I'm very sorry, again, for keeping everyone waiting on chapters (and that the last one was shorter than most - I didn't realize until I posted it that I should have done a combo)! School has just been so time-consuming, so it's harder for me to get a chance to post up chapters. Thank you so much everyone for your patience, and for reading and reviewing! It is greatly appreciated.

Just to address some of my reviews...

Malachite Iris - Ayame and Mine are sort of together in their own way, as Ayame doesn't seem to be the type to participate in a traditional, committed relationship.

LaBaronne - I'm sorry about the Hatori/Tori-san thing! You're right in your comment, though. I suppose I'm more familiar with the English version, where they often call Hatori "Ha'ri," instead of"Tori-san" as they do in the Japanese version. Sometimes, though, I just get involved with my writing, that I forget about those small but important details. I'll definately try to keep it in mind for the next time, thanks!

Jaimee - I don't take any offense at your comments, because I was hoping some of those nuances in Kazuki's character would come out. I don't know if I'd call it "idiocy," but he's definately not as let's say "together" as he tends to think he is. I'm sorry about Yuki - I'll be sure tolook over his parts to see how I can write him better in the future.

Thanks again to everyone who reviewed! It's great to see interest in my work!

Now then, for another chapter. It's a "combo" chapter, with the first part breaking from the original format, as it's an interlude of sorts, and the second part going into yet another fun-filled session with Akito. Enjoy!

That afternoon, I went over to my mother's for lunch, something that I had not done since I was a young boy. She was quite pleased to see me and, oddly enough, I was happy to see her as well. For about an hour I was free of my practice and without a care in the world; I was safe. Of course, my mother was her same bizarre self, ranting on about dreams and prophecies and the like. However, despite the fact that I wasn't actually paying attention to a single word she said, I listened fondly to her voice as her quirkiness was strangely soothing. It was the same peculiar prattle I would return home to as a child and, especially after a particularly bad day, I often took comfort in it. I knew that if there was one person I could always count on, it was my mother.

After finishing our lunch, I walked slowly back to my office to prepare for my session with Momiji, which was to begin in a half hour. Yet, when I returned to it, to my semi-surprise there was Akito standing at my desk, eyes narrowed into a half-hearted glare. However, I did not have much time to contemplate why she had come, for by her side was an elderly man, with white hair and a receding hairline, wearing glasses and a white suit. My heart skipped a beat, and I must have stood there frozen for a good full minute absolutely overcome by shock.

"Surprised, are we Kazuki?" He laughed heartily as he walked over to me.

"Professor Jammerson!" I exclaimed, overcome with seeing my old mentor from my days at Harvard. "I can't believe you're really here!" He laughed again – that infectious laugh that he only shared with very few people – and we embraced briefly, both delighted to see one another after two long years.

"I'll just…wait outside…" Akito muttered, eyeing us both as she leisurely glided to the door. She glared at us one more time, deliberately taking her time to study Professor Jammerson with a cold glance, before she gave that unsettling smirk of hers and slumped out into the hall, slowly creaking the door closed behind her.

"Your cousin – Akito is it? – he showed me in," Professor Jammerson explained. "He's a bit of an odd one, isn't he?" I smiled; Professor Jammerson was always perfectly blunt.

"Yes, Akito can be," I answered, not bother to explain the gender error, "But he's of some importance in my family." It felt strange talking to him, for it had been quite awhile since I had spoken any English. As a result, I was afraid the language would come back to me only bit by bit. Fortunately, after only a few moments of using it, it seemed as if I had never stopped speaking it at all.

"Is he now?" He nodded, rubbing his chin in meditation. "Well, perhaps it's because my Japanese isn't what it should be. Your English seems to be as good as ever, though."

"Thank you, sir."

"You mean Arigoto gozaimasu, Jammerson-san," Professor Jammerson corrected with a grin as he slipped into the Japanese dialect. He continued in Japanese, "It's my first time in Japan, after all, so I should speak the language, right?"

"Yes," I agreed, returning to Japanese as well.

"How am I?"

"You speak well," I told him truthfully.

"Do I now? That's good to hear. But tell me, Kazuki, how are you doing?"

As I did not have the heart to tell him the truth, I lied; "I'm doing very well, Professor."

"Liar - and a terrible one at that."

"I'm not lying!" I lightly argued with a laugh. "I've been making some real progress with my family and it's been nice to be home again after so many years away."

"Then perhaps I spoke too hastily. I apologize. I am very glad to hear things are going well for you."

"Thank you, sir. But what brings you to Japan?"

Behind his glasses his green eyes twinkled. "I'm glad you asked, Kazuki." Placing his briefcase on my desk, he flipped it open and pulled out a folder. Smiling, he explained. "This is what brings me here. It's a new research project that I've been developing over the last year and a half. In here is the proposal."

"You'll be doing research in Japan?" I questioned skeptically.

"No, no – it was hard enough to convince my wife to come this time around. I was just grateful I finally had an excuse to drag her half way across the world – I've always wanted to visit Japan, but you already know that. Anyhow, last month I presented this proposal at an alumni dinner to a very affluent Harvard graduate who gave me the grant I needed to go ahead with the project. And that's why I'm in Japan - to try to convince you to return to Harvard with me."

