CHAPTER SEVEN

In her dream was a place where Akito would never know pain, suffering, and defeat. And in her dreams was where he was… as live and as there as if he stood before her even now. In her dream she would reach out frantically, her black locks blown backwards by wind and Kureno would slowly but surely fade into the darkness that had always surrounded her. Her cries would not be heard by a soul, she could see shapes in the silky darkness but could not make out who they were. Her dreams would never hurt her, until the day her life came crashing in, until the day that Kureno was no longer a part of the dreams she would await in the night. She sat up in her futon with tears brimming in her eyes, a sharp cry escaping her lips and her hand outstretched towards the blank wall bathed in sunlight. Outside the wind died down and realizing that she was now awake she lowered her hand to her lap and bent her head to stare into nothingness.

"Kureno…" Akito murmured, tears rolling slowly down her face to drip in darkening splotches on the whiteness of her bedclothes. She was surprised to feel that her sorrow had dulled to a slight sadness that tired her very core; at first she had worried that she would be forever condemned to frantic sadness.

"Are you okay?"

Akito turned her head to face to stare at the ghostly form of her lover, it seemed she was hallucinating but she didn't care at all. Kureno was there and she would live that moment for all its worth until his apparition disappeared. She was used to Kureno being there when she needed him most and she opened her mouth to reply when the warm concern faded to a soft frown on the maid's face.

"Get out." Akito ordered hoarsely, pulling her kimono closely about her as if it would warm her soul. The woman nodded quickly and left the food tray beside the head of the family, fleeing as if whom she thought of as a man would bring harm as he had many a time before. The panel door slid shut with a loud clack leaving Akito alone to listen to the chirp of birds outside her window, this time she didn't cry or go back to be however, she rose and went behind the screen to dress. She knew that eventually she would have to move on, Kureno was hurt true enough, but Akito was the head of the family as had to display with as much courage as possible that things could move from their screeching halt.

Staring now at the life within her she closed her eyes with newfound courage to live and buttoned up the black top to hide her womanhood and emerged into the silent Sohma estate via doors leading outside. At the foreign sound of a child crying she froze half down the steps and turned to see a maid admonishing a girl for crying so close to Akito's quarters. The maid looked up and gasped then hushed the child more, which caused more wailing and Akito stepped into her sandals.

"Stop," Akito ordered, waving her hand to the maid who nodded and disappeared around the house and the girl, knowing who she was stood silently with large blue eyes quivering. Akito considered her option to strike the child but seeing a wound on the child's knee dismissed the idea and blinked slowly.

"I'm sorry…" The girl whimpered, having been told by the maid that Akito would become violent when provoked.

"No need." Akito heard herself say, she knelt and gave the girl a slight smile as something maternal emerged inside of her, "You fell?"

She nodded at Akito and the head of the family lifted the girl easily into her arms to carry her into the house, a maid opened the door for her and shrank back under the gaze. Leaving her in the care of the maid she had glared down, Akito went to the pond a few yards away to ponder her sudden nurturing instinct. She was surprised at herself for being so nice to the child and thought deeply to herself that she must be going insane. Yes that was it; insanity was the best explanation, that and her pregnancy.

"Ow!" Yuki cried as the needle jabbed almost purposefully into his side and Ayame looked up with an apologetic look written over the concentration in his face.

Haru had been given the honor of watching Yuki being fit for a dress and was now sprawled over the Rat's bed with amusement in his eyes though he seemed half asleep to any normal onlooker. Yuki gave the Ox a dirty look and took a deep breath as Ayame began to place the needle again, this time only penetrating fabric.

"There. You may now shed the glorious fabric to be fashioned into exquisite art." Ayame announced, throwing one arm into the air as if to grant Yuki permission to move.

Soundlessly Yuki slid the pin-filled fabric from his body and all but dropped it into Ayame's awaiting grasp where the elder began immediately to go about his way and leave Yuki to dress. Haru sat up and tossed Yuki the shirt that he had left on the opposite side of the bed, only to receive a slightly disdainful look from the Rat.

"What?" Haru tried and Yuki merely shook his head and donned the discarded garment, as he finished buttoning it he felt Haru tug gently on the hem and he looked up at the sheepish look in his cousin's eyes.

"Haru…" Yuki warned and the boy shook his head.

"How are you?" Haru asked, his fingers releasing the shirt and he thrust a hand through polychromatic hair while turning worry filled onyx eyes upon his elder cousin.

"Fine." Yuki said thinly and took a seat beside Haru and sighed.

