Chapter Fourteen

"I know. But I can't help it. I...I care about him. Very much."

It was the first time Tohru had ever dared voice her feelings out loud.

"I want him to be happy, and I want to save him. That is...if I can."

The ocean's waves lapped softly over the beach behind them, and Tohru chewed on her lower lip as she waited for Isuzu to say something, anything. But the silence only stretched on, and with every moment the desire to clamp a hand over her mouth and take the words back steadily grew.

Oh Mom, what have I done?

Tohru could feel her cheeks growing hot. It wasn't that she was worried what Isuzu would think. No, the horse had already made her distaste for Tohru more than apparent. Rather, what worried her was what Isuzu would choose to do with the information she'd just given her.

I know that Isuzu and Shigure like to talk, so there's probably a pretty good chance she'll tell him about this later. And once he knows...

Then it would only be a matter of time before everyone else did, too.

Hoping to prevent her most deeply held secret from getting out, Tohru leaned in closer to the horse. "Um, I know this is a lot to ask, but if you don't mind...could you please keep everything I just said to yourself for now? Oh! Wait, that was rude...let me try again," she fumbled. "If you don't mind, I'd like to keep this conversation between us. Because I don't want him to know how I feel. At least, not yet. I need more time to..."

She trailed off at a sudden motion in her peripheral. Whatever it was, Isuzu had clearly seen it as well; Tohru sensed the other girl tense in anticipation. At first, Tohru thought that it had been nothing more than a seagull soaring past them. But when she turned and saw someone walking across the beach, she sucked in a breath, heart hammering wildly in her chest as she gaped at the approaching figure.

"Please. Don't cease your conversation on my account."

Tohru only continued to stare, still at a loss for words. Isuzu, on the other hand, knew precisely what she wanted to say to the zodiac god as he continued sauntering brazenly toward them.

"You again?" The horse reared back. "Why is it that whenever I see Tohru Honda, you're almost always lurking somewhere nearby?"

Tohru expected Akito to be furious with her for speaking out of turn. Instead, however, he responded with a quip of his own, barely missing a beat. "And why is it that whenever I see you, Isuzu, you are looking to pick a fight?"

The horse whinnied loudly at that, causing Tohru to twitch in surprise.

"Speak for yourself!" the girl snapped back.

But Akito ignored her. "One can only surmise what effect your...antagonistic nature might've had on your immediate family. Perhaps it is ultimately what caused them to reject you."

Tohru's eyes widened at the cutting remark. She had no idea what, exactly, Akito was talking about, though it was clear by the look of shock on Isuzu's face that she was hurt by what he'd said. And that, Tohru realized, was exactly what the comment had been intended to do: to wound.

She took a shuddering breath, though before she could begin to form the right words to interject, there was an abrupt flash of light, so bright it was almost blinding. Tohru squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them again, Isuzu was standing on the beach in her human form, scowling as she advanced on Akito, not seeming to notice or care that she was completely naked.

"You don't get to say things like that to me and not get any push-back!" the girl shouted. "The others might let you say whatever the hell you want to them, but I won't! You don't know anything about what happened between me and my family, do you hear me? You know nothing."

Not for the first time, Tohru found herself amazed by the horse's uncanny ability to both easily and openly express her rage, so much so that even she didn't notice the girl was naked right away. As soon as she did, though, she immediately withdrew and focused her eyes elsewhere.

She spared a glance at Akito, and was not the least bit surprised to see that the zodiac god was looking down at Isuzu with a cold, haughty stare. "I didn't come here to squabble with you over matters in which I care nothing for," he told her in that low, steady voice of his that was once enough to make Tohru shudder. "I didn't come here to see you at all, in fact." He finally averted his gaze from Isuzu, though to Tohru it seemed it wasn't so much out of politeness as it was disgust.

"Go," he spat, waving a hand. "Find the others. I'm sure they can scrounge up some clothes for you to wear if you ask nicely. In the meantime, I would like to have a word with Miss Tohru Honda."

Isuzu looked like she was going to object, but before she could say anything, Tohru reached out and awkwardly offered her the beach towel she'd been carrying under her arm.

"Here," she murmured, and Isuzu snorted and tore it from her grasp without a word.

