Anzu entered her apartment and quickly removed her shoes at the door before sliding on her house slippers and shuffling into the common area. The walk home had given her time to process all that had happened that night and she wanted to get answers as soon as possible.
Kureno was seated on the couch, having just gotten home himself from spending New Years with his parents. He turned around to greet her, but the serious look on her face made him second guess that.
"What's wrong, Anzu?" He started off. "Did something happen?"
The crimsonette let out a small sigh and shook her head before sitting down on the couch next to him. "I need to ask you something and I need you to be completely honest with me."
He was puzzled by her demeanor, but he could tell that whatever the issue was, it was bothering her greatly. Nodding his head, he patiently waited for her to speak.
"What was your relationship with Akito? I'm already aware that she's a female, so you don't have to mince any details."
Kureno's eyes widened in shock as he stared down at his niece. He didn't know how much she knew, but he also didn't know how to feel for the information. He did confirm that he'd tell her the truth though. With the revelations that had already come to light in front of the Zodiac, it was only a matter of time when this would be brought up as well.
"...I was Akito's person, until I wasn't." He started off. "Ever since she was born, I was always connected to her. I gave her anything and everything she wanted with no complaints, but now I realize I shouldn't have done that."
"Were you two in a relationship?"
He thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Not a true one."
"Did you want it to be a true one?"
Kureno sighed. "What are you asking all of these questions for? Did Akito-"
"For once, Akito didn't do anything." Anzu leaned back into the couch. Grabbing a pillow, she held it against her chest. "I met her mother today and she was terrifying. I'd never seen that look on Akito's face before."
She had a look of conflict etched on her face. When she'd first met Akito, she was a little scared and that fear had been growing ever since until it finally plateaued. She still didn't like how Akito treated her and, as a start, she wanted an apology for it, but she couldn't fully hate her. Not after she'd seen the other side of the story.
"I wanted Akito to be happy." Kureno answered her honestly. "In reality, there was no way that I could make her happy and she always had someone else she was looking for. Later on, I realized what true happiness was, but I couldn't break the promise I made to her. I guess now none of that matters anymore."
Anzu's eyes widened in realization and she turned to her uncle. "Was it that blond girl we saw when we first moved here?"
"Her name is Arisa." He smiled.
"Arisa... What a pretty name." The crimsonette smiled back. "Have you two gone on a date yet? When are you going to meet her again?"
His smile faltered a bit and he glanced towards the window. "I decided I wasn't going to see her again, but now that I've been banished... That doesn't matter anymore either."
"Why did you stay with Akito all of these years?"
"I did it so she wouldn't feel lonely."
Anzu felt in the back of her mind that she knew what she needed to do. She hadn't formally thought about how she was going to get out of the curse, but now she had formalized a decent plan in her eyes. Standing up to go to bed since it was late, she placed her hand on Kureno's shoulder.
"You should go after Arisa. This is a new chapter for you now." She reassured him. "This semester, I need to focus more because I'm a little behind, so I'll be staying back a lot to study. Go on a date with her or something."
"You're not saying that so you can be with Momiji all night, are you?"
"W-What?! That's not... I'm going to bed!"
° ∆ -------- ••• ------- ∆ °
Anzu closed her shoe locker with a small sigh as she got ready to leave. So far, she was a few weeks into her plan and she couldn't really tell if she was getting anywhere or not. Since she was so focused on preparing her mind, she wasn't paying attention to what Machi was saying to her at all.
"Are you sure you're feeling okay, Anzu?" Machi looked at her with concern. "I have a student council meeting, but I can walk you home."
"I'm totally fine." The crimsonette smiled. "I have to make a stop before I go home anyway. I'll see you tomorrow."
The two bid their farewells and went their separate ways. Taking a shortcut through the city, Anzu found herself feeling a little hungry so she walked into a convenience store for some chips. Scanning the aisles, she found what she was looking for and walked up to the counter to pay.
"Is this all for you? There's a special going on where you can get a drink bundle for the same price."
The girl looked up from her wallet to see the blond haired girl her uncle was infatuated with. If she remembered correctly, she had also seen her hanging around Tohru at school. She wanted to ask her about Kureno but she wasn't sure what can of worms she'd be opening if she did.
"Um.. what would you recommend?"
"With chips?" Uo blinked in confusion. "I guess something sweet if you like a salty-sweet type of situation."
"...Salty sweet?"
"Flavor profiles." The blond clarified. "Spicy? Bitter? Tart? What do you usually prefer to eat?"
Anzu tilted her head in thought. Ever since she came to Japan, she'd been eating takeout, instant noodles, and convenience store food. She usually stuck to the same thing and it tasted fine. Since she had a caretaker back in the States, she had very little that she knew how to cook and Kureno wasn't the best cook either.
"Store bought onigiri and spicy noodles."
Since they were the only two in the store, Uo could raise her voice a little bit out of shock. "Please don't tell me that's the only thing you eat. Anybody in your house cook?"
"Well... I've made a deconstructed omelet before." Anzu thought out loud. "I like mandarins too. My uncle and I aren't that great in the kitchen so we just eat out."
"What is a deconstructed omelet?"
"I guess just scrambled eggs and cheese. I tried really hard but it just kept sticking to the pan and falling apart."
