Author Note: This is chapter one. I plan on having a detailed chapter for each zodiac member as they tell Akito goodbye. I'm still working on finishing those. This uses a mix between the lore from the manga, anime, and some personal headcanons. Some things aren't accurate, but they're overlook-able. This is kind of a cluster fuck. I think you'll enjoy it if you give it a chance. Eh.

It is complete now, two ends of time are neatly tied. A one way street, she's walking to the end of the line. There she meets the faces she keeps in her heart and mind. They say, 'goodbye.'

"Tomorrow, Akito, you're going to die."

Silence. A deathly silence fills the room and it's suffocating. Akito's dark black eyes slowly glide over, glaring daggers into the doctor. Hatori could feel Akito's icy eyes bore into him and he dutifully kept his eyes lowered onto the floor. The dragon couldn't look at her now, not after having to utter those words to her.

Akito studied Hatori's face angrily, taking note of every flaw she could find. She could see a few grey hairs mixed in with the dark bangs covering his eye. There were winkles beginning to form under and around Hatori's eyes, and she knew she was the cause of his premature aging. With Akito's illness growing progressively worse, Hatori had almost no time to himself. The doctor slept maybe three days a week, Akito noticed. Not that she cared. This was his job, if not for compensation, then he should do this out of love. Akito was dying. Their god was dying, and everyone knew this day would come. This was the dragon's job, to stay by her side until the end.

Which, Akito bitterly noted, was coming soon.

"Did you hear me?" Hatori whispered, his voice raspy, but calm. Akito's lack of words was beginning to worry him.

"Say it again."

Akito's frail tone sent a shiver down Hatori's spine. He sighed.

"Tomorrow, Akito, you're going to die." He breathed, looking down at the bedspread covering Akito. The tiny god had tubes going in both of her nostrils to help her breathe. A machine next to her that kept track of her heart beat beeped quietly. She was pale, so pale that the blue veins around her petite face were visible. Her body was like glass and paper, so thin and frail, Hatori was often scared to touch her. Akito's hair had begun falling out, leaving small patches around her scalp. The god was dying. Dying an undignified, slow, painful death.

Akito frowned, holding up her hand weakly. She barely had the energy to do so. She studied her long, bony fingers with disdain, gazing at the back of her hand. Her mortality was beginning to bother her. This was it, then. Her caretaker had finally given her an expiration date. Tomorrow.

"You sound like your father did that day." Akito sneered softly, her hand still held out in front of her. She glanced over at the doctor, wondering if he remembered like she did.

Kureno stood off on the corner, his arm wrapped around Ritsu. Both being only seven, they were frightened of what was happening around them. Ritsu cried softly, not understanding the situation. He held onto Kureno, wanting to go hide.

"It's okay, Ritsu." Kureno whispered, holding his only friend close. He glanced over at the hospital bed on the other side of the room from them. "Akira is really sick, but it's okay. Don't be scared."

A nine year old Shigure stood at the end of the bed, staring at Akira, their current god. He frowned and shifted uncomfortably, wishing Ayame was with him. The snake was bedridden down the hall with his asthma. Shigure sighed, scratching his head before looking next to him. There stood little Akito, who had just turned five. She sniffled, using her sleeve to wipe the tears out of her eyes.

"Mr. Sohma, is daddy dying?" Akito asked softly, looking over at the tall doctor she so often avoided. While waiting her answer, she looked over at Shigure. The dog grabbed her hand and held it, hoping to comfort her.

Hatori's father removed the stethoscope from his ears and wrapped it around his neck. His cold eyes glanced over at the small, dark haired girl and he nodded.

"Tomorrow Akira is going to die." He said firmly, not an ounce of emotion in his voice.

Young Hatori, also nine, shuddered slightly at his father's tone. Hatori hated his father's voice. It frightened him. He swore he would never sound so cruel. The tiny dragon looked up at his dad, who he was standing next to. Tugging on his sleeve, he asked softly, "We can't save him, dad?"