"I'll be okay," she added as Isuzu hastily wrapped the towel around herself. "Really."

Again, the other girl looked like she wanted to argue. But there must have been something in Tohru's expression that gave her pause. Tohru wasn't sure what she saw, though whatever it was, it must've been enough to convince Isuzu that she could handle Akito on her own. The horse narrowed her eyes and nodded brusquely before stalking off, making sure to cast Akito one last simmering glare as she swept past him. The zodiac god merely rolled his eyes.

"That one I find to be particularly vexing," he told Tohru as they both watched the girl tear into the woods before completely disappearing from sight.

For several seconds Tohru only stared in the direction that Isuzu had gone. "Akito," she said after taking a moment to carefully choose her words. "I was wondering...what exactly happened with Isuzu and her family? Did they..."

Momiji's voice sounded in her head then, a remark the rabbit had made once long ago, but would be forever imprinted in her mind: "Often parents of the zodiac react to having a cursed child in one of two ways. They either become extremely overprotective of them, or they reject them completely."

Akito must have sensed her hesitation to speak further on the subject of Isuzu's parents. "They hated her," he said in reply to her unasked question. "They cast her from their home and told her to never return."

Just like Arisa's dad did to her. Tohru looked down sadly at her feet. "Why?" she whispered.

Akito gave a small shrug. "She's cursed," he said, his tone flippant. "Is that not reason enough?"

Tohru turned her eyes up on him then, her expression deeply troubled. "Is that what you think? Akito, do you...do you really believe that being cursed means you deserve to be looked down on by other people?"

He seemed to consider her question before answering. "Deserve? I'm not so sure. All I know is that it is in human nature to fear that which we don't understand. And fear often manifests itself as hate."

At that, Tohru nodded her head in agreement. "Momiji said something similar once. His mother...well, I'm sure you already know the story. She hated him for what he is. When she looked at him...she saw nothing but the curse. It's like she was blinded by it." She smiled softly as she pictured Momiji walking through the halls at school, his white bunny backpack bouncing up and down behind him with every jovial step. "But that's just the thing. There's so much more to all of you than that. You have likes and dislikes, dreams and secrets, fears and worries...just like any other normal person. You're human."

"Is that so?" Akito turned to her, his eyes betraying only the slightest hint of intrigue as he gave her his full and undivided attention. "Tell me something then, Miss Tohru Honda. When you look at me, what human qualities do you observe?"

It was meant to be a challenge. He was testing her, trying to determine if she was...what was it he had said the last time they met?

"You're treating me with kindness because you think that one day I will treat you similarly."

Tohru straightened as she tried to think of a way to answer his question both earnestly and in a way that he was likely to respond favorably to.

"You know, Akito, the truth is...I used to be afraid of you," she told him. "You probably already knew that, but...well, I still think it's important for me to say. When I looked at you, I saw someone who was filled with hate and envy...like the spirit of a long-forgotten, vengeful god might be. I saw someone who liked to hurt people just for the fun of it, someone...well, evil."

Akito tilted his head to one side. He looked serious as usual, though there was no mistaking the deviousness in his voice as he asked her, "And do you mean to say that your outlook has now changed?"

Tohru had no idea whether the conversation was going well or not—Akito was always so hard to read—but she forced herself to be brave and continue.

"Yes. It has." She leveled her gaze with his. "Now that I know you better...I see that you have reasons for being the way you are.

"You feel that the world has abandoned you, including your own family. Sure, they may be cursed, but unlike you, they're still able to live relatively normal lives. And you resent them for that. You feel like they've left you to succumb to your illness, and whether you want to admit it or not...that hurts you. It hurts you so, so much."

Akito's icy eyes narrowed into slits, though much to Tohru's surprise, he didn't attempt to contradict her.

"I think the truth is that you wish you were like them. I mean, you are like them, of course," she backtracked, her words becoming hurried before promptly resuming to a more normal, steady timbre. "But at the same time...you really aren't, are you?"

Akito was staring her dead in the face, unblinking. Whether this was a good thing or a bad thing, Tohru didn't know, but again he gave no indication that he wanted to interrupt. And so she pressed on.

