A/N: Okay, the way I've written it this is gonna be a long story, so you're gonna have to buckle down for the ride. Or you could just stop reading. You're call

Originally it was just gonna be for me, but then I got bored, so even if this gets no reviews or whatever I'll still post it. But please review!

And in this story, Akito's a guy.

There's Beauty in the Breakdown

Sumimasen- sorry

Mahiru ran down the street, dragging her bag along behind her and not looking where she was going. She stopped for a few seconds and drew a shaky breath, brushing the hair that had escaped from her once tight, perfect bun with one trembling hand. She looked around, then dropped her head and just watched the ground pass under her running feet. She was barely aware of the throb of her ankle anymore. She still felt the horrific heat in her face, spreading down her neck. Other pedestrians gave her a wide berth, staring at her, the girl running down the middle of the sidewalk with a huge bag in a tank top and leggings in the middle of winter. Mahiru didn't even feel the cold, just the insufferable heat that threatened to engulf her. She had ruined it. Her one chance. Her only shot.

Gone. 'Never again', she swore to herself 'Never in a million years'.

Her mind began to replay the events, and she quickly and sharply tuned them out, concentrating on moving her feet faster. Her jog became a desperate and wild sprint as tears leaked from her eyes, blinding her as she tore recklessly through the sidewalk until she suddenly hit something. She almost knew it was inevitable that she would, but it came as a surprise when she finally did. Mahiru felt herself plunge to the ground, and she landed on something softer than concrete. Apparently she hit a person. Mahiru got up and walked away without even looking at anyone, and was ready to begin her rampage again when someone grabbed her arm. She turned around, panicked.

"Did you bump into me back there?" It was a boy, a little younger than her, with the oddest hair, white with black roots. Mahiru wondered idly how he managed to dye it like that.

"Yeah. Sumimasen. I've been having a crappy day. Goodbye." She tried to pull free, but he wouldn't let her. Suddenly she was engulfed in his arms. That seriously got her attention. She struggled and drew away from him. "WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM!"

The boy just stared at her in disbelief, and then looked down at himself. "You…" he looked up at her "What's your name?"

"Pervert…" she muttered, and walked away, once again focusing on her feet. He grabbed her again.

"Please, I just need to know your name."

"…Mahiru."

"Mahiru what?"

"Why the hell should I tell you!" Mahiru, furious now, yanked her arm out of his grip and continued on her charge down the street.

"I'm Hatsuharu Sohma!" he called after her "Please! I just need to talk to you."

She spun around "I'm sorry if I bumped into you, okay?" She turned and began to walk "Wait…" she turned back to him "Sohma?"

He looked hopeful "You've heard of us?"

"Your family is one of the most illustrious around here." She bowed meekly. "I apologize. My name is Mahiru Kirihara, Sohma-san."

"Yeah. Anyway. Can you come with me?"

"Um… where?" even if he was a Sohma, didn't mean he still couldn't be a pervert, Mahiru thought to herself.

"The Sohma Estate." He looked at her "Seriously."

"Um… I don't think so. Goodbye Sohma-san." Mahiru turned on her heel and ran as fast as she could.

"Mahiru! MAHIRU!" she heard him cry from behind her. She didn't stop running until she reached her building.

-------

Hatsuharu sat in front of Akito, telling him of the afternoon's incident. Akito's eyes widened as the story progressed, and by the end, his mouth simply hung open.

"And you didn't transform?"

"No, Akito-sama. I even hugged her to make sure."

Akito's look turned menacing "Then where is she?"

Haru dropped his eyes "She… wouldn't come."

"And why didn't you make her come?"

"I… I couldn't. She ran away."

"Then why didn't you chase her down and bring her here to me?"

Haru bit his lip, still looking at the floor of Akito's bedroom "I… I am sorry."

"YOU'RE SORRY! YOU STUPID OX! THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE, LETTING HER GET AWAY! A STUPID, SLOW, DUMB OX! ANYONE ELSE WOULD HAVE BROUGHT HER BACK! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!" Akito screamed, rising to his feet from the window ledge he had been sitting on, his fists clenched at his sides.

"I… I got her name. Mahiru Kirihara."

"Get out."

Hatsuharu scrambled to his feet and ran from the room, unshed tears blurring his vision, startling Hatori, who had been sitting outside, waiting for their meeting to end to tend to Akito. Hatori poked his head in the room, and watched Akito weakly trying to settle himself back onto his seat. Hatori walked in and stood in front of him, waiting for the God to acknowledge his presence. Once Akito had a vaguely comfortable seat, he turned to Hatori.

"What."

"You shouldn't say those things to Haru. He takes it the wrong way."

"What I said was what I meant. Now get out."

Hatori ignored him and opened up his bag, taking out his stethoscope. He looked up to see the God giving him a death glare. He sighed. No matter how weak Akito's body got, he always let you know exactly what he was thinking by his expressions.

"I told you to get out."

'If looks could kill…' mused Hatori, and continued to set up his equipment. He warmed the stethoscope between his hands and reached out to place it on Akito's chest. His hand was only a few inches away before Akito's voice called him to a complete halt.

"I already told you to GET OUT, DAMN FISH."

Even as Akito's rational doctor, who often took matters into his own hands when it concerned the God's health, Hatori could not ignore a serious direct order.

"At least go to bed, you know these meetings tire you out."

"Yes, I know that. Better than you do." Akito replied with more than a hint of menace in his voice "I'll do whatever the fuck I want to. It's my life, however short."

Hatori stuffed his things back into bed. There was no arguing with Akito when he was like that. He left, about to turn back when he heard Akito cough hoarsely into his hand, but felt the God's eyes glaring at his beck. Hatori sighed and closed the door to his master's room.

-------

Mahiru stumbled into her apartment, her limp more pronounced after the seven flights of stairs she had to go up to get there. "Konnichiwa, Hisa." She said listlessly to one of her roommates. "Where are Rini-chan, Takara-chan, and Kameko-san?"

"Work. I just got off." Hisa turned to look at her friend "What happened to you? You look like shit."

"I don't want to talk about it." Mahiru mulled over what she could safely say "But the weirdest thing happened to me while I was coming home. I bumped into this guy, and he turned out to be a Sohma…"

"A who?"

"A SOHMA. You know… they have that huge estate downtown."

"Oh… how do you know?"

"Well, he told me his name."

"Not that… how do you know who the Sohma's are? For super rich people they sure keep a low profile."

"I used to have a job cleaning one of their buildings. Anyway… so he bumped into me, then he chased me and hugged me, then tried to convince me to go home with him!"

"…and why didn't you?" Hisa said suggestively, waggling her eyebrows at Mahiru "He sounds rich."

"Oh shush."

"But seriously, that sounds weird."

"OH MY GOD!"

"Mahiru? What is it!"

"I… I told him my name!"

"What! You… why… RAPISTS!"

"OH MY GOD!"

"YES, Mahiru, we've established that."

"NO! I'm going to be late for work!" With that Mahiru dashed over to the room that she, Hisa, and Rini-chan shared and threw on her work clothes, putting her hair into a high, tight ponytail, and ignoring the pain in her ankle. 'I can take it' she told herself 'After all, I'm a…' there she let her thoughts trail off, after the afternoon's events, she never would be again.