Hatori's father sighed, annoyed by his son's ridiculous question.

"Hatori, the god of the zodiac will always die young. This is the rule. This is how it has been for decades. As the dragon, you will take over my role as you get older. You will become Akito's protector and you will stay by her side until she also perishes." He said, calmly and placidly. The man turned his attention back to the frail Akira currently asleep on the hospital bed. "It is up to you, children. You all are here right now to watch him die, just as they will all watch you die, Akito. Pay close attention. The kamisama must be surrounded by his juunishi in the Sohma estate as he passes on. You all are here to say goodbye."

Shigure scowled, looking over at his friend, Hatori. So, the dragon was supposed to be the one to protect the god? Then what was Shigure supposed to do? He was the one who remembered the dream, he was the one who cried, he was the one who waited impatiently for Akito to be born. He was her protector, not the dragon. Until this moment, Shigure always considered Hatori to be a close friend. However, a deep jealousy was beginning to grow in the pit of his stomach. The dog frowned, trying to keep his temper in check around Akira. Squeezing Akito's hand gently, he looked over at her. More tears were rolling down her cheeks.

Akito nodded politely at Hatori's father, knowing that was indeed her fate. She sniffled, moving to wipe her eyes again. Akito could hear Kureno still soothing Ritsu behind them.

It went silent for a moment.

There was a soft gasp, and all eyes darted towards the hospital bed. Akira coughed a bit, his eyes fluttering open. The man saw their current dragon, along with his young son. He saw Shigure, the problem child, their next dog, standing at the foot of his bed. His eyesight was going, but he was sure he could see the rooster and the monkey off in the corner as well. His eyes landed on Akito, his daughter. His beloved daughter. The one who would take his throne.

A smile slowly spread across his pale face, and Akira held out his shaky hand to Akito. "Precious, come here to daddy." He breathed, his voice wavering pathetically.

Akito smiled sadly and nodded, holding her arms out for him. She toddled over and Hatori's father helped lift her onto the bed. Akito crawled over to his side and curled up to him, resting her head on his chest.

"Daddy, I don't want you to go. I don't want to be god. I don't want to be left alone with mommy. Please…" She begged softly, looking up at her father.

"Shh," Akira cooed, raising a shaky hand to gently stroke her short black hair. Her beautiful black hair, just like her mother's, that he so adored. "Daddy has to go, precious. You will be a wonderful god. Everyone will love you." He whispered, choking on his words as tears started rolling down his cheeks.

Akito frowned and moved to hide her face in his chest, sobbing quietly. She didn't have any more words, she was too upset to speak.

Shigure watched them, staying quiet. His hands clenched into fists at his sides and he scowled. Seeing Akito cry was making his blood boil.

Hatori glanced away from Akito and Akira, feeling wrong for having to witness such an intimate moment between the father and daughter. He looked over at Shigure, wondering why he looked so angry. Hatori sighed, positive that he wouldn't hear the end of it once they were allowed to leave. He was sure that Shigure would talk his ear off later. The dragon just hoped that Shigure would cheer up by the time they went to visit Ayame.

"I don't want to be here when he dies, 'Reno," Ritsu whispered, feeling his heart rate increase and his anxiety begin to kick in.

"We have to, though." Kureno offered, though deep down, he agreed. He wasn't sure how exactly to feel about Akito becoming their new god, but Akira had been so nice and loving, he thought Akito would probably be the same way. Kureno sighed, keeping his attention on Ritsu to avoid watching Akito cling to her dying father.

Hatori's father cleared his throat. "That is enough, Akito. You must let your father rest." He stated coldly, moving to remove Akito from Akira's side.

Akira frowned, but nodded. He understood that it was time for Akito to go for now. Hatori's father had been a friend and close confidant for so many years, he knew to trust the cold dragon's judgement. Akito tensed up and began throwing a fit as Hatori's father removed her. She kicked and screamed at him, demanding to stay with her father in his bed. Her request went unanswered.