"You want what they have," she murmured. "You want to feel like you have some semblance of an ordinary life. Like you have a place in this world. A purpose."

She crossed one hand over her body in order to lock her wrist in a vise-grip, an action that she knew made the nervousness she was feeling in that moment plain as day. And yet she couldn't bring herself to let go, least she falter and lose her nerve.

"And then there's me," she said after another brief pause. "I came along and I befriended the Sohma's. And you hated that because...really, that's what you'd wanted all your life. To be one of them. To belong. And then I thought: What could possibly be more human than that? To want to belong somewhere...I don't think there's a single person in the entire world who hasn't felt that way at some point or another." A broad grin stretched across her face. "But what really changed my mind was the day I saw you feeding the birds at Sohma House. It was...a side of you I'd never seen before. They made you happy; I could see it on your face, and I think they also sensed your happiness. I even saw two of them eat straight from your hand. Akito, those birds...they love and trust you, just like you love and trust them. And somehow I know that if you were to show your family more of that kinder, gentler part of yourself, they would..."

She let her words die there, allowing him to fill in the rest, and when she turned to look at him again, she nearly gasped. The zodiac god's face was still as expressionless as it had been moments ago, but now he looked...wane. Terribly so, almost to the point of being ill, and Tohru was instantly alarmed.

Did all of my talking make him dizzy with anger? Maybe I shouldn't have said so much.

Her mind raced as she tried to think of some way to rectify the situation. I must be wrong. Everything I just said...maybe none of it is true. Maybe I'm just making assumptions about him. Maybe I should-

"There is...one thing I've been meaning to ask you, Miss Tohru Honda."

Her eyes shot toward Akito as he spoke. He'd lowered his head, his midnight black hair hanging around him like a veil, and though his expression was obstructed from Tohru's view, that didn't prevent her from hearing the way his voice had cracked as he said, "The...bird that you caught that night. The one with the injured wing. Did it recover, or..."

Tohru beamed at him, in part because she was happy he'd asked, but mostly because she was beginning to allow herself to feel hopeful that she might've just, in fact, said the right things after all.

"Oh, yes! He recovered. Turns out all he needed was a little tender loving care. I wish you could've seen him when I opened the cage and let him go. He was overjoyed. It was clear he'd been waiting for that moment for a long time, like the struggle he'd been through had made him stronger and even more willing to embrace the open sky and everything it had to offer." She giggled shyly. "That may sound silly, but it really was a beautiful moment. I wish you could've seen it. Truly."

Akito raised his head to look at her then, and when their eyes met, Tohru could've sworn she saw the tiniest hint of a smile on his face. A smile that didn't resemble a smirk or a sneer.

Which was why she felt a little guilty for ruining the wonderful moment they were having by saying what she did next. It couldn't be helped, though.

"There's something I wanted to ask you as well, Akito. That is...if it's all right with you."

The zodiac god turned to her with unmasked interest, and Tohru found herself holding back another grin. The fact that he was displaying his emotions more openly was a sign that he was growing more comfortable being himself around her. And she wasn't sure why, but that realization made her feel very happy.

"I've been thinking a lot about the curse, and I can't help wondering..."

"It's all right," Akito said when she fell silent again. "Ask me anything you want. I promise I won't get angry."

It was exactly what he'd said to her all those months ago at Sohma House. Only, he'd been lying then. He had gotten angry. He could be lying again, Tohru knew, and yet...for some reason that she wasn't quite able to discern, she found that she believed he was being sincere this time. And so long at last she dared ask him, "Do you believe it's possible to break the zodiac curse?"

Again, she watched him very carefully, though hard as she tried, she couldn't seem to gauge his thoughts. As always, his expression remained placid as he gazed quietly off into the distance.

"Why do you want to know?" he said, his tone casual.

Tohru glanced away from him, hugging her arms across her body as she also turned to stare out at the vast blue ocean before them. "Well...because I care about the zodiac. And I want to help. I want you all to be the happiest that you can possibly be in this life. Because you deserve it."

"Even me?"

Tohru started, taken aback by the blunt question. Does he really wonder, or is he just testing me again? She watched the zodiac god over one shoulder for a moment before smiling and saying, "Of course."

