Tohru's Demons
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Jealousy And Death
"But... Grumman!" Tohru cried. "You can't... you can't just draft people!"
"I believe I am the Commander in Chief of LAF, and it is my duty to find and train soldiers to fight the Angels. You and Artemis disobeyed orders by not eliminating every last Sohma..."
"That wasn't my fault!" Artemis objected angrily.
"...And further endangered our mission, and the lives of the people I believe you once cared about, by bringing that family here," Grumman went on as if he had not been interrupted. "But now that they are here, I am going to utilize everyone that may be of use to me. That means your four friends, Hatsuharu, Kagura, Yuki, Kyo, and the doctor, Hatori Sohma."
At this statement a look of surprise flashed briefly across Hatori's normally apathetic face. The other Sohmas, especially Shigure and Ayame, started at this news, and glanced from Hatori to Grumman quizzically.
"Hatori-san..." Tohru said, not believing what she was hearing. "You want Hatori-san to come."
"In the doubtful case that any of you are injured in the line of duty, you will need a field doctor, and one you are familiar with is beneficial."
"But...! But...!" Tohru protested. "Wh-what about... what about Akito-san? If he gets sick again, Hatori-san'll need to be here."
"Then Akito will accompany you."
Tohru, and every Sohma present, was utterly speechless for several minutes, staring at Grumman in absolute horror.
"Seriously...?" Artemis groaned, breaking the tense silence. "That nut has to come, too?"
At this statement, the tense atmosphere dissolved as the Sohmas and Tohru fell over either from shock, or fits of suppressed mirth as in Shigure's case.
"He isn't a nut, Artemis," Tohru insisted, struggling to her feet.
"Yeah, he is..." Kyo muttered.
"Okay, he has issues, but he's not crazy. Considering what's he's had to go through, I think his sanity is a lot better than it could be." Tohru persisted, getting doubtful looks from the Sohmas, but they weren't going to argue with her. She had a point.
"Isn't he the one that's supposed to kick it one of these days?" Artemis asked indifferently.
Tohru, in a completely unexpected display of brutal violence, for someone of her nature that is, stepped on his foot.
"Ow! What was that for, you little bitch?!" Artemis yowled, grabbing his toes and hopping with rage, in a most undignified manner, on one leg.
"Stop calling her that!!!" Yuki and Kyo snarled furiously.
"For your absolute lack of compassion and sensitivity," Tohru answered the demon coolly. "Come on," she said, turning to Yuki, Kyo, and the others with a half-reassuring smile. "Let's go talk about all this over lunch. I'm sure you're hungry by now. I'm starving."
"Hey! I'm not done with you, wench!" Artemis snarled. "Don't you blow me off, dammit!"
Tohru stretched her arms up over her head, and then put her hands behind her head, turning to smile crookedly at Artemis.
"Blow you off? Why on earth would I want to do that?" she asked innocently. The smile widened. "Everything you say is just so important, I don't think I could go on living without your words of absolute wisdom. And it's not like you haven't said it all before. No, nothing like that."
"Don't patronize me!"
"But you and I both know I can't help but support everything you do."
"Stop jerking me around! And don't you dare start on those damn word games!"
Kyo watched, torn between amusement and shock, as sweet, naive Tohru, though not quite so naive as of late, bantered back and forth with the demon. Well, actually, she was the one doing the bantering. Artemis was looking like he'd like another go on the fence, without the bells this time.
But what was really surprising to Kyo was not her new behavior, but the fact that he found he was more at ease with her like this. She was no longer the angelic flower he had shared a home with for the past few years. Now, to him, she seemed more human than she had ever been. She was just so... free.
She was so comfortable with herself, and with others. And for some reason that made him feel comfortable with her. In the past she had made him feel safe, but there was always that lingering awkwardness, that thin, indefinable glass wall between them. Somewhere along the way, that wall had disappeared.
He had a suspicion, though, that Artemis had something to do with it. Kyo glanced at the demon, his eyes lingering on Artemis's scowling face. For one reason or another, Kyo was not sure he liked that.
Artemis looked up to catch Kyo staring. The demon's ears flattened against his head and he glared fury at the Cat, eyes glittering with unadulterated hatred. Kyo faltered and almost retreated back a few steps, but caught himself and held his ground, refusing to look away. Artemis sneered.
"Tohru, I want a few words with Lucifer and Malacoda, so I'll meet up with you later," he said, nodding to Tohru, then whirled on his heel and stalked away, his coat swirling about him darkly.
"He seems to be in a mood, doesn't he?" Shigure remarked blithely.
"I wouldn't worry too much about him," said Tohru, "he's always like that when meeting new people."
"But he seems to really hate Haru, Kyo, and I," Yuki said.
"Yeah, well, he especially doesn't like boys."
"Ahhh," Shigure said, "the truth emerges. May I presume that he particularly doesn't like those boys close to Tohru-kun's age?"
"Bingo." Tohru replied laughingly.
"So he's... jealous?" Kyo asked incredulously.
"Over-protective, is more like it. I guess those are his wolf instincts kicking in. Anyway, what do you want for lunch?"
"OH!" cried Momiji suddenly, looking around frantically.
"Momiji...?" Tohru said uncertainly. "What...?"
"Millie's disappeared!" Momiji exclaimed. "She was right here a minute ago!"
"The little rabbit girl? I saw her wander off that way," Kagura said, pointing in the direction she'd seen Millie go.
"Oh, okay! Thanks! Tohru, I'll catch up with you later!" Momiji called over his shoulder as he hurried to follow after Millie.
