not. Cheers all!
Beyond the Darkness
Chapter Ten: Sparkle of Hope
"Akito." She greeted him solemnly, bowing her head as she held the kimono out to him. Akito slowly turned and approached her, his hair falling before his eyes.
"Hello, Miss Tokari." He ignored the kimono in her hands, staring deeply into her eyes as she slowly rose, with curiosity burning within her. His voice was smooth and eloquent, quite the opposite from what she had expected. "You should join me for afternoon tea." He added almost slyly.
'There's the real Akito, demanding and sinister.' She thought with a sigh as she placed the kimono on a nearby table and removed her coat. He bid her sit at a nearby makeshift table, and she did so unwillingly. Akito gently lowered himself on a cushion opposite her.
"Why are you here, Aiska Tokari?" He asked her simply, no true emotion to his voice.
"Why am I here" She paused to swallow her anger. "We have moved here because your house was perfect."
"Perfect?"
"Yes. Not too small, not too large, a great location, a beautiful area and wonderful neighbours." She forced a smile as Akito tilted his head.
"But why?" Her brow furrowed at his question. "Why here?"
"Well, I have distant relatives who own a traditional tea house down the road from here, so your house was closest to my work."
"You're a waitress." It came out as a sneer, but somehow it seemed as though that was not the way he had meant it.
"Yes, I am."
"Your choice field of work?" He fought the emotion out of his voice once more.
"No, not really."
"Then what is?" Akito's lips curled into small smile, as though proud of the uncomfortable position he held his guest in.
"I have no 'choice' field of work." Aiska replied shortly. Unable to hold eye contact with him any longer, Aiska's eyes took to roaming the room, studying the simplicity in which Akito seemed to live. Very few ornaments adorned the space, and before she could help herself, she was twirling the tassels of the rug in her fingers. Akito sat silently, his gaze seemingly detached as he watched her every movement, until his eyes landed on the clip holding her ebony hair from her shoulders.
'That clip… it can't be. She must have found it in that house.' Even as he told himself so, Akito did not believe it. He had forgotten he had horded it since he had found it as a child during a visit to the Sohma family's hot springs. That little girl, who had collapsed beneath his window, shedding tears he had felt little sympathy for.
'What was it she had yelled? It's not fair!' The image would not leave his mind as he studied Aiska. That girl had abandoned the clip once she had calmed and composed herself, and he had noticed the simple object left in the grass. He could not explain why, but he collected it that day, the exquisite detail of the bird in flight, with the silver comb melded into the bird's tail had fascinated him, and he had refused to give it up, no matter what. But here he was, staring at it in the hair of another young woman, and for some reason, it suited her.
"Akito Sohma, surely you did not invite me here to play Twenty Questions." Aiska smiled wryly, her gaze finding his darkened eyes once more. He opened his mouth to remark, but quickly closed it again, as though he had something on his mind, but was unable to find the words.
"Come now! You of all people should know that two people who clearly have too much to hide can never have a pleasant conversation over tea." His gaze narrowed as she laughed sarcastically. His lips twisted into a sneer just as there was a tentative knock on the door.
"What is it?" Akito hissed through clenched teeth just as a servant slid the door open and nervously bowed before placing a tray of tea and rice cakes on the table between them. The young woman quickly bowed again and raced from the room. Aiska merely raised an eyebrow.
"You even have the servants afraid of you." She observed, glancing to Akito with a playful sparkle in her eye.
"So?" He remarked, eyeing the rice cakes with distaste while trying to push the hair clip from his mind. Before long they both found themselves staring at the teapot, expecting the other to pour the tea.
"Well?" She gave a frustrated sigh at last.
"Well what?"
"So pour the tea."
"Why should I?"
"Because you're the host, and I am your guest." For reasons beyond Aiska's understand, Akito seemed taken aback by this. Gingerly he picked up the teapot and managed to pour her a cup of tea without spilling any on her, much to Aiska's surprise. Akito practically dropped the pot as he sat back, his gaze flitting out the window to avoid Aiska's. She raised an eyebrow before leaning forward and picked the pot up herself. With a delicate ease she poured Akito a cup of tea and gently placed the pot back down. With a smile she raised her cup, cast Akito a small smile and bowed her head before sipping her tea. Hesitantly Akito followed in suit, delicately taking a sip as though his lips had not touched the hot liquid in a very long time.
"Tea is very good for you, you clearly don't drink enough of it."
"Why should I bother?" He snarled.
"You know, I used to think the exact same thing." Aiska mused, swirling the tea in her cup. "But you know what? I say if you've got to go, you might as well go down fighting."
"You… you confuse me."
"Do I?" She smiled playfully.
"You're like something from a dream… a shadow of my imagination…."
A knock interrupted Akito as Hatori entered, not waiting for a reply. As he slid the door open, he found Aiska and Akito sitting opposite each other with a cup of tea in their hands and a distant look in their eyes. He fought back a smile as he bowed, well aware of Akito's tightened grasp on his cup.
"I don't mean to interrupt…"
"Then don't." Akito snapped.
"…But it is time for your check-up." Hatori watched as the two figures before him tensed. "Both of you." He added as the two glanced to each other before promptly looking away. Aiska downed the remaining tea and slammed the cup down on the table,
"Well I hate to be in the way, so I'll just take my clothes and get going." She remarked nervously as she rose. Akito waved a hand towards her garments lying on the table beside his kimono. The men watched as she gathered her things together and pulled her coat on. Just as she brushed past Hatori, he whispered,
"I do hope you're not trying to avoid me. I want to know about these nightmares." Aiska ignored him as she slid the door open, before turning back to them.