The effort he'd been making to keep his emotions under wraps had lessened considerably by then, and there was no mistaking the bewilderment in his expression as he regarded her. "How? After everything I've done...how can you even think to say such a thing? It's asinine. No person—no normal person—would ever-"

Tohru took a step toward him, her eyes glistening as she declared emphatically, "Nothing you have done to this point is unforgivable. Don't you see that? It's not too late, Akito. You can still be all the things that you want to be!"

She drew even closer still, but Akito tore away from her with a rough shake of his head. "That's where you're wrong. You keep saying that there is time, that the only important thing is that right now, I'm alive." He scoffed dubiously. "But I'm not, am I? Not really. You don't know...you weren't there the day that the doctors told me." He shuddered, visibly shaken by whatever thought had just entered his mind. "You weren't there," he repeated. "You weren't there. You..."

He trailed off, his eyes going distant, as though reliving some far off memory from long ago. Sweat began to form on his brow, and Tohru watched with great concern as he stepped dazedly in the direction of the ocean, almost as though he was compelled to do so by some unknown force. Tohru reached for him just as his shoes skimmed the water's edge, and when she took his hand in hers, she gasped at how cold and clammy it was.

"You're right," she said gently. "You're right, Akito, I wasn't there."

But his gaze remained fixed on the water in front of them. He didn't even seem to be aware of her presence anymore.

"If you ever want to talk about it," she told him, "I'll listen. But, Akito, please know that as long as you're living, there is hope. And as long as I'm allowed to continue being a part of this family...I won't stop searching for an answer. I promise."

When he still didn't reply, Tohru became truly afraid. This is just like what happened when we were standing outside Shigure's house last month. Only, there's no one here to help me this time if something goes wrong. Oh, Mom, I have to do something. I have to bring him back. I have to...

A surge of courage coursed through her, and before she even realized what she was doing, she found herself reaching up and taking the zodiac god's face between her hands.

"I'm not going to give up," she told him, turning him so that he was forced to meet her eyes, "no matter what some doctor may have told you. And you shouldn't give up either. Okay?"

Her touch was slight, to the point where it almost wasn't there at all, but it appeared to at least be enough to jar Akito. He blinked, and his eyes began to lose that far off, glassy look. Then they slid slowly back toward Tohru, and as he stared at her, she suddenly became aware of how close they were standing. Embarrassed, she ducked her head and lowered her arms back down to her sides. Before she could take a step back, though, Akito reached a hand out to touch her.

Tohru stood stock-still, not knowing how to react as he gently threaded a strand of her dark brown hair between his fingers, almost like a comb. His movements were slow and tentative, his expression slightly quizzical as he regarded her. Is this acceptable? he seemed to be asking. And Tohru honestly didn't know how to answer that question. On one hand, the gesture felt rather intimate—much more so than she was comfortable being with the zodiac god—and there was a part of her that wanted to pull away, if only out of sheer awkwardness. At the same time, though...there was another part of her that was transfixed by him.

Akito's gaze was intense, his eyes never once leaving her face, and she stared right back, noticing—not for the first time—the stark contrast between his jet black hair and sapphire blue eyes. She wouldn't hesitate to admit that there was something truly captivating about him, something...

Beautiful.

Immediately warmth flooded her cheeks. Where had that come from? It was hardly an appropriate thought to have, all things considered, and yet Tohru couldn't bring herself to deny that it was true. In fact, she distinctly remembered thinking that exact thing the first time she saw Akito. She'd compared him to Yuki, thinking them to be very similar in appearance. And while she was certain no one would have argued with her assessment, at the time she'd failed to realize what she did now.

Yes, both Sohma boys were undeniably very beautiful and shared many similar physical traits—however, their demeanors were vastly different. For example, where Yuki's delicate features made him appear soft and gentle, Akito somehow wore them in a way that made him look harsh and severe—one you wanted to approach, whereas the other made you feel wary, maybe even slightly on edge. In addition to that, both boys had a certain allure about them, though they tended to have rather dissimilar effects on the people around them. Where Yuki's presence was always warm, comforting, and friendly, Akito seemed to cast a dark shadow wherever he walked, at times almost making him appear...dangerous. And yet, somehow, that feeling was precisely what seemed to make him so intriguing to other people. And Tohru was no exception to this. The first time she'd seen him, the only thing she had wanted to do was draw nearer. He was like a mystery. It was the reason she'd decided to approach him in the first place.