Uo sighed and placed her hands on her hips as she finished their transaction. "You have to be more proficient than that if you're going to survive. A pretty girl like you can't ruin yourself with nothing but processed foods. You're that new girl everyone's been talking about at school right? The one who finally re-entered society?"
"I guess that's the best way to put it." Anzu took the bag. After New Years, Akito suddenly lifted her restrictions and let her be in a regular classroom with classmates. She was in the same class as Momiji and Haru now, but that didn't stop any new rumors from starting. Fortunately, her main priority was trying to be normal and she'd gotten used to them so they didn't affect her. "They'll come up with something even sillier next week so I have something to look forward to."
"How interesting." Uo laughed. "Well, I have to get back to work so enjoy the rest of your day."
Anzu bit the inside of her cheek as she stared at Arisa. Maybe she could help Kureno find his happiness again after all. "Can you teach me more about flavor profiles some time? I want to learn how to be pretty and strong like you."
A light dust of blush spread across Arisa's cheeks as she received the compliment. Quickly waving her off, she laughed more out of embarrassment. "You wouldn't learn much from me. I don't really know what I'm doing in the kitchen either. I just-"
"You know more than me!" The younger girl cut her off. "I don't have a lot of friends, so I was kind of hoping to find one in you..."
"Look kid..."
"I'll leave my number and if you decide yes, you can just call me." Anzu quickly pulled out a piece of paper and pen from her bag before scribbling her information down and sliding it across the counter. "I really meant what I said about you being pretty and strong. I hope you have a good day too."
Hurriedly leaving out, the crimsonette followed down the street path to get to her destination. She'd spent longer than she needed to in there, but it was all for a good cause. Hopefully, she'd get a call from Arisa soon so she could figure out how to get Kureno to meet her again. Passing through a familiar set of gates, she wished she had a bike or something to make the journey less time-consuming.
"Lola! What are you doing here?" Momiji's voice rang out, startling the female. "I thought you went home after school."
"Ah... I'm coming to see Akito."
Momiji started to frown once he finally approached her, notably upset with her words. "You've been coming to see Akito a lot since the New Year banquet."
"Yeah, we've just been talking." Anzu unconsciously tightened her grip on the handles of the plastic convenience bag. "It's really nothing to be worried about."
"Do you want to hang out after then? We can study or watch a movie or something." He suggested.
"I don't want to keep you waiting." She sounded apologetic. "It'll probably be late. Let's do something another time."
Momiji looked like he wanted to say something, however he immediately corrected himself. She'd been acting weird and he knew something happened that night, but he was trying to let her tell him herself. It made him wonder how long his patience would carry. With a small pained smile, he leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Another time, I guess. Be careful, okay?"
As she watched him leave, Anzu felt a pang of guilt in her chest. She knew she'd been distancing herself from Momiji to make room for Akito, but it was all for a reason. If her theory was right, all she needed to do was make Akito trust her enough to willingly let her go. Hate wasn't an option, no matter how inevitable the consequence.
Turning away, Anzu headed straight to the main house. She noticed one of the house servants taking a tray of hot food around back, but she couldn't tell where they were going. It seemed weird they'd be leaving when everyone should already be inside in their rooms. Passing by them on her way in, she knocked on Akito's door before entering.
"Good afternoon, Akito." Anzu placed her school bag down at the door, but kept her chips. "I brought us a snack."
Akito didn't answer her as she laid on the floor with her back facing her. Lately, she hadn't been saying much to her. One of the housekeeping staff had whispered to Anzu that Ren had come by again and their exchange was less than desired. Since then, Akito had holed herself up in the room and consequently made herself sick.
"They're plain because I know you like to keep things simple." The crimsonette tried to entice her to no avail. With a small sigh, she walked over to her and sat down by her side. Placing her hand on the Sohma head's shoulder, she gave it a reassuring squeeze before fixing the blanket so it draped over her properly.
"You've been at this charade for weeks now." Akito murmured under her breath. "I already gave you what you wanted. I just want to be left alone."
Anzu opened the bag of chips and popped one into her mouth. "You just don't know what to do with me because I've actually been consistent."
"You're only here because of the bond."
"Would you have preferred if I was Kureno?"
Slowly, Akito sat up and turned to face the younger female. Her back was turned, but she could feel the animosity radiating off of her. It was cute that she thought she could try and cover up her feelings. With a smirk, the head wrapped her arms around the female and laid her head on her shoulder. "I was wondering when you'd ask. Having a man by my side right now would've been a treat."
Anzu froze as Akito reached in the bag and pulled out a chip for herself. Inside, she was fuming with rage but that wasn't the goal. She just had to think of the end result to keep herself in check. Maybe like this she could keep Akito talking. "Kureno was just a placeholder, was he?"
Akito recoiled and sat back on her own. "What makes you think that?"
"Akito, what's your ultimate goal?" The crimsonette turned around so they were facing each other. "What does our bond mean to you? My only goal out of all of this was to understand you."
The Sohma head grabbed the bag of chips and ate a few more. "What was your intention when you bought these for me?"
That wasn't the question that she had asked and Anzu was starting to get frustrated. "I just thought it'd be something you would eat. They have other flavors for next time if you don't like them."
"Like what?"
"Barbecue, sour-cream, hot sauce, pickle, salt and vinegar..."
Akito glanced at the label on the bag before looking back at Anzu. "I don't remember the last time I received a gift outside of obligation. Much less junk food."
"Is that so..." Anzu reached in the bag. