Title: Do You Hate Me: A Conversation Between Liars
Rating: PG (for language and slight AxH hints...)
Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, any of the characters, or even my computer, okay? Yep, that's about it.
Warnings: Spoilers on Akito's story and shonen ai hints... sort of...
Author's Notes: My very first FB fic. I recently stumbled uponthe series and, after seeing all the episodes, I have developed an odd fascination with Akito. This is not a Akito bashing fic, just a one exploring the inner workings of that cruel Sohma's mind. Please, please REVIEW!
"Do you hate me?"
I watch as his eyes flash upward at me, bringing a cruel smirk to my lips. He feels uncomfortable with the question... How I enjoy him squirming in my presence. That fear of saying the wrong, the unforgivable - that fear enthralls him, sending visible shivers down his spine.
"Answer me, Hatori," I demand, eyes narrowing at the family doctor.
His golden eyes lower at the floor, suddenly finding his pants-clad legs extremely interesting. Dark hair may cover his left eye, but it isn't the midnight bangs that blind that eye. It was my own thirst for blood, for power, that had injured that eye. And by the same thirsty nature, it was I who injured Kisa's body, Kyo's mind, and Yuki's heart... Such is my nature. I understand that, accept that, and thrive off that.
Unlike too many people, who believed that they will live into the eternal horizon of a long life, I am different. I realize that I have no time to waste life being 'politically correct.' I am the one chosen to die, so I shall die with no regrets - even at the expense of those closest to myself.
These thoughts flutter around my brain, as Hatori busies himself with his medical bag. That fool...
"Hatori." My tone personifies the wrath of a vengeful sea during the lightning storm. He knows that he can't put the inevitable answer off any longer...
"No, of course not, Akito," he finally whispers out between small breaths. I watch his chest fill in with air, but not release it. He is scared of how I will react... as he should be.
"The others hate me," I tell him.
Although he doesn't show it, invisible sweat is sliding down his face... I can sense his fear, his wariness... His mind is fractured, by my hands, no doubt. Shaky, mental fingers are trying to piece back his sanity, as we speak. He is wondering, Is this a trap? What does he want from me? What should I say? Will he punish my silence? Or will he bask in it? Should I speak? Is it my place to speak? What should I do? And so this helpless mouse plays into this lion's hands...
"They... do not hate you," he lies. He is grasping for words that will not come. He wishes to say, "They fear you, they distrust you, they think you're a cruel bastard." But he is one of those 'politically correct' human beings, so those words remain unspoken. And he finishes his lines with poetic sorrow.
"You pity me," I observe, watching his eyes stay glued to the floor. He desperately wants to leave, but will not go without my approval. "I do not need your pity."
"I..." His voice falters, and hollow eyes look up me. "I... am not offering pity."
My eyes narrow dangerously, as I snap back in whiplash-manner, "So you refuse to pity me? Am I not the one chosen to die? Do I not deserve some compassion?"
Hatori's eyes widen slightly, raven pupils quivering. He has no response to that... How pathetic...
"Death is my existence, and yet, you," I continue, "cannot find one inch of mercy in that cruel soul of yours. Ha'ri... you're such a heartless man."
"I did not mean -"
"What? So now you lie to me?"
"Akito -" Oh... He is begging for my charity, for my ability to forgive his mistakes... In vain, he is searching for something that cannot be found.
"You disappoint me, Hatori," I reply, waving his presence away with a whish of my pasty hand. "You lie to me, sugar-coating my reality... My reality is death and none of your sickening sugar can alter that fact."
"I did not mean to sound -"
"I seems," I interrupt, watching him start, "that you do not mean much these days."
His visible eye flickers with apprehension. "Akito -"
"You are the only one who understands your place," I explain to him. All hopes of reaching me, pleading with me, fall short, as he quiets. Hatori's ears are pricked up, like a faithful pet listening to its master. Yes, I am his master. "You tried leaving, so I stopped you. The others - they never could fully grip what it means to be a Sohma. It means cursed; it means chained. You are bound to me and I am bound to you. We are the only ones who understand that."
Silence...
He is lolling my words over and over again in his head, testing how they sound. "Chained; bound," he mouths, not realizing that I can fully see his reaction. It is humorous seeing him experiment with the words. This was probably the first time he had fully comprehended what it means, truly means to be Sohma.
"It doesn't matter how far we go, how far we run, we are bound together." I look into his eyes, examining his intent features. He is listening so closely, absorbing my every word. I enjoy having this power over him... "Being a Sohma means much more than being cursed - it means being caged."
Silence... Absorption... The soft listening of tender, loyal ears...
"Do you enjoy your cage, Ha'ri?" I ask him, my own eyes flickering with sardonic pleasure.
"I..."
"You are so indecisive." Sigh... "But I suppose it's that what keeps you near me. You don't have the intelligence to leave."
It must seem odd - me telling a doctor that he is uneducated. But it is completely true... Yuki understands what staying with me would have done to his mental well-being; Kyo has the guts to defy me, understanding how he doesn't 'deserve' to be treated so cruelly; Shigure still respects me, but that is all, because he is clever enough to read past my amusing mind games; and even Ayame saw what I was doing him - and his family relations. But Hatori... he isn't that smart yet.
... and I refuse to let that change.
"I suppose I don't have the intelligence to leave," he agreed in a defeated tone.
"But that's what I like about you, Ha'ri... You'll never leave me." My skeletoned hand reaches over and tugs playfully at his tie. He doesn't fight me. "We are chained together, and neither destiny, nor death shall break that chain. We are Sohmas - we are caged forever..."
Blank eyes stare up, through dark hair, through dark pain...
I am now whispering musty breath into his ear, making him uneasy. "Come with me... stay with me... be caged with me..."
His breath is ragged - he disliked my proposal... Good for him. We may be caged, but we shouldn't long for such a fate. Smirking, I release him.
"That's why I like you and hate the others." I see his face become surprised. "Oh, really. Don't act so shocked, Hatori. You are the only one who will stay caged with me, no matter how much you hate your cage."
He is silent and I lean back, relaxed. The conversation is over and my gestures reassure him of this fact. Hatori knows he may leave now - I have no longer any use for him.
"Akito," he says suddenly. It is now my turn to be startled, but I dare not show that. "I stay, because I believe that loneliness is a vile emotion that can break hearts harder than any women on the face of this planet."
As he gets up, I smirk, watching him go. He just admitted that he depends on me... The thirst of power is overcoming me...
At the door, Hatori looks back, saying, "Akito, I will never leave you with such an emotion."
...and he is gone before I can punish him for his last line.
"Lonely? Hardly," I spit back, scowling.
Of course, Ha'ri isn't the only one who knows how to lie...
THE END
Author's Notes: Drop me a line, whether it be a flame or a review! Arigato und Danke!!! THANKS!