She'd been fascinated by him then, during that brief encounter in her school hallway all that time ago, and she was fascinated by him now, for better or for worse.

He's right, though, she realized with a start. He has done a lot to hurt me and the Sohma's. And I meant what I said to him earlier; they're things that can be forgiven, but...maybe not forgotten. She sighed inwardly. Oh, Mom...what does it say about me, that I would be drawn to this person who has done so many terrible things-

"Tohru?"

Tohru watched as Akito froze, his body going stiff as a board. He let her hair fall as though it had suddenly cut him, his outstretched hand trembling slightly as Tohru peered around him in order to get a better look at the newcomer.

"Momiji?" Tohru exclaimed when she saw the rabbit's round, boyish face staring back at her with an expression that was equal parts worried and perplexed. "Um...hi," she said lamely, her face flushing hot again as she realized what her and Akito's close proximity to one another had probably looked like to her friend. "What's going on? Is...everything all right?"

"I might ask you the same thing." The boy glanced back and forth between her and the zodiac god. "You were gone a really long time, and I just wanted to make sure that you were-"

"Insolent boy," Akito said, his voice cool but unmistakably furious as he finally deigned turn his head toward Momiji. "Didn't I tell you to never approach me again unless I expressly commanded you to do so?" He paused a moment, as though expecting an answer. "Well? Didn't I?"

Though she knew she shouldn't be, Tohru found herself surprised by Akito's sudden shift in mood. Could it be that he particularly dislikes Momiji? Or is there another reason?

By then Akito had begun to pace in front of the rabbit. Tohru noticed that he was repeatedly wringing his hands all the while, probably in an attempt to get them to stop shaking, though it couldn't have been more apparent that he was failing miserably at the task. "Hatori...he sent you out here looking for me, didn't he? Didn't he?" He swore. "After I specifically told him not to enter my room for the duration of the evening-"

But Momiji insisted, "No! I didn't even know that you were here! I came looking for Tohru and no other reason...I swear it!"

The zodiac god stopped then, standing with his back to them both, and for a moment, Tohru dared hope that he would let the accusation drop. Oh Mom, he really is trying to be better, isn't he?

But then Akito's head snapped back around, and at seeing his expression, Tohru felt her heart twist with dread.

"Lies! That's all I get from any of you anymore. Lies, lies, lies!"

"Akito, no!"

Tohru leaped in front of him as he began to advance on Momiji. "Stop," she pleaded. Though she knew she'd just stepped into potentially dangerous territory, she found that she wasn't afraid. Not of him. Not anymore.

"You don't want to do this," she told him. "Not really. I know you don't."

The zodiac god drew his arm back, as though preparing to strike. But she wasn't the one that he was aiming for. Somehow, Tohru knew this to be true.

"Akito."

She closed her hand around his raised fist. This time, she gripped as tightly as she could, and the effect that this simple action had was more than she could've hoped for. The zodiac god's hand went slack, the fervor in his eyes extinguished as it seemed to register that it was Tohru and not Momiji who was standing in front of him. Slowly, he let his arm drop, and Tohru simultaneously released him and stepped away in order to return to Momiji's side. A brief, but unmistakable look of pain flashed across Akito's face as she did this, but before she could begin to wonder about it, the zodiac god hissed and turned his back on them once again.

"Take her, then," he spat, his eyes cast downward. "You want her...take her. She's nothing to me."

Tohru winced, surprised by how deeply his words had hurt her. "Akito, you don't-"

"You love them and you want them to be happy. You said so yourself. Well, they share the same level of regard for you, or so it would appear."

Why did he sound so bitter as he said it?

"Best hurry back," he added. "Wouldn't want to worry them, now would you?"

Even though she knew he couldn't see her with his back turned, Tohru held a hand out to him, her eyes sad. "You could come with us, you know," she said, her voice quiet, almost inaudible.