"Hatori, take Akito back to her mother." The elder dragon ordered, setting Akito feet first onto the ground. He nudged her roughly towards his son, them turned his attention back to his dying friend.

Hatori nodded silently, reaching over to grab her hand. She sniffled, but wasn't reluctant. Hatori left the room, pulling her behind him to go down the hall to Ren's room.

As they left, Shigure glared at the two, cutting his eyes over at them. He huffed once they were gone, crossing his arms. Shigure wanted to be by her side, but it was the dragon who was the chosen guardian. Not him. It was eating him up inside. Why Hatori? Turning, he stomped out of the room and down the hall to Ayame's room, needing to vent.

Kureno suddenly realized that he and Ritsu were the only two left in the room now. He felt uncomfortable. "Ritsu, we can probably go play outside now. I'll push you on the swing, okay?" Kureno offered quietly, moving to hold Ritsu's hand.

The monkey sniffled a tiny bit, but smiled. Kureno was a good friend. Clasping his hand, Ritsu started to follow Kureno out of the room. "Can we play dress-up afterwards?" He asked sheepishly, expecting Kureno to say no.

"Yeah," Kureno nodded, walking him down the hall to playground outside. "You want to play the princess again and I'll be the prince?" He asked, suddenly stumbling a bit as he tripped over his own feet. Kureno frowned, feeling embarrassed. His cheeks flushed.

Ritsu gasped a bit, but was thankful Kureno kept his balance. "Are you okay? Are you sure? Positive? Okay, good. Um… Yeah, I'd… I'd like to play that game." He said softly, beginning to feel better already as they walked out into the brisk, autumn air.

"I don't get it," Shigure growled softly, pacing in front of Ayame's bed. "He doesn't even like her that much. Everytime I try to play with her, she's always looking for Ha'ri. She always climbs on him, wanting him to carry her everywhere. What about me? Huh? I could carry her." Shigure mumbled immaturely, pausing his stride. He glanced over at Ayame, who was watching patiently.

The snake was propped up in his bed, his hands neatly folded in his lap. His silver hair was about shoulder length, it was beautiful. He coughed a bit, feeling weak. His asthma had been particularly bad this week, with the cold weather outside. He offered a small, but genuine smile to his canine friend. "Akito and you are destined to be bound together forever. You're two star crossed lovers, like in a beautiful, romantic play. You'll have to do something heroic, and then the girl will be yours." He said brightly, despite his illness. Ayame reached a hand out for Shigure, wanting his friend close. "So, don't be upset, 'Gure. She loves you."

Shigure uncrossed his arms, letting them hang limply at his sides. He sighed, listening to Ayame's tender words. The snake was a romantic, but Shigure knew better. Life wasn't like a romance play. Life was cold, hard, a struggle. He may have been only nine, but he knew that fact well.

"Okay." He finally settled down, moving to grab Aya's hand. He climbed up onto the bed and sat next to his pale friend. "I love you, Aya. Thanks for trying to make me feel better."

Ayame smiled warmly, reaching over to pat Shigure's leg. "I love you too."

Shigure smiled back for a moment, before the solemn look returned to his features. "Akira's going to die tomorrow. Doctor Sohma said so. We all have to watch him die, you included. I'll hold your hand if you get scared, though. Ritsu was crying like a little baby."

"I would like to hold your hand, please. Shigure, don't be so mean about Ritsu." Ayame said softly, his little hand moving to place over his heart. "It's not nice."

Shigure gave a nonchalant shrug, not really caring if he talked badly about his fellow zodiac members. "Anyway, I just can't stand Ha'ri anymore. He suddenly started acting so weird. He won't play anymore, he says he has to study all the time. Which is crap, because I always see him with Akito. I think we should kick him out of our friendship circle. I think we're way better as a duo." He said proudly, putting his hands on his hips.

Ayame didn't say a word, he remained silent. When Shigure glanced over to see why the snake didn't have a single thing to say, he saw his golden eyed gaze was somewhere else. Following his line of sight, Shigure turned his head to see Hatori standing in the doorway.

