Weeks: 17

She watched the blood as it seeped through the tissue; she had coughed up more blood than she ever had before. She already knew that her end would come soon. After all, she already had a replacement.

Akito was dying.

She curled up into a ball, hugging her knees tightly to her chest. She hoped the agony would soon end. Perhaps this is how her father died, she thought—afraid and suffering from immeasurable pain. She suddenly wished she had done more for him before he passed. She entered a coughing fit again for what seemed like an eternity.

"H-Hatori!" she rasped. The dragon zodiac rushed in without a second wasted. He stood by her, unable to do anything, until her coughing fit ended.

He sighed. "You're getting worse. There's nothing I can do..."

Akito screeched into her pillow in frustration. "Why do I have to die? What sin have I committed?"

Hatori remained silent.

Akito didn't expect an answer. She knew many of her past actions had harmed others. She did feel bad at times, but she never felt bad enough to let the animals go. Even with the entire zodiac in her hands, she still felt alone. She had thought that trapping the animals with her would mean they would love her unconditionally; however, she realized fear did not mean love. She wished she had learned earlier. Perhaps, she wouldn't have been punished with this suffering.

The zodiac god lifted her face from her pillow using all of the strength she had left, her dull eyes peering into face of the dragon. "Bring me Tohru."

"I can't do that after the last meeting."

Akito mustered up the energy to give a hoarse chuckle. "You think I can hurt her while I'm like this? Bring her. She's the reason I'm dying. She's the reason I can't find peace even during sleep."

Hatori considered Akito's state and agreed that the zodiac god would be unable to harm the girl. "Fine. I'll call Shigure tonight."

The dying woman shuddered at the name. Shigure. I don't want him to see me like this... Weak... Feeble...

Akito's shallow, erratic breaths became quiet as she slipped off into sleep.

Shigure stared solemnly at the ringing phone, making no attempt to answer it. 'Sohma Hatori' flashed on the screen, but the dog zodiac wasn't in the mood to hear any more bad news. He realized that the dragon only called to send grave news or request difficult favors.

"This call is probably about Akito," mumbled the dog to himself. The phone went silent. Shigure breathed a sigh of relief. Moments later, the phone rang again, driving the man mad. "It's the fifth time already! Just stop!"

He let the phone ring until it reached voicemail. His efforts proved to be meaningless as the phone rang again. Finally losing to Hatori unrelenting efforts, Shigure answered the phone. "What do you want?"

"Bring Honda-san to the Sohma estate immediately."

Shigure couldn't believe his ears. "What?! Do you think I'm crazy or just plain stupid?"

"Both. I promise no harm will come from this. Akito doesn't have much time left and she needs to talk to Honda-san."

"So... she's that sick? She's never been this bad before," said Shigure, his heart pounding at the thought of losing her. He began to break out in a cold sweat.

"Honda-san needs to hear what Akito tells her. Trust me, Shigure."

The dog zodiac sighed in defeat. "This is your last chance. If any harm comes to Tohru, I'll kill you myself."

"Fine. I'll see you soon."

Hatori sat by Akito's bed, waiting for Tohru's arrival. His phone rang and he picked up without hesitation.

"Are you guys here?"

"Yeah. I'm coming in."

A few minutes later, the sliding door opened. Shigure walked in and closed the door behind him.

Hatori stared at his cousin, puzzled. "Where's Tohru?"

Shigure gave a sly smile. "I didn't bring her."

"I told you to-"

"Not until I confirm for myself that Akito can't hurt her."

Hatori closed his eyes and shook his head. "Since when have you cared?"

The dog ignored the comment and went by Akito's bedside. "Akito, I'm here."

The zodiac god refused to face him. "I have nothing to say to you. Bring that wretched girl."

Shigure roughly grabbed the woman's shoulder and faced her towards him. She yelped in pain, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Don't touch her!" yelled Hatori, pushing the dog away from the bedside.

"Leave us two alone," growled Shigure. Hatori shook his head.