"No," he replied in a voice equally as low, his tone clipped as he told her, "I really couldn't."

Defeated, Tohru lowered her outstretched hand. "All right. Well...I guess I'll see you in the morning, then. Or maybe later tonight? I'm not sure when you plan on coming back to the-"

"Just go."

Why is it that whenever I feel like we're starting to get closer to being friends, he pushes me away again?

"Okay. Well, then...come on, Momiji. We should probably get going now. Akito's right. The last thing I want to do is worry everyone."

Back at the house, Shigure lounged on one end of Isuzu's bed. The girl sat on the opposite side with her back against the headboard, legs up, forehead pressed to her knees, her long dark hair spilling around her. The dog watched her with a calm, easy smile. It couldn't be more than apparent that she was actively trying to keep herself as far from his as possible, despite the close proximity that the small bedroom had forced them into.

"You know, I don't bite," he teased, though unsurprisingly, the girl ignored him. He exhaled, creating a sound that wasn't quite a sigh, but enough to convey how tedious he often found her avoidant behavior to be. "I confess...I'm surprised. About what you just told me, I mean." He shook his head. "Kyo. Of all people..."

Isuzu didn't even offer him so much as a grunt in response, and again the small dark room fell silent.

"If I didn't pity her before," he said as he gazed thoughtfully up at the ceiling, "I most certainly do now. To have the misfortune of falling in love with the cat..." His eyes flickered toward the horse, who was still refusing to look at him. "Did she give any indication that she knows what will happen to him?"

It took a while, but finally, Isuzu slowly lifted her head. "Yes. She knows. Turns out...your agenda isn't all too different from hers."

"Tohru has an agenda?"

Isuzu snorted. "Yeah. Believe it or not. A pretty big one, too. She wants to break the curse."

Shigure felt his jaw slacken, but before he could say anything in reply, there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Shigure called sweetly as Isuzu buried her face in her knees again.

"Haru," came the voice on the other side, and Isuzu's head promptly shot right back up, eyes widening as she stared at the closed door, as though willing it to stay that way.

"Rin," Haru called. "I know you don't really want to see me, but...I'm worried. If we could just talk-"

"Go away."

Even Shigure had to flinch at the venom in her voice.

A soft thud sounded on the other side of the door, and Shigure abruptly stood, knowing full well that it was likely only a matter of time before the ox's dark personality came out. And that was something he preferred to avoid happening at all costs.

"Get some rest," he told the horse as he padded toward the door. "And please, do us all a favor and talk to him in the morning. Even if it is just for a few minutes. He really is worried about you, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but...I do think you're being a little cruel."

He fully expected her to unleash her wrath upon him after that comment. And in truth, that was partially why he'd said it. Anything was better than seeing her sit there like that, silent and inexpressive. Because while that was certainly the manner in which she chose to present herself to the rest of the world, the few people who truly knew her knew that her heart was always guided by passion and intent. The version of Rin he was seeing now was one that she would typically only show to an outsider. Someone who didn't know her. And the fact that she was treating him like a stranger...

He didn't like it.

She's trying to keep her emotions contained, like she would with someone she doesn't know. Someone she's not comfortable being herself with.

Shigure found he had an inkling as to what some of those emotions might be. And if he was right...the last thing he wanted her to do was to stifle them.

Would she do it? he found himself wondering. With Hatsuharu standing right outside the door...no. No, she would never.

Would she?

Much to his disappointment, though, the horse promptly pointed to the door and snapped, "Just go."

Stubborn as always.

When Shigure exited the room, he was not at all surprised to see that Hatsuharu was still nearby. The ox had slumped to the floor in the hallway, his head resting against his knees in a way that was very similar to how he'd just left Rin.

"I don't know what to do."

Shigure cast the boy a look of genuine compassion as he quietly closed the bedroom door behind him. "I don't think there's really anything you can do right now."

But Haru just shook his head, sighing heavily. He looked so sad, so defeated, and it struck Shigure as strange. He wasn't used to seeing the ox this way. Most the time, when Haru spoke, he used a voice that was calm and collected, almost monotonous. Unless, of course, his dark personality took over. In those instances the quiet, considerate boy they all knew and loved was abruptly transformed into an arrogant bastard with a serious taste for violence. It was insufferable to witness, really. Now, though? Now he sounded like he was on the verge of breaking, something Shigure could honestly say he'd never observed before in the ox.

