Spread My Wings (Fruits Basket)

Sacrifices

Hatori's POV

"Hey, Ha'ri!" Shigure called from downstairs, his voice muffled by the thick wall separating us. "Wanna take a walk? The weather isn't too bad tonight, so what do you think?"

"Did Ayame agree to stay home? We can't risk him transforming," I replied, standing up and placing an index card in my book as a quick bookmark. Flicking the light switch off, I slid off my mattress and slipped into my light windbreaker.

"Yeah, he said he didn't mind," Shigure said as I zipped up my jacket and headed down the stairs. "I take it that you're worried as usual?"

"Dealing with you two, it's a wonder I get any sleep at night." Ignoring his pout, I grabbed a flashlight and pushed open the front door. "You're not planning to date anyone, right?"

"Of course not." He frowned at me and followed me outside, a shower of cherry blossom petals blowing past us and leaving the faintest trail of their warm fragrance behind. We walked across the lawn of our house inside of the estate, feet pattering against the damp grass. "I'm not as stupid as you think I am, Ha'ri. You know all of that playboy stuff is just for show."

"I'm well aware of that." I heaved a sigh. "We can't just let our guard down, you know. You do want to stay in a normal high school, right? There's no telling what Akito might do if someone accidentally finds out about the curse."

"Do you really think that she'd lock us up if that happened?" Shigure asked, cocking his head to the side, more curious than anxious.

"Of course she would," I snapped. "Don't you know who we're dealing with?"

"She's not a bad person, Ha'ri," he said softly. "Here's the thing: she just doesn't like all of us treating her like she's ticking time bomb. Maybe if you started treating her like a person, for once-"

"Which is the exact opposite of what any of us are," I cut him off. "You don't have to play the role of her obedient lapdog, you know."

Shigure went quiet. "I promised that I would love her forever," he whispered. "And it's a promise I intend to keep."

"That might be true for you, but what about the rest of us? What if I want my own life?" I said. "As long as I'm trapped here, that's just wishful thinking."

We lapsed into silence, turning the corner onto a street filled with nothing but cheap hair salons and sushi restaurants, the air permeated by the soupy smell of cigarettes. The block was nearly empty this late at night; the only person in sight was a crumpled figure curled up on a park bench.

Shigure stopped in his tracks. "Hang on." Grabbing the flashlight, he shone the beam onto the mystery person, revealing a familiar face. "Fujikawa-chan?"

She mumbled something completely incoherent in her sleep, turning over to press her face into the bench.

"What should we do?" Shigure whispered, gnawing at the inside of his cheek. "We can't just leave her here."

"So what?" I demanded. "It's not our responsibility to take care of her."

"But anything could happen to her here! We absolutely have to take her with us," Shigure insisted, crouching down to get a better look at her face.

"We can't, you idiot! What about Akito? If she finds out that we've been hanging around a girl for the past month, who knows what she'll do?" I hissed, leaning forward to tug his arm. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

"Something must have happened. Why else would she be here?" he fired back. "Insane or not, I'm taking her with me. What kind of friends are we if we just leave her here?"