Millie scissor-walked down the hall towards Akito's room, singing at the top of her voice, "...There's travel in your future when your tongue freezes to the back of a speeding bus, fill that pathetic void in your life by playing Whack-A-Mole seventeen hours a day..." Then with a leap and a twirl she stopped at the Head Sohma's door and flung it open with a loud bang.
"Do not fear, Millie is here!"
Akito was staring at her from the window. His surprise was quickly replaced by a frown, though, and he glared at the intruder before turning away to stare at his piece of sky once more.
"Get out."
Millie ignored the cold order and walked into the room, smiling at Akito as she climbed up onto the windowsill.
"Why doesn't Akito ever come out of his room, Millie wonders?" said Millie inquiringly to a passing cloud.
"I thought I told you to get out." Akito repeated in a soft hiss.
"This is Millie's room." Millie replied nonchalantly.
"...Your room?"
"Uh-huh! Usually Millie sleeps here."
"Ah. Well, it's my room now, and I want to be left alone." The hiss was now a restrained snarl that would have sent any Sohma scurrying from the room, but Millie was unperturbed.
"Why?" she asked curiously.
"That is none of your concern," Akito answered coolly. "Now leave, before I get angry."
To his surprise, and chagrin, Millie laughed, her voice trilling like bells.
"You are already angry!" she pointed out, swinging her legs back and forth, then leaned back out of the open, third-story window so she could see his face better. She stared at him intently for a few moments. Akito stared straight ahead, refusing to be disturbed by her strange behavior.
"Why do you smell like death?"
Akito jumped up and stared at Millie in surprise, and horror. "What?" he whispered.
"Why does Akito smell like death?" Millie repeated, looking to Akito with curiosity.
"I..." Akito faltered, unable to think of anything to say.
"He smells of sadness and fear and anger and death." Millie continued, inhaling slowly.
Akito stared at Millie in shock, and then his eyes narrowed.
"What do you care?" he snarled quietly.
"Akito reminds Millie of her Companion..." Millie replied, just as quietly, and smiled a little sadly at Akito. "Millie is worried about you."
"Your Companion...? Then, you're a..."
"Yup! Millie is a familiar," Millie replied, smiling. She paused, her cheer falling away. "Akito... Why are you dying?"
A bitter sneer spread unbidden across Akito's face.
"I bear the full weight of the Zodiac Curse. I must die in order for them to live," he hissed softly. "It's what was decided." He added through clenched teeth, and his smile widened at the echo of the past. He had uttered those words before, he remembered, when Tohru had confronted him about his curse just a few months earlier. He had not known what to make of her then, he still didn't, and he was beginning to think the same of the bunny-girl, as well.
"Are you afraid to die?" Millie asked.
The question was not what he had been expecting, and he reeled back a step in shock before shaking it off.
"What does it matter?" he snarled. "It's going to happen, whether I like it or not!"
"But are you?"
"No!" He shouted.
"Akito's a liar. If he wasn't, he would be dead now."
"If you already knew the answer, why did you bother asking?" He said scornfully. "Now get out!"
Millie closed her eyes.
"You don't need to be scared of death, Akito."
"WHAT THE HELL WOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT IT?" He shrieked. "NOTHING, THAT'S WHAT! NOT A DAMN THING!!!"
Then, Akito seized Millie's shoulders, his eyes burning furiously, features demented by a sick smile.
"Let's see how well you can take your own advice, shall we?" he said in a fast, vicious hiss, his voice suddenly dropping dangerously low. Millie twisted around to look down at the ground, and to Akito's utter surprise, did not look in the least bit scared. On the contrary, she turned back and gave Akito a grin.
"Silly Akito, Millie is already dead!" she told him cheerfully.
She's already dead, she says, smiling... Akito thought. "But you're... here."
"Yeah," Millie replied softly. "Millie's Companion died a long, long time ago. So if Akito dropped Millie," she looked down at the ground again with a crooked little grin, "She wouldn't die. She can't, not a second time."
She's smiling... But... her eyes... they're full of...
... sorrow...
Something broke in Akito. Something so deep, so completely buried, that he thought he had lost it. Now, he hardly even knew what it was anymore.
Slowly, Akito pulled Millie back into the room and set her gently on her feet. He backed away from her, and bowed his head, eyes shining behind his bangs. One hand reached up to touch his face, while the other wrapped around him.
"...Please... I think you should go now." He said quietly.
"Okay," Millie replied, stepped up swiftly, wrapped her arms around Akito and then skipped away before Akito even had time to react. At the door she turned, smiling, and said, "That was just because Millie likes you, Akito!" And with a wave, she was gone.
Akito stayed where he was, staring for a long time at the empty door.
What is... this feeling?
To be continued...
Disclaimer: Disclaiming Fruits Basket and That's Your Horoscope for the Day now.
I'M SOOOO SORRRYYY!!!!! THIS WAS SO LATE!!! PLEASE FORGIVE MEEEEE! THIS WAS ENTIRELY DUE TO A COMBINATION OF WRITER'S BLOCK... and laziness... BUT MOSTLY WRITER'S BLOCK!
I'll try to write more, faster, but even I found this boring to write. I'll try to get to the good stuff as soon as possible, though, I promise.
Also about the Spanish... Yes, it would probably be a bit muddy, seeing as it's from a free translation site, but hey, whatever works...
And to FruitsBasketcase, Yes, I'll definitely try to have a few scenes with Kisa and Hiro. I'm sorry, but it's a lot harder than I first expected to have everyone in this fic, including my own characters. It's hard to keep the story moving along, and still have all the characters have an active role in it. But you're right, they do need more of a part.
And to everyone that has reviewed, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! YOU'RE ALL SO WONDERFUL AND AWESOME AND FANTABULOUS!!! Drinks all around! It's on me!
Cheers,
-Raha-
