Disclaimer: Fruits Basket belongs to Natsuki Takaya

Warnings: 97, 101, etc manga spoiler warnings.

Jellyfish

"You shouldn't have yelled so much. It's not good for your health for you to get so worked up like that."

Slender arms hugged the pillow tighter, her voice muffled behind it, "Don't you lecture me, Hatori. I'm hurting right now."

He sighed quietly. "I understand. Still, I need you to cooperate, Akito. I'd like to give you an injection for the fever."

She shifted, fixing a rather red-eyed glare on him. Even now, her face was still puffy with upset and tears. Defiantly, she clung to the pillow tighter for a moment, then stuck her arm out petulantly, like a child.

He gave a slight, thankful smile, too worn out for another battle of wills. He had grabbed his supplies earlier, and now pulled out the shot, preparing it for administration. He brushed his thumb against the soft skin at the inside of her elbow soothingly, then rubbed the alcohol over it and slipped the needle in. Once finished, he turned away to replace his things in his bag.

Those thin, outstretched arms draped over his shoulders, her face pressing warmly against his neck. He scooped Akito up without a second thought, pulling her into his lap and rocking her like a child again.

"Why would he do that?" Her eyes and cheeks were uncomfortably sticky with old tears. He wished fleetingly that he could have gotten her to wash her face earlier, but she had been too absorbed in her sulk.

Hatori stroked her back gently, the fine ridge of her spine still defined under the layers of her kimono. "I don't know." He looked away. "Shigure… is like a jellyfish, just floating on the ripples. He… his thoughts… they can't be caught. The harder you try, the more they just drift away."

"Why did he…" Her hands behind his back twisted into fists, "With that woman…" and then into claws, raking hard enough to pull his shirt untucked. "That woman…"

Fresh tears, hot against his neck. It seemed as if Akito always came crying to him after something Ren did. As if he were always consoling, even when he didn't seem to have anything left to give but a warm lap.

She sniffled, but didn't begin crying again. Instead, she murmured, "You're right. Shigure is a jellyfish."

Hatori brushed a hand against the back of her neck, his fingers running through the strands of sweat-dampened hair. "I'm sorry."

"Shigure is a jellyfish," Akito continued bitterly. She tilted her head, her chin digging into his shoulder as she spoke clearly. "He stings you, and burns you, and poisons you, and you drown."

…
Owari
…

-Windswift