"To Lola, From Bugs" || Momiji

Chapter 12

"...Betrothed?" A girl with short brown hair and a cat backpack repeated, as she and everyone else in the room were processing the new information. They all sat around a long dinner table that was lavishly set up, however this revelation trumped any idea of celebration.

Akito smiled, slightly lifting the hand linked with Anzu's. Akito's hand felt a lot warmer than usual. "Yes, betrothed, Kagura. Aren't you happy for us?"

"Where's Kureno?" A white haired male spoke up. There were a couple other murmurs in the room, all of which were not welcomed graciously.

"Why do you care? He's not part of our bond anymore." Akito snarled and tightened their grip. "He left us behind. You should despise him!"

The tension in the air was thick as no one dared to say a word. There were fourteen people all together in this room, yet Anzu only recognized half. She wanted to speak up and say something, but the firm squeeze on her hand convinced her otherwise.

"I don't believe it. How can someone who isn't a Soma be affected by the curse?" A young boy spoke up. Kisa was sitting awfully close to him so Anzu assumed they were friends.

"Why don't we congratulate the couple first, Hiro?" Shigure smiled, stuffing his hands in his sleeves. "We're all very happy for you, Akito."

He sounded sincere, but Anzu felt in the back of her mind that this wasn't a genuine moment. Akito must have caught on too because their nails dug into her skin and the female winced in reaction. Seeing this, Momiji immediately stood up.

"You're hurting her."

"I am not." Akito narrowed their eyes. Turning to Anzu, he repeated the accusation. "Am I hurting you, Anzu?"

Refusing to look in Momiji's direction, the crimsonette kept eye contact with Akito and shook her head. The last thing she wanted was to end up back in the cage when all this was over. Plus, she still felt like something was wrong since not only were Akito's hands warm, their ears looked red from what she could see through their hair. Liking her obedience, the Soma head loosened his grip slightly and smugly turned back to Momiji.

"Perhaps Hatori should check your eyes, Momiji."

"I know what I saw."

"Are you talking back to me?" Akito dropped Anzu's hand and walked towards the blond. "I don't appreciate you accusing me and disrespecting me in front of a guest. You of all people should know better."

It was like everyone else was frozen in their seats. Anzu watched with fearful eyes as Akito stepped away from her. Please, don't do anything to Momiji, she willed silently as her heartbeat felt like the loudest sound in the room. She pushed herself to move, but she felt herself being held back by the bond. It was almost like slow motion when Akito raised his hand, only for Kureno to grab the Sohma head's wrist.

"Kureno-san..." Momiji frowned. "Is it true? Is your curse really broken?"

"It is."

The room grew silent once again as realization settled in. Someone had finally gained freedom from the shackles they were all chained to. It was a harsh reality. Why Kureno? How long had it been? What did he do?

"This still doesn't make any sense." A woman with peach-colored hair spoke up softly. "Weren't we all cursed at birth? Now someone is free and another person's life has been claimed..."

"She isn't even a Sohma." A female with long black hair crossed her arms.

Kureno frowned and released Akito's hand. "Anzu is my niece and she has Sohma blood, Rin."

Anzu could see that while there were a lot of confused looks, there were some somber expressions as well. She wasn't sure whether all big meetings were like this or not, but from what she understood, this wasn't supposed to be how any of this went down.