"Go," commanded the zodiac god. She groaned as she propped herself up. "I'll speak to him alone." The dragon frowned but complied, leaving the two in a tangible silence. "Come closer. I have no energy to speak."

Shigure obediently sat by the bed, his eyes focused on the dying god. She had lost her beauty to her sickness. Her skin was pale with a blue tinge. Her once silky black hair became too rough to even look at. Her cheeks were hollow, accentuating the sharp angles of her bones. The sight of her brought tears to the dog zodiac's eyes. He wept in front of the traces of woman he once knew as he pulled her into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

Akito smiled through her cracked pale lips, limp in the dog's arms. "You still love me," she murmured. Shigure looked at her through his blurry eyes. She looked better blurry; the haziness hid the unhealthy details of her face.

"You're right," admitted Shigure. He could feel the faint beating of her heart against his chest. "I love you still. Even after all you've done, I can't escape you."

"How sad," mumbled the sleepy woman. "to hear this because I'm dying. Loving me is your punishment. You'll never be truly happy without me."

Shigure shook his head and released her from his embrace to look at her face again. "You're wrong. There's someone who can make me happy even after you're gone."

Akito suddenly felt very awake and glared at the man in jealousy. "Who?"

"I won't say. That's your punishment."

Too feeble to react, the zodiac god sighed in frustration. "Do you love that person?"

An image of smiling Tohru flashed in Shigure's mind. "Yeah. I do."

Silence enveloped the room once again. Shigure feared that he went too far; he wanted to keep talking to Akito. He had missed her so much. I shouldn't have said that... Now she's upset...

"That Tohru girl truly does take away everything."

The dog jolted at the mention of the name. The zodiac god smiled smugly. He gazed at the woman before him, unable to express the love he felt for her in that moment.

"You cunning child," said Shigure, his voice cracking as he got choked up again.

Akito smiled again in victory. He could never escape her. His love for Tohru was meaningless and his love for Akito could never be overcome by love for anyone else. The zodiac god was sure of it.

"You love me," she whispered again, her eyelids heavy.

Shigure gave a quiet chuckle, amused by her confidence and child-like behavior. "Even now you won't say 'I love you'. Are you going to stay stubborn?"

"Maybe it's time to give in... I love... you," she mumbled as she entered the dream realm where she felt no pain.

Shigure caressed her hollow cheek. "Sleep tight." He left the room and found Hatori guarding the door. "I'll bring Tohru tomorrow."

"Is Akito okay?"

"She's sleeping. Now I'm sure that she can't hurt Tohru. It was surprising to see her unable to react to my antagonizing comments."

The dragon sighed. "She's dying, Shigure. At least let her go peacefully."

"I'm heading out. See you tomorrow." Shigure left the estate, thinking back to the exchange. Akito will finally be at peace. Amazing how she knows exactly how to work me. Smart girl.

He stopped by the entrance gate and looked back at the estate. Overwhelmed with emotion, he cried once more as Hatori watched from afar, feeling his cousin's pain.

Over the past two weeks, Tohru noticed that Kyo always left early during lunch. She didn't mind since Uo and Hana filled in the space to keep her company. She loved her friends, but she secretly hoped he would stay at times.

"So, where's Kyon-Kyon been heading off to lately? I don't see him much anymore," said Uo. She took a bite of her salad. The rice ball shrugged, a hint of disappointment in her face. Hana was quick to notice.

"Tohru, do you like him?" asked Hana. She stared blankly at the rice ball, who almost fell out of her seat.

"H-Hana-chan, w-what makes you ask that?" she managed to stutter.

"Nothing. It's just a feeling I get."

Uo smirked. "Tohru likes Kyo? I'm gonna tell~," she said teasingly. The rice ball turned a deep shade of crimson.

"Stop, Uo-chan! Someone might hear you," whispered the rice ball, her voice filled with urgency.

Uo rolled her eyes. "The whole school thinks you're having Kyon's baby. I don't think this news will have any impact."

Tohru blinked a few times and smiled sheepishly. "Ehe. I almost forgot..."