"Liar." Haru countered, he wrapped his arms around Yuki and rested his chin on the gray haired boy's shoulder, "Tell me why Kureno is affecting you this way."

"Its not Kureno." Yuki replied his eyes closing slowly and he leaned his head against Haru's, "Its everything really… I can't tell who cares and who doesn't anymore."

"Nobody ever really cared." Ayame started, he turned with a dullness in his green eyes, "As much as we all wanted to see sadness in what had happened over these many years… the line has blurred considerably between what matters and what doesn't."

Yuki stared carefully at the sudden change in his brother and watched as the silver haired Snake lowered the fabric onto his chair as he rose and felt Haru release him. The Snake took a seat beside his brother and wrapped his own arms around him.

"I want you to know that we feel so unsure… because Akito is unsure…" Ayame whispered, holding his brother close to him and Yuki couldn't help but lean into the touch no matter how he wished to recoil and show a cold indifference.

Tohru took a full and deep breath to calm her frayed nerves; she was one hundred percent in shock of the confession made. A hand fell on her shoulder and she turned into the cool and concerned gaze that Hatori harbored so unnaturally. She jumped at the sight of him and fumbled an apology for making him worry.

"Stop." Hatori said softly his eyes narrowing at her scared expression.

"I shouldn't have said that…" Tohru offered lowly and she closed her eyes to that coolness in his eyes.

"You should be yourself… whatever it entails." Hatori responded green eyes resuming the careful and guarded stare.

"I-I'm sorry…" Tohru apologized quickly and she attempted a bow that connected her head sharply with his stomach and she laughed nervously while apologizing yet again.

The doctor merely rubbed the top of her head and drew her close so that she was pressed to him, her eyes widened at the warmth of him and she placed her hands flush against his chest so that she could look up at him.

"No apologies." Hatori reminded her and he looked off into the breeze so that it lifted his stray bangs from his eyes and Tohru took in the faint scarring over and below his left eye.

Betraying herself she reached up for him and brushed a finger lightly over his closed eye, he flinched slightly in surprise but did not push her away. Both of his eyes were closed now as she examined the scarring with feather light touches, when finally she drew away he blinked and stared down at the tears that were brimming in her large eyes. For a second Hatori wanted to tear away and scream for her not to shed tears in his name, he held it in and brushed a falling tear away from her cheek.

"Tears again?" Hatori forced himself to whisper and she rubbed her eyes furiously to stem the flow.

"Every time I look at you… I want to see and feel everything." Tohru explained with a faint sniffle and she looked back up at him with puffy eyes.

"I always make you cry." Hatori pointed out and shook her head furious so that brown locks flipped about as if taken by a gust, he opened his mouth to protest when the girl suddenly threw her arms about his neck and held herself almost a full foot from the ground by only his shoulders.

"I cry because you don't." Tohru cried, her head finding rest on his upper chest as she did, forcing down tears and the lump in her throat. Hatori wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and rested his chin atop her head in a slight gesture of comfort that made her go limp in his arms. He couldn't say anything for fear that he would hurt her deeply, but all words would have been ruin to the moment. Tohru leaned back and stared up into his green eyes, whispering gently, "I would like to kiss you."

The sight of Hatori and Tohru wrapped together outside of the emergency room had shocked Shigure almost to his core, the thought that the Dragon could embrace a girl not of cursed Sohma blood made him equally as curious. Setting the alarm on his car he started for the crosswalk and inevitably to where Hatori was standing with his arms wrapped almost desperately around the girl. He froze when the girl looked up at him with obvious tears in her eyes.

"He always does this…" Shigure growled and he sped his pace, "Making women cry…"

His hurried pace was stopped in its tracks as Hatori lowered his mouth onto the younger girl's in a gentle kiss, but what had shaken Shigure at this particular moment was that the look shared between them was understanding. An understanding that Hatori could only have felt from a person who had devoted themselves to the art of caring, a person like Tohru and this realization almost made Shigure smile. Standing now, stock still as the kiss lasted now longer that ten seconds Shigure was slowly wrapping his mind around it. As they drew away from each other the elder had his eyes closed and the younger stared up at him with blush spreading over her cheeks.

"You… kissed me?" Tohru murmured her breath just catching up with her, the taste of him lingered on her lips and she licked them slowly to absorb it.

"You wanted me to." Hatori replied with a slight smile and he lowered the girl back to her feet where she touched her lips with her hand and seemed to think deeply for a moment.