"Return to Harvard?"

"As part of our agreement, I've been given permission to ensemble a small team of psychiatrists to conduct the necessary research. And you, Kazuki, were one the first individuals to come to mind. After all, you were one of my finest students, not to mention that this project needs a fresh perspective from a younger mind, such as yours. It's a wonderful opportunity, but I'm sure I don't have to tell you that. Here, take a look for yourself."

Professor Jammerson handed me the folder and, without saying a word, I opened it up and began to read its contents. I saw a list of a dozen psychiatrists from around the world, many whose names were familiar to me for I had studied their work for hours upon hours during my university years. How strange it was for me to see my name among theirs, which held such prestige and weight in the academic community. Underneath this was details about the grant and my heart beat faster as I saw how much Professor Jammerson had received. Then, I finally laid eyes on the proposal itself, a thick document that had obviously been tirelessly reviewed, for notes and corrections were written all over in pencil and pen. Anxiously, I read the introduction, which summarized the proposal, and with each sentence my excitement grew. As I finished the second paragraph, I was certain that Professor Jammerson was a genius.

Professor Jammerson smiled with a satisfied pride and he eagerly asked, "So you're interested, I see?"

"Of course!" I blurted out without a thought. Professor Jammerson laughed jovially.

"I knew it! I knew I could count on you, Kazuki. You always were a bright one. So, can I expect you in Boston at the beginning of next month or will you need a little longer to get your affairs together here?"

My insides felt as if they dropped all the way through me and a large empty hole was somehow gnawing at where my intestines used to be. "Professor, I – I'm not sure if I can go." It was painful saying each and every one of those words, for in my heart, I think I wanted to go. It was such a great opportunity not only professionally, but personally; I could finally be free once more. I could return to America, rid myself of my ridiculous family practice, and live independently and happily once more. Back in Massachusetts, perhaps I would reunite with old friends (all of whom it appeared I lost touch with) or even make new ones.

But how could I abandon my family? I couldn't just give up on what I had set out to do. And the thought of my mother's reaction when she learned I was leaving her again, as well as discarding her prophecy, made me feel more awful than I would have initially imagined. Worse of all, quitting now would confirm to everyone that I too believed what Akito believed was true; there was no way that anyone could ever save the cursed Sohma family.

Professor Jammerson smiled knowingly. "I see. How about you look that over during the next couple of days and give me your answer on Sunday."

"On Sunday?"

"I forgot to mention that, didn't I? I was hoping you might show my wife and me around that day, if it's not too much of an inconvenience."

"No, not at all, Professor. I'd love to show you around."

"Great! Here," quickly he scribbled down an address on a piece of paper he found on my desk, "This is where we're staying. Meet us there at 9 o'clock?"

"Sure."

"Now I better get going, because it's terribly rude of me to keep your cousin waiting for you, especially after he was nice enough to show me to your office."

"But I'm not supposed to be seeing Akito now."

"No? Well, he told me he was coming to see you for an appointment." I frowned at this, as Professor Jammerson went on, putting his trench coat on over his suit and snapping his briefcase shut. "In any case, I shouldn't leave my wife waiting too much longer. Goodbye, Kazuki."

As I watched him leave, I immediately felt guilty for having disappointed him, so I began, "Professor, I'm sorry for – "

"Uh uh," he interrupted me, "Just tell me Sunday."

"Yes, Professor," I complied, "Goodbye for now." I watched him walk out of my office and with dread watched as Akito walked back in.

Patient – Akito Sohma; Session #217

Akito strolled over to the couch but instead of lazily sprawling out on it, as she typically did, she just lingered by it uneasily. She wouldn't look at me and simply gazed out the window at the wind whistling through the semi-bare fall trees. Rocking slightly from side to side, she traced her finger slowly across the top surface of the end table. Yet, she didn't speak a word and so, after a couple of minutes, I sat down at my desk and reminded her, "Akito, we already had our appointment for today this morning, remember?" As I soon as I said it, I recalled bitterly Akito's cruel words from our session earlier that day. Instantly, I was certain that I didn't want anything to do withher at the moment, and I soon became quite worried that I might not want anything to do with her ever again. I could feel my animosity and anger swell within me, but despite this, I remained as even-tempered as I possibly could.

Akito just gave me a half-hearted shrug. She was quiet for a few more moments before she softly said, "So…are you leaving then?"

"Pardon?"

"That man…from England…"

"America," I corrected her.

"He told me why he was here. He wants to take you back with him for some research project…"

"Yes, that's true," I concurred and coldly explained, "Professor Jammerson is an instructor I had when I went to Harvard. He just received a grant and is looking to put together a research team."

Akito nodded and left the couch, ambulating slowly to the window. Lowering her head, she muttered something that was barely audible. "Did you just say something?"

"Yes," she snarled, clearly annoyed that I had not heard her the first time.

"I didn't hear you," I stated, trying my best to conceal my own anger at her.