"How can you forget with a cute tummy like that?" teased Uo, giving the rice ball a playful grin.

Tohru beamed and rubbed her growing bump. "I read that my baby can hear now."

"Hello, baby," said Hana. "It's Auntie Hana."

"That nickname is lame! I wanna be called Amazing Lady Uo."

The rice ball giggled. "That seems a bit long for the baby to remember."

Interrupting the light-hearted conversation, Kyo came running in, completely out of breath.

"Kyo-kun!" said the rice ball, staring wide-eyed at the cat. "Are you okay?"

Kyo weakly gestured for the rice ball to follow him, unable to catch his breath. Tohru looked at her friends who quickly shooed her away. She went along with the cat without question. He led her to the roof then rested his hands on his knees to catch his breath. Sweat dripped from his orange locks.

Tohru looked at him with worried eyes. "Take your time. What's going on?"

The cat recovered and wiped away his sweat with the back of his hand. "I had a dream last night."

"Eh? Was it bad?" Kyo frowned in response. Tohru bit her lip. "What happened?"

Kyo closed his eyes in concentration. "We were all gathered in a small room... All the members of the zodiac in their cursed forms. We all formed a circle around something. You were there, too, standing off to the side, crying. In the middle of our circle were two flowers, black and white. Then, we all just started crying with you. I have no idea what it means, but I woke up crying... I felt so much sorrow in my dream. I can still feel tightness in my chest."

"How strange," said the rice ball. She saw the lingering sadness in the cat's eyes. "I'm sure it was just a nightmare. I don't think it meant anything. Cheer up, Kyo-kun! I've been having weird dreams lately, too, and I'm sure they mean nothing."

Kyo nodded. "Makes sense. Vivid dreams are a common symptom at your stage in pregnancy."

The rice ball's eyes filled with astonishment. "Really? Have you been researching?"

The orange-haired boy blushed. "Just reading a bit here and there during lunch."

The rice ball gave him a bright smile. She had been so worried that he lost interest in the baby but hearing this made her so happy. "You really are amazing, Kyo-kun!"

"Th-thanks," mumbled Kyo as his cheeks burned up. "An-anyway, the reason I rushed you up here was because I found out that the rat had the same dream. I'm sure of it. He's been acting strange, so I talked to him. Turns out, this dream has affected both of us pretty bad."

"I don't understand the importance of this dream..."

"Me neither, but I think it has to do with the curse."

Suddenly, the rice ball's phone rang.

"Hello?"

"My flower," said the dog's familiar deep voice.

"Ah, Shigure-san," said Tohru. Kyo scowled at the mention of the dog. "Is there something you need?"

"Yes," said the dog, his voice serious. "I'm sorry to call during school, but I figured it's lunch time. You need to meet Akito immediately." The rice ball held her breath, recalling the torment she endured. "Tohru? You still there?"

"Y-Yes."

"He won't hurt you. I promise. He'll never hurt you again. But, you have to meet him. I have a feeling what he says is going to be extremely important."

"Okay, Shigure-san. I trust you."

There was a pause on the other end.

"Thank you, Tohru. I'll be going with you."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later." The rice ball hung up.

Kyo watched her with a suspicious look. "Why would Akito want you?"

"Oh, you heard that..."

The cat rolled his eyes and pointed to his ears. "Great hearing. Anyway, this meeting seems pretty random. Something's up for sure... I'm going with you."

"No, you don't have to!" insisted the brunette. "I'll be safe."

"You can never be sure with Akito. Also, I don't think this dream is a coincidence. Akito will know about it, for sure."

The rice ball began to feel uneasy. Now that she thought about it, she had been feeling a sense of dread after waking up from her dreams. She didn't think much of it, but she couldn't help but feel a connection to Kyo's dream. The rice ball's longing to get answers outweighed her fear of the zodiac god. She wasn't afraid—not if it meant freeing her loved ones from the curse.

And that's the end of this chapter! Please follow, favorite, and review! Thanks for reading.