A shorter chapter this time; Ritsu's gift was pretty much straight forward. Coming up on Friday: Momiji's new time line!
Ritsu left the building by way of the window, his new clothes allowing for the activity without the worry of skirts tearing or blouses catching. He wanted to be alone, perhaps tap into the confidence Akito said he should have.
Classes were difficult, at first. He was either too shy to work with the others or too afraid of being a show off, of transforming, of Akito taking this away from him, too. But Ritsu persevered and quickly began to hit the top of his class.
His first competition, he won. He, Ritsu Sohma, did well at something. All of a sudden, things didn't seem quite so bleak.
"You don't have to apologize for everything, y'know," a classmate once told him when he'd fallen off the bars during practice and into his (thankfully male) spotter, "That's what spotters are for- to catch each other."
He moved out of his mother's home and into an elite gymnastics school. He visited the Main House occasionally, but mostly he stayed where he belonged, in the gym.
Miss Tohru Honda had been so nice, so helpful. He felt guilty when he caused her to break dishes and fall into him, but his suicidal nature had long faded. He simply helped to clean up and left- he had class, after all.
Ritsu was a little wary of visiting Akito's death bed, but did not venture a guess as to why he was requested.
Ritsu began to cry quietly, "Oh, oh, thank you, Akito!" he whispered to the sky, "Thank you for saving me."
The monkey went home, a new bounce in his step.