"I don't get it. She'll talk to you, no problem. So why not me? What did I do, Shigure? Why is she treating me like this?"

"I wouldn't say 'no problem,'" Shigure said as he absently tapped a finger to his chin. "In fact, most of our time in there just now was spent in total silence."

Haru threw his hands up in the air, clearly frustrated. "Whatever! She let you in. She won't even look at me!"

"She wasn't really doing much of that either, to be honest with you."

Again, Haru waved him off. "I just want to know what I did. So that I can fix it. To be shut out by her like this...you have no idea how much it hurts."

"Now that's not true," Shigure countered in a soft voice, causing Haru to immediately lift his head and look up at him.

For several seconds, both men simply stared at each other. A look of knowing suddenly entered Haru's eyes, and before Shigure could begin to contemplate its meaning, the ox shot to his feet.

"It was you, wasn't it?" There was no mistaking the anger in his eyes now, and Shigure could only watch on warily as the younger man sized him up. "You must've said something...something that would make her doubt our relationship-"

"Now why would I do something like that?"

"Because you want her."

Shigure didn't even allow himself to blink, despite the fact that he was almost positive Haru wanted nothing more than to kill him right then and there.

I have to tread carefully, he thought, or this could end very badly. For him, not for Haru, though the dog was not all too keen on admitting as much, even to himself.

"Please. Try to calm down," he said, hands raised. "If this is really what's bothering you, I'll put your mind at ease. I won't deny that I find Rin to be completely and utterly irresistible..."

Haru snarled, his face twisting into an expression that was now nothing but pure malice.

"But," Shigure quickly continued, "I assure you that you have nothing to fear from me in that regard. While I do think that the attraction may be mutual to some small extent...Rin loves you. Not me. And though it may not seem like it right now, I honestly wouldn't want it any other way."

Thankfully, Haru's fury seemed to be simmering, albeit gradually. He still didn't look entirely convinced, though, and so Shigure elaborated even further.

"Rin deserves someone who can truly love her. Me? I'm like a ripple on the water, or so they say. Capricious and undependable."

At that, Haru snorted, though his expression was still entirely void of any and all humor. "Funny. Yuki always said he thought you were more like a jellyfish. Sure, you may seem harmless at a glance, but get close enough...and you'll get stung."

Despite the fact that he knew he shouldn't, given the serious nature of the conversation they were having, Shigure found he couldn't help but chuckle darkly. Who would've thought that Yuki had such a knack for analogies?

Before he could comment, Hatori and Momiji suddenly came pounding up the staircase, both of them wearing troubled expressions.

"Shigure," Hatori said, cutting straight to the chase. "I realize you and Hatsuharu are having an important discussion right now, but there's something that you need to hear."

Normally Shigure would have asked if it could wait. But he could tell by the urgency in Hatori's voice that it absolutely could not. "What is it?" he demanded. "What's happened?"

"It's Akito," Momiji squeaked. "I just saw him out on the beach. He was talking to Tohru, and-"

"Akito?" Shigure shook his head. "But I thought..." His eyes locked with Hatori's. "You took him to his room, didn't you? He was complaining of a headache."

"Yes, and apparently some time between then and now he decided to leave. Through the window, no less. Momiji and I scoured the property, but I've no idea where he's gone off to."

Shigure pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. You expected him to stay in his rooms like he promised? Hatori, you fool.

"Should we form a search party? I can go and wake Aya-"

Slam.

Just like that, their attention was diverted by a noise at the end of the hall. A noise that appeared to have come from the zodiac god's bedroom.

The dog and the dragon exchanged a brief panicked glance with one another before quickly setting off in that direction.

Shigure managed to make it there first due to his longer strides. "Akito?" he shouted as he threw open the door. "Akito..."

He broke off there, finding he could only stand in stunned silence as he caught sight of the figure of the zodiac god lying on the floor, shivering uncontrollably.

"Hatori...quickly, get your supplies! Akito is unwell!"