Broken Moonlight (Yuki x OC)

Chapter 40

-Mizuki POV-

"You said... girl" I whispered. "You mean... Akito is... a woman?"
"No... that can't be true" said Tohru. "Can it?"
"It's true" said Kureno. "I'm sure you two have realised the Sohma's have many secrets. That's the biggest of them all"

"But I don't understand" said Tohru. "Akito behaves like a man, dresses like one and the way the others talk... they don't ever treat him like a girl. I never even guessed. Not once"
"That's the way Akito was brought up" said Kureno. "Raised as male from birth. Someone else chose that for her"

I looked at Kureno, and in that moment... I felt sympathy for Akito...
"Who do you mean?" I asked.
"She almost caught you, Tohru" said Kureno. "That time at the main estate. She barely leaves her quarters. A troubled woman, both mentally and physically. But even so, she continues to haunt Akito's mind. Ren Sohma, Akito's mother"

'Being haunted... by her mother...'
"It was her doing" said Kureno. "She was the one who decided to raise her daughter as male. I don't know much. Neither Akito nor Ren will speak of it. The only thing I can say for certain is... those two hate each other, bitterly... according to Ren, the ties that bind Akito and the Zodiac are wrong, she says they're unnatural, they're twisted and false. And the connection isn't real. So, she constantly clashes with Akito, who clings to her bonds. That day, the morning after Ren conceived Akito, I woke up in tears. So did Shigure, Hatori and Ayame. We eldest are the only Zodiac members who know the truth, that Akito is female. Apparently Ritsu was too young to sense what happened clearly. But we four all had the same dream. Akito appeared, the God we had not yet met, and gave us a message. 'I'll see you soon'. We ran straight to Ren, who had no idea she was carrying a child. Tears on our faces, we just kept saying: 'We've been waiting for you'. It was so strange, this feeling I didn't recognize welled up from deep within my heart. And I sensed a me, that wasn't me. It shouted, it was the Zodiac spirit. Another self, one living inside me, inside my veins. At the first sign of a new ego for me, the Zodiac blood begins to hound us. Compelling our loyalty"

My hands began to tremble and I noticed that tears were forming in Tohru's eyes...
"When my curse broke" he continued. "I could finally see the truth. The bond that connected us wasn't a natural one. It's just like Ren said. But... at the same time I could see something else. A little girl, crying... she's still the sobbing child I can't abandon. Even now... and I can't see Arise while there's another I've sworn to remain beside. I'm sorry, that was a lot, and difficult to hear. I guess... I hoped telling you two, you'd understand something. The same Akito who wounds others so easily, is herself deeply wounded. Maybe now... you can see why I can't leave. Even if part of me wants to"

Tohru was crying and he touched her face.
"All I ever do is hurting other people" he said. "But even so... this is the path I chose. My choice, my will... no one else's. I'm sorry and thank you, for everything"

He left and Tohru fell down on her knees.
I wrapped my arms around her and she clung to me.
I was trembling while she was crying.

We were both frozen, unable to say anything...
It was too hard, processing everything...

When it was dark, someone stood behind us.
"Here I am to save the day" it was Hanajima and her brother Megumi.

~

-Yuki POV-

"What do you mean?" I asked to Hanajima after she called.
"Just what I said, Tohru and Mizuki are in my custody" she said. "They'll be mine, all night"
"Eh... Hanajima, your phrasing there is a little sketchy" I said.

"Is that doubt I hear?" she said. "You dare to object to my impromptu night gown festival?"
"Pretty sure the term you're looking for is pyjama party" I said. "No, I have no objections at all"
"Excellent, then I bid you goodnight" she said and hang up.

"It's not a problem, but it is a little strange" I said.
I had been worried about Mizuki and Miss Honda when they didn't come home.

-Mizuki POV-

We sat down in silence in Hanajima's room.
"Here we are" said Hanajima when she came back. "I've brought tea"
"Oh great, thank you" said Tohru.

"Be careful, it's hot" said Hanajima when she gave me a cup.
"Right, of course" I said.
"So, ehm... Hana-chan" said Tohru. "How did you know we were there?"

"You were crying" said Hanajima. "You were crying so loudly, it drew me like a shout. But in a voice, only I can hear. Something truly sad happened, didn't it?"
"I eh... it's just..." said Tohru. "Hana-chan... I'm... I'm so confused..."

"That's the understatement of the year" I whispered.
"I... I was right" cried Tohru. "Uo-chan's Kureno is... Kureno Sohma. I wanted him to go see her, so badly, I asked him too. But he said he cant. He told me it's because he has someone he has to stay with. Someone who needs him. He's a kind man, a caring man, he isn't doing this for his own sake. He's putting someone else's feelings before his own. But I... I couldn't say anything. So many people have helped me... so many times... but then when it was my turn... I couldn't do anything... why am I so useless?"

"Tohru" said Hanajima. "Putting other's people's feelings ahead of your own. That's something you do all the time. I worry about what doing that will do to you. The thing is, if you keep taking on other people's feelings, bearing their burdens... the weight will grow and grow... until one day, I fear that it will crush you. Buried beneath other people's pain... I worry you'd lose what makes you, you. And your smile would disappear... if it did... if that happened..."

