Author's Note: Many thanks to those of you who have sent me reviews!

This chapter is really emotional (what a shocker) but hopeful towards the end.

As always, enjoy. On with the show!

Chapter 5 (Pretty In Black)

The wind blew wildly causing Kita's face to be covered in a mass of violet tresses. Trying to remain collected and in control, she pushed the strands away from her face and smoothed them down neatly. What a cold day for a funeral.

She hadn't dressed with the weather in mind, only her father. She was wearing a simple black dress that had a flowing skirt and a fitted sleeveless top. Around her neck and in her ears dangled the onyx and silver jewelry Jiro had bought her for her last birthday. She felt it was a fitting day to wear it but wondered how she would ever be able to bring herself to take it off again.

On her left cheek, there was a deep scratch caused by one of Akito's nails. She had done a pretty good job of covering it up but Hatori wasn't fooled. After Akito had beaten her, Hatori had been the one to carry her back to his house where she spent the night in the guest room again. He didn't want to tell her that he was feeling guilty about not being there when she needed him. She was like a little sister to him and he knew that if he had told her about his guilt she would just get independent and say she can handle things on her own.

Other than the scratch, she had two large bumps on her head from the times she had collided with the floor. Conveniently, they were similar in color to her hair but, just to be safe, she had parted her hair on the side to cover up the obvious protrusions and hoped no one would pat her on the head.

She had borrowed Hatori's jacket after frequently telling him she wasn't cold. After about five 'I swear I'm fines', he had handed it over claiming she would catch a cold. She told him she didn't get ill anymore but took the jacket anyway, knowing she was still susceptible to frostbite and hypothermia.

He gave a sad look to the ground at her comment. That was good news for Akito, but bad news for Kita. He'll now have a good excuse for wanting her around to care for him every time he gets sick, which is often. He's determined to have her around for the rest of his life already.

The funeral was an unconventional one, considering the circumstances. Since attendance to the funeral was sure to be low, it was a funeral and a wake in one. That way, the people who did want to pay their last respects to Jiro wouldn't be burdened with two separate events.

It was organized by Jiro's friends who were of the few attendants to the funeral. The humble event involved a ceremony inside, followed by the actual burial and a chance for everyone to individually say good-bye, and then ended with a sort of reception that was supposed to be like a wake, only happier. How Jiro would have wanted it.

Other than the crowd of four middle-aged men that were Jiro's friends, a few other Sohmas had come including Hatori and Shigure. They were the only Zodiac members who had known Jiro. He had been banished when they were only six but they had still seen him on numerous occasions. Hatori secretly gave him medical care and when he would make house calls, Shigure would tag along to visit with Jiro and Kita. The last two people who had come were friends of Kita's, Hoshiko and Raidon, both of whom had known Jiro very well.

Hoshiko has been Kita's friend since they were in their last year of elementary school. Hoshiko was the new kid in school and she was feeling out of place. Lucky for them, she had gotten paired up to work on an assignment during class with Kita, who was feeling just as out of place even though she had been going to the school for years. The girls were quiet for a long time as they sat together so to break the tension Hoshiko had said, "It's nice to be with someone who feels as awkward as I do right now." They had a big laugh and became friends from then on.

She has a pretty wild personality and frequently doesn't know when she should stop talking or what she should and shouldn't say. Sometimes people perceive her as rude and untamed. Hoshiko's other problem is that she has a tendency to be attracted to younger guys who turn out to be jerks so she has had many dead-end relationships with first and second years from other schools. There are times where she really reminds Kita of Ayame or even Shigure with her uncensored speech and obsession with romantic relationships. In spite of their differences, she is very nurturing towards people she loves, like Kita.

Raidon and Kita have known each other since they were in their second year of middle school. Raidon had gone to the same school as Kita and Hoshiko the year before but wasn't in their class until their second year. Raidon was an outcast like them so they naturally gravitated towards each other. He didn't have any friends and people thought he was weird because he looked 'punk-like.' Despite his harsh, dyed red hair and ear piercings, he's a terribly shy pacifist and extremely intelligent. He and Kita have the same wishes to go to a university, unlike Hoshiko who wants nothing more to do with school after graduation.