Akito sighed with frustration, crossed her arms, and completely turned her head away from me. Then, she bitterly said, "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry…?" I blinked in surprise, as all my hatred subsided at this startling revelation. I was certain I must have heard her wrong for there was no way that Akito, who thought herself a god, would ever apologize to me, a "bastard brat" as she had said just hours earlier or anyone else for that matter.

"Yes, I'm sorry," she repeated with much hostility and resentment. "I'm sorry for how I acted this morning…"

With this, I had no choice but to accept that Akito had actually apologized, as improbable as such a thing was. In truth, it was very strange, and I almost didn't know how to react. Of course, I was rather skeptical of her sincerity, since the last time she supposedly "apologized" turned out to be nothing more than one of her sick, twisted jokes and ended up with her revealing that she had been going through my patients' files. Yet, this time was different; she wasn't snickering cruelly or glaring at me callously. In fact, it appeared as if she had forced herself to apologize. However, nevertheless, I couldn't ignore how truly angry I still was at her inside of me. I was furious just looking at her, and I suppose her words had hurt me more than I had initially admitted. At the same time, as her psychiatrist I knew that if I didn't accept her apology, I would fail to reinforce the importance of this positive behavior. So, with reluctance, I said, "Thank you, Akito. Your apology is accepted."

"Good," she turned to me now looking very satisfied, "You were right – apologizing is a useful tool for rectifying things."

"Well, yes, it does help. Of course, it's also important that you, in your future actions, try to – "

"I don't wish to speak about this anymore. Let's talk about something else," Akito suggested, leaving the window and returning to the couch, where she laid down.

"You can come back later if you'd like Akito, but Momiji has a session now," I told her and immediately started to wonder where Momiji was; Akito, however, quickly solved that mystery for me.

"I cancelled your appointment with him."

I frowned. That was two sessions with Momiji that Akito interfered with. Still, I tried my best to not let my irritation get the best of me, and said, "You shouldn't have done that, Akito. However, I have a lot of things to look over, so you'll have to leave, anyway. I'm sorry." Truth be told, although I had accepted her apology, I wasn't really ready to forgive her yet. At least, I knew I didn't want to be around her for awhile.

"What things?" Akito raised an eyebrow.

"Well, what Professor Jammerson left me, to begin with."

"Why do you need to read that?" she questioned severely, sitting up rigidly on the sofa and glaring at me icily.

"Because I have to give an answer to him on Sunday."

"But you're not leaving."

"Actually, I haven't made my decision yet, Akito."

Unexpectedly, Akito jumped to her feet and shouted, "You can't leave! You accepted my apology, didn't you? Didn't you?"

"What?" I questioned, truly confused. It did not take long for me to figure out what was going on, though. "You mean that's the reason why you said you were sorry? Just so I wouldn't leave?"

"Yes," she snapped, as if it was obvious all along, "Why else would I apologize to you?"

I rolled my eyes and let out a heavy sigh, angry at myself for being so gullible, and losing myself, sneered, "How silly of me. I thought you apologized because you had done something wrong."

"Wrong?" Akito broke into hysterical laughter at this. "Me? I am a god! What is wrong with you, Kazuki?"

Very disgusted, I said honestly, "Please, just leave. Just go. I can't speak to you right now or deal with you or anything. I'm afraid I'll say something that I shouldn't."

"We need to speak now."

"You can come back tomorrow. But not today - I can't today."

"No." Her eyes were narrow and her fists were clenched. "You will do as I say! You are a member of this family and therefore, you must listen to me! You must!"

Feeling heavy with exhaustion I unenthusiastically complied, "Yes, you're absolutely right, Akito. Now will you just go?"

"Not until you tell me you aren't leaving!"

"Why do you even care?" I asked her.

"Because you don't deserve to leave! You should be here, serving me as you have been! The family is to stay with me, now and always! I won't let you stray, as insignificant as you pitifully are, because then the others will think they can stray, as well. Don't you understand, Kazuki? I am your god! How can you not understand?"

I was quiet for a moment and shook my head, tired of it all. "Akito, I have a headache."

Her eyes began to twitch and widen, her face growing distorted as it usually does when she faces defiance. She let out an incoherent shriek before ranting, "How dare you! How dare you be so insolent! And it's because I foolishly let you leave the first time! That's why! But I am older now, and I know better. You cannot leave! You cannot! I forbid it!"

"You can't stop me," I told her, looking her directly in the eyes as I said it. At this, her face became even more distorted and her breathing became exceptionally labored. Looking back, I'm surprised I had the nerve to say it and say it like I did, but I guess I had become so fed up with everything that at that point I didn't really care if I made her even more angry with me.

Oddly, though, just when I thought she was going to lunge something at me, she broke back into hysterical laughter. I watched her as she laughed, her whole body shaking because of it, and kind of glided to the door as best she could. When she reached it, she opened it and weakly leaned against the door frame. Her laughter sputtered into a few hoarse coughs and she relaxed her head in the palm of her right hand. Then, in a low, quiet voice she stated simply, "You will not leave again, Kazuki. I have already forbid it. And if you try, I will stop you."