Shigure frowned, wondering how long Hatori had been there. He crossed his arms, not saying a word. Whether the silence was out of anger or embarrassment, only Shigure would ever know.

Hatori studied Shigure for a moment, then looked over at Ayame, who's eyes were practically begging him for forgiveness. Hatori's face didn't give away an ounce of emotion, but inside, he felt hurt. He kind of wanted to cry. Although Shigure could be irritating, Hatori thought the two of them were close. The dog was upset that Hatori was the chosen one to watch over the god, as all the dragons before him had been, but didn't Shigure understand that Hatori didn't want this position? Akito was needy, clingy. Hatori didn't want this as his fate, but he had to silently accept it or his father would lash out at him, hit him, or even worse… Ignore him. Shigure was his best friend, didn't he understand that?

"Excuse me." Hatori said softly, looking down at the pale blue button up shirt his mother dressed him in earlier that morning. He turned, deciding to give Ayame and Shigure some alone time, since he obviously wasn't welcome.

Shigure smirked a bit, taking him leaving as a win for him. He won that battle. He crossed his arms smugly, looking over at Ayame for praise.

Ayame frowned, coughing a bit more before pulling away from Shigure. "That… That wasn't nice, 'Gure. I don't like when you act this way." He said softly, feeling his heart ache. If he wasn't bedridden, he would've chased after Hatori to apologize on Shigure's behalf. "You need to go say sorry."

Shigure rolled his eyes, but he could hear Ayame's hurt tone. He never wanted to hurt Ayame. The snake was too special to him. He crawled over and pushed a few locks of silver hair out of his face. Leaning up the dog planted a small kiss on Ayame's forehead. "I'll go say sorry right now, okay?"

"Thank you." Ayame whispered, smiling.

Hatori shuddered slightly, not enjoying the memories that were flooding back to him. That day changed all of them, changed all of the relationships between them. Shigure broke his promise to Ayame, he did never apologize. Hatori never questioned it. He silently accepted Shigure's jealousy, never holding it against him. Even to this day, Hatori and Shigure had a difficult time communicating calmly with each other. They spoke in short, sardonic jabs at each other's choices, almost always passing judgement. They never fought, but it remained tense between them. It was so common place after all those years, Hatori knew no other way to speak to the dog. It was their relationship. It wasn't perfect, but Hatori found comfort in knowing Shigure would always be there to tease him and he would always scold him right back.

Akito's keen eyes caught the doctor's shudder, and she frowned. After Hatori took her to Ren that day, Akito was forced to spend the day being berated with insults from her mother. Ren spent the night accusing Akito of being the reason that Akira was dying. Ren beat her, slapped her, scarred her… Akito dealt with the pain. Physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional pain she was feeling over losing her father. Hatori tended to her wounds some hours later, and he seemed tense. At five, even Akito wondered if something happened between Hatori and Shigure. They both ignored each other for a few days, then when they decided to be friends again (thanks to Ayame's encouragement), things just weren't the same. Nothing was the same.

"You remember it as well as I do, I see." Akito muttered, lowering her hand. Her head rolled to the side looking away from him. "Well? When will the others be here to watch this pathetic dog lie down and die?"

"I will begin calling and gathering them here tonight." Hatori reported, his voice cold and emotionless. He walked over and reached out, pressing the back of his hand to Akito's forehead. The dragon ignored her hiss of protest, keeping his hand firm on her. "Your fever is very high. You need to rest." He stated, glancing down at her.

"Tch," Akito mumbled, scoffing at him. What was the point in checking her fever? What was the point of resting? Her death would creep up on her tomorrow, why even bother with the motions today? She rolled over onto her side weakly, careful as to not pull out her tubes, patches, or IV. Reluctantly, she closed her eyes. Akito was too weak to continue fighting off Hatori's doctoral advice.

The doctor sighed softly, relieved that Akito cooperated. He turned on his heel, needing to start making some phone calls.