In their last year of middle school, Kita and Raidon had dated for a little while. Everyone was getting boyfriends and girlfriends so they decided to go out with each other; the whole school thought they were dating anyway. They broke up after two months because there wasn't any actual chemistry between them. They were just better as friends and they pretty much knew that going into the relationship. Still, the friendship between the three is rock solid and will never be interrupted again. Hopefully.

Hoshiko and Raidon didn't know about the Sohma family or Akito. They just thought she had to move in there because it was the only family she had left. Kita knew that they couldn't know about anything like the curse but she thought it was best that they didn't know about Akito either. It would just distress them.

Akito had not attended the funeral, not that anyone expected him to. He had not known Jiro since he was banished before Akito was born and it probably would be considered blasphemous for him to attend the funeral of an exiled Sohma. He had apparently stayed up late and was still asleep when Hatori left for the ceremony, even though last night he had asked Hatori to visit him before he went.

Huddled inside one of the outside gazebos, the group waited for their turn with Jiro. Kita sat like a cracked, monolithic being hidden in the corner of a graveyard. She was going to be the last one to say good-bye. On one side of her sat Shigure and Hatori and Hoshiko and Raidon sat on her other side. She couldn't help but think they were trying to create a security blanket for her just in case she broke down in tears or needed comforting words.

"How are you holding up?" Raidon asked.

"I'm okay." Kita muttered, staring at her hands.

"You don't seem okay. Every second you look more terrible." Hoshiko stated, pushing Kita's hair away from her face. Kita gave her a look.

She hadn't cried since that day in the hospital. She didn't like letting people see her cry. She didn't want people to try to help her. She wanted to help them. In fact, the only people who have ever seen her cry are her mother and father, Hatori, and Akito. She wouldn't even let Hoshiko or Raidon see her cry.

So instead she sat in somber recollection. Her father: a man who risked his life for the women he loved; a man who protected his daughter from any pain that came her way; a man who would drop everything to help a friend; loyal, hard-working, caring, and gone forever.

Kita bit her lip and the tears were forced back. She knew she wouldn't be able to hide them forever, but she could try. She wanted a hug more than anything, something she would never dare ask for. She needed someone to hold her, soothe her, and say that everything will be good again but her friends were both staring into oblivion, also in remembrance, and she could never hug Hatori or Shigure. She was stuck alone again.

"Kita, it's your turn." said Kazuo, one of Jiro's friends, as he walked into the gazebo.

Kita stood shakily, looking at the bittersweet smiles surrounding her. Hoshiko stood up and gave her what she had been internally begging for, a hug. Somehow, it didn't ease her as much as she had been hoping. Although it was what she had been asking for, it was not what she had been looking for. It didn't console her like she thought a hug would.

She walked slowly out into the cemetery, past headstones of all shapes and sizes. Jiro was to be buried in the town cemetery, away from the Sohma family's temple and next to Mina. Most thought Mina had been laid to rest in the Sohma temple, she even had a headstone there, but there was nothing underneath it.

Kita felt that her father deserved a large, elaborate place of rest but knew he wouldn't be happy with that. He would tell her not to waste her money on him and that he already got more than he deserved with having her in his life.

She slumped over the headstone, numbness setting in as her mouth went dry.

"Hi dad. How are you?" she said quietly.

She shook her head. "That's a stupid question. I'm doing fine, I guess. I spent the last two nights sleeping in Hatori's guest room but today I'm going to move into the main house. I know that probably upsets you and that you're worried about me and how I'll be treated there, but I have no other choice." Kita sighed and continued.

"The head of the family, Akito, decided that I would live there. He wants to protect me like you used to. Now all I have to do is protect myself from him."

She licked her finger, surprised that she still had saliva in her mouth. Then she dragged her finger over the scratch, allowing the cover-up to get smeared away. She motioned to the now fully visible, thin scab on her cheek.