"If that happened" Uotani opened the door. "It would be the end of the world"
"I invited an additional guest" smiled Hanajima.
"Man, I'm beat" said Uotani. "You told me to hurry so I ran all the way from work"

"Did you hear us?" I asked.
"I heard" she said. "Look at you, crying because of me. I'm total trash"
"Please don't say that!" shouted Tohru. "You're not trash"

"All right, but if I can't say it, you can't say you're useless" said Uotani and she looked at me. "And you can't think it. Because I love you two, you dummies"
She hugged us both.

"You can stop worrying, I'm okay" she said. "I really mean it. I was totally right though, Kureno is just like you, you're the same kind of dumb. I guess that must mean I've got a weakness for dummies. I don't wanna make trouble for people like the three of you. So... that's the end... Yeah, the end"

"You got your heart broken, Arisa?" asked Megumi bluntly.
"You little brat!" said Uotani.
"Think before you speak, Megumi" said Hanajima. "This is a delicate moment"

"Some things take time to find, a long time maybe, like a good friend or a person to love" said Megumi. "So it wasn't all for nothing"
"Of course it wasn't" said Uotani. "It never is, that's my personal creed"
"All right, shall we begin setting up for our evening festivities?" asked Hanajima.

"Can I help?" I asked with a smile.
"I find my heart beginning to race surrounded by older women" said Megumi.
"That line again, kid?" said Uotani.

~

"Hi! We're back from our sleepover!" shouted Tohru when we walked back into the house.
"It's quiet" I said and walked up the stairs while Tohru went to the living room.
"You're back" I heard a voice behind me and I turned around.

I smiled when I saw Yuki.
"Yeah" I said and he smiled.
"Did you guys have fun?" he asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, Uotani even came by" I said.
He put a strand of hair behind my ear.
"I'm glad you're back" he said and I blushed.
"I'm happy to be back" I whispered and leaned into his touch.

~

I was making flowers for the graduation ceremony, since our class was in charge of the flower decoration.
'We'll be seniors soon...'

I looked through the window and saw Yuki walk outside.
I looked at the flower in my hand and I had the urge to give him one...
'What's wrong with me? Why can't I just tell him how I feel?'

I ran outside and ran into Kuragi.
"Kuragi" I said.
"Hirose-senpai" she said. "What are you doing running in the hallways?"

"This is embarrassing" I whispered and looked at the flower in my hand. "I'm looking for Yuki"
She nodded and pointed in a direction.
"I bet he'll be happy to get a flower from you" she said and I smiled.
"I hope so" I whispered. "Thank you, Kuragi"

I ran into the direction she had pointed in.
'Will he find this weird? I bet he will... ah, to hell with what if's... I'm just gonna do this...'
I finally found him, but I was out of breath...

"Mizuki?" he said. "You startled me, what's wrong? You're really out of breath"
"Well, that's your fault" I said.
"What?" he said and I took a second to breathe.

"You were really hard to find you know" I said. "I kept losing you"
"Oh, I didn't realise you were looking for me" he said. "I'm sorry, did you need me for something?"
"No, it's nothing" I said, suddenly embarrassed...

"I'm confused" he said. "So you ran around looking for me for no reason?"
"I... I saw you before" I said. "And I don't know... I figured I'd come find you and say hello and give you something... but you kept changing places..."

"It's called patrolling actually" he said and I walked to the stairs and he followed me.
"Anyway, I got stubborn, that's all" I said.

-Yuki POV-

"I got stubborn, that's all" said Mizuki, she was looking away from me.
'It didn't have to be now... she would've seen me again later... but she chased after me, just to say hello... she sought me out... just me...'

My face turned bright red and I laid my hand on her head.
"Thank you" I said.
She turned around and I saw her red cheeks.

"Here" she said and gave me a paper flower. "It got a bit messed up while searching for you"
"A flower?" I asked when I saw it.
She looked away and I touched her cheek.

I looked into her blue eyes and I got lost in them again.
'I love you... and one day... I'll tell you...'
"Thank you" I whispered and she smiled.
"You're welcome" she said and touched my hand.

~

-Mizuki POV-

"Isuzu" Tohru suddenly said while we were doing the dishes.
"Isuzu? What? Is something up with Rin?" asked Yuki.
"Oh! It's nothing, my mind was just wondering and I blurted that out, forget I said anything" she said.

'That's right... we haven't told Isuzu what Kureno told us... she should know...'
"Sure, if you say so" said Yuki.
"Shigure says he's gonna be out late" said Kyo.

"Oh, really?" said Yuki. "He's having dinner with his editor, I wouldn't think that it would take that long"
"Gives him more time to torture her, I guess" said Kyo.

~

"Isuzu Sohma?" said one of the girls from Isuzu's school. "Yeah, she's in our class"
"Well, technically she is, but she's on one of her absent kicks again" said the other girl.
"I forget, did she wind up back in the hospital?" asked the girl.

"She's out, but still recuperating" said the other girl.
"Oh, that's right. In some far away place or whatever" said the girl.
"Oh, I see" I said.

"Thank you for telling us" said Tohru.
"Sure" said the girl and they left.
But they were speaking badly about Isuzu.
It made me sick...