"Goodbye Hatori, Akito. Thank you kindly for the tea." She paused, her eyes lingering on Akito for a moment before she vanished out the door.
Akito rose without a word and made his way over to the window as Hatori merely watched him.
"Leave me." Akito muttered, his attention elsewhere. Hatori stood behind Akito, following his gaze out the window, to the young woman who had stumbled across his Akito aviary. Aiska whispered to the birds as they flittered about the large enclosure, watching as they cocked their heads to study her. She smiled to herself as she pulled her coat tightly around her before she sneezed. She glanced about her, seemingly grateful no one had noticed before she headed for the gate, pausing every now and then to inspect something in Akito's garden. Once she was out of sight, Akito collapsed, his back against the wall as he broke down into a series of dry, painful coughs. Hatori stood over him as Akito took a deep breath, his breathing rough and irregular. The man's eyes were closed and brow furrowed slightly in pain. Hatori sighed as he closed the windows and door, annoyed that he would allow the cold in. He turned the heater up and turned to find Akito sitting against the wall, his head resting back against the panelling.
"Why… does she need… a check-up?" He asked, his lungs still burning.
"The same reason that you do, because she's not well. Only she drinks her tea to stop the cough." Hatori glanced down to the barely touched tea before meeting Akito's darkened gaze.
"Where did she get the hair clip?"
Hatori's hesitance said enough. Akito managed to push himself onto his feet, turning to face the doctor.
"Why?"
"She said she had lost one just like it when she was young, at a hot spring near here." Hatori watched carefully as Akito turned away, clearly deep in thought.
"Get out."
"Akito…"
"Out!" He snarled, throwing the window open once more. Hatori shrugged as he bowed and made his way to the door.
"That hair clip…" He heard Akito mutter just as he slid the door shut.
---------------------------------------------------
Aiska slowly made her way home, her mind lost in thought as she replayed the afternoon in her head.
'He had been almost tolerable. But what had he meant? I'm like a shadow of his imagination?' Akito's behaviour had surprised her; he had been much more tolerable than the previous instances when she had found herself alone with the strange man. She still found it largely unnerving that he tended to watch her from his window whenever she past, or perhaps it was more her imagination. She shook her head, disgusted at her own paranoia as she picked her way along the path just as the house came into view.
'Perhaps I misheard, or he meant something else, and just didn't get to finish the sentence.' Aiska mused to herself before pushing the thought from her mind, allowing the serenity calmed her as birds twitted overhead and the breeze swept through the grass, rustling the bushes. Everything was so beautifully peaceful as Aiska mounted the stairs, she couldn't help but smile.
Romiko threw the door open, making Aiska jumped as she screamed her name,
"Aiska! Where have you been? I've been worried sick!"
"Calm down! You know where I've been." Aiska replied, catching the phone as Romiko threw it at her. "What are you so worked up about?"
"I even rang Shigure!" She cried, marching Aiska inside as she lifted the phone to her ear.
"Hello?"
"Ah, Aiska, you're back I take it. Romiko has been so worried. How did everything go with Akito?"
"Everything was fine… why?"
"Oh no reason." He replied evasively just as Romiko snatched the phone back.
"I'll talk to you later, Shigure." He voice instantly softened as she spoke, and Aiska felt a sly smile creep onto her lips.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You like him, don't you."
Romiko blinked and hesitated. "So, uh, what would you like for dinner?"
"I'll take that as a yes." Aiska replied with a smile as she wandered into the kitchen, Romiko following close behind.
"I never said that!"
"You don't need to." She laughed, burying her head in the refrigerator.
"Well? What about Akito and you?" Aiska popped her head over the door to glare at her friend,
"And what about Akito and I?"
"Still hate him?"
"Yes, but not quite as bad."
"What happened?" Romiko asked, excitement bubbling in her voice.
"He was… nice. Well, nicer than usual."
"Come on! Details!"
"What's to tell? We had tea, nearly got into a few arguments and I left when Hatori came in. Something about a check…" Aiska didn't finish the sentence as she pulled a handful of items out of the fridge.
"So what do you feel like tonight?"
"Aiska." Romiko frowned. "What did Hatori want?"
Aiska sighed, "Check-up." She finally muttered.
"And you ran."
"I didn't run!'
"But you avoided it."
"…maybe."
"You just don't want to tell him about the dreams. You haven't even told me about them!"
"They're nothing important." Waves of guilt washed over Aiska as she glanced to her friend. "Hey! I said I'd tell Hatori if they got any worse!"
"What about last night's dream?"
"That wasn't worse, that was just a little more… vivid."
"Aiska!"
"All right! Next time I have a nightmare, I'll tell Hatori… even though I still don't see what he could possibly do about them."
"Good! And I'll order the take out!" Romiko laughed.
---------------------------------------------------
Aiska screamed, her breathing ragged as her wide eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness. Something sticky and warm on her wrist caught her attention just as Romiko crashed through the door, flicking the lights on the process. A blinded Aiska could only blink as she heard Romiko swear. She dropped onto her knees beside Aiska and quickly began picking up the pieces of a broken lamp.
"What…happened?"
Romiko didn't reply as she raced from the room with the pieces, only to return shortly with bandages and warm water. Without a word, Romiko took Aiska's wrist and began wiping it down. Before long the water had turned a deep crimson as Romiko finished tying a bandage around Aiska's wrist.
"I'm calling Hatori in the morning." Romiko stood as Aiska studied the bandage, her brow furrowed.
"Romiko?" She whispered before her eyelid drooped and she collapsed back against the mattress.