"He really likes me, but he has a problem controlling his anger and that frightens me. But please don't worry about me. I can handle him. Soon I'll be out of there and I'll be off to a university. I'm going to become everything you thought I could be, dad."

Kita touched the frozen grave.

"Don't worry about me. I can manage everything on my own. I have people who can help me: Hatori, Raidon, Hoshiko, Shigure and I'm sure there's more that I just can't think of right now." Kita wiped her running nose on the back of her palm. The bitter breeze was starting to make her weak. She fell to her knees in front of the tombstone.

"I love you, dad. I love you so much." she said weepy. "I miss you more than anything!" She cried out, falling into a bow on the frozen ground. "Mom, take care of him."

She covered her face with her hands, tears still unshed.

"Goodbye dad. Good...bye."

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"You know that you will have to get out sometime within the next five minutes, right?" Hatori said, tapping on the car window. Kita was sitting in the passenger seat staring at the main house. It all felt so surreal.

After the funeral, everyone had gone back to Jiro's house to tell stories about him and try to feel better. They left after a few hours but Hoshiko, Raidon, and Hatori had stayed behind to help Kita pack up her things. She wasn't taking all of her possessions with her, just the ones she would need within the next two months. If she ever needed anything specific, she could just get someone to drive her back home.

While they were packing, Hatori had informed her that Jiro's house technically belonged to her and that she would be able to move in after graduation, when she would no longer need a guardian. She wouldn't get actual ownership of the house until she turned twenty but she didn't mind at all. It brought her spirits up a little to know that no one would try to take her father's possessions or their house which contained so many memories.

Now, she was sitting in Hatori's car while he took her suitcase and bag out of the trunk. She didn't want to go in. Her father dying, having to move into the main house, Akito's promises, it was all just a bizarre dream.

Hatori tapped on the window again.

"Kita, now." he said sternly.

She sighed and got out into the cold air still dressed in her black dress and jewelry. She haphazardly threw her bag over her shoulder and wheeled her suitcase up to the main house. After not hearing any footsteps behind her, she suspiciously glanced over her shoulder and saw that Hatori wasn't following her.

"Hatori?" she asked, inquisitively.

"I'm not coming in. I have work to attend to. You should be fine." he said, emotionlessly. Kita couldn't read his facial expression. Either way, she would have to be able to live in the Sohma house without protection from anyone so it was probably best that he didn't come in.

"Okay. Bye." she said, almost inaudibly.

She entered the house, dropping her bag on the floor and pulling off her black boots, remembering to put them where she had the last time she had been there.

Instead of being greeted by the elderly servant, she was met by a tall, brunette man who looked to be about Hatori's age and had a stoic expression.

"You must be Kita. I'll show you to your room." he said nonchalantly.

Kita stood confounded for a moment but quickly picked up her stuff when she realized he was already walking away. He hadn't introduced himself or checked to make sure she actually was Kita or even said hello.

She followed him down the hall and instantly felt her heart rate quicken. They were walking towards Akito's room. Was she supposed to stay in his room?

Much to Kita's relief, the man walked past Akito's room and motioned to the door next to it.

"This will be your room. It has some basic furniture but you may pick out new things if you want and the house will pay for them. For now, just get unpacked." he stated briefly before turning to leave.

"Wait!" Kita shouted down the hall. The man stopped and turned around.

"I'm going to be living here for a while so I'd like to, um, meet everyone who works here. What is your name?" Kita was trying to be less shy, figuring that she would have to see these people every day anyway.

"I'm Kureno."

"What do you do here, Kureno?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"I work with Akito: reporting news, handling the Sohma funds, that sort of thing."

Akito's...secretary? That seems like a fitting word, Kita thought. I guess the head of the family must have a lot more to do than I thought. Or maybe he's more of a spy for him. Either way, I should be cautious.

"Oh, okay then. Nice to meet you." Kita stammered.

"Likewise." he said, his face never changing. Kita watched him walk down the hallway until he was out of sight.

He's a lot like Hatori. It's amazing how much I don't even know yet about this house and this family, she thought to herself as she finally entered her new room.

It was fairly simple. The room contained a queen-sized bed with surprisingly pleasant sheets. Kita ran her hand over the fine fabric, Egyptian cotton and light blue in color. Beside the bed, there was a white nightstand with a bouquet of tiger lilies on it, a wooden bookshelf that contained a few old books, and an empty dresser. Kita remembered what Kureno had said. You may pick out new things if you want and the house will pay for them. At least she had something to do.

She unzipped her suitcase and starting putting her clothes into the dresser drawers, lining up her CDs and books in the bookcase, and putting her toiletries neatly on her nightstand. It took barely ten minutes to unpack all her things. She wasn't a very materialistic person.

From the bottom of her suitcase, she extracted two framed pictures, the last things to unpack. One was a picture of her, Hoshiko, and Raidon sitting on her porch one fall day last year. They had just been hanging out and talking about Hoshiko's newest love interest when Jiro had pulled out a camera. When it was taken, Kita didn't realize that Hoshiko was striking a model-like pose, trying to toss her shoulder-length black hair over her shoulder and look annoyed, and Raidon was giving the peace sign with a 'too cool for you' expression. She looked so strange being the only one smiling and acting normal. It always made her laugh.

The other one was of her mom and dad standing in front of a sunset when they were young, right after they had gotten married. She had found it in the hallway closet when she was looking for her umbrella and decided to take it with her. They looked so happy and perfect together that it tugged at her heartstrings. Her parents, both dead.

She set up the frames on her bookshelf and then laid down on her bed.

The tears welled up in her eyes and she finally let them flow, moistening the soft pillow she was resting on. She was alone; tears were allowed. All the pain from the past two days began to be released in the form of saline liquid, running down her chin and into her mouth like an uncontrollable tempest. This can't be real.

"Oh Kita." spoke a voice from the doorway. A cold, deep voice.

Akito leaned against the frame of the door, watching Kita weep. She couldn't tell if his voice was sympathetic or mocking but she decided that she didn't care. She continued to cry in spite of his presence.

He was enjoying watching her cry. He wasn't feeling very good so it was nice to see someone who was more broken up than he was. He briefly thought about using her current mental state to his advantage but was feeling too tired to. There will be plenty of time for that later, when she's got more energy.

"You look so beautiful in black, Kita." he said casually, like they were just making conversation.

Kita forced herself to sit up on the edge of the bed and tried to keep her nose from running. Akito looked down upon her, his usual smirk not present. He liked seeing someone more depressed than him, although he wasn't used to seeing people cry and it was making him the tiniest bit uncomfortable. But she was so pretty when she cried that it didn't matter.

She tilted her head up and gazed into his charcoal eyes, her own yellow-green ones still dripping with sorrow. She thought back to New Year's, something she had been doing a lot lately. She thought about how she had been crying after he had hit her and how he had held her and made her feel better. Maybe some things never change.

Kita stood up and wrapped her arms around his unhealthy, slender frame, burying her face in his yukata. She wept, tears falling onto his chest and covering her face. Akito seemed taken aback by the gesture but after getting over his initial surprise, he wrapped one arm around her waist and ran the hand on his other arm through her long, glossy hair.

Kita was overwhelmed with that feeling again. She was feeling contented, soothed. She looked up at him and he was actually smiling. He liked that she needed him.

He bent forward and kissed her gently, unlike when they were young, drinking in the salty taste of her tears like it was long awaited nourishment. She kissed back, losing herself, forgetting her grief. How could someone so belligerent evoke such a tranquil, hopeful feeling in her?

When he moved away, she leaned against him and let the last few tears leave. Her shoulders shook fiercely as if she would fall over so Akito held a tighter grip on her, determined not to let her fall over or decide that she's fine without him.

"There, there little Kita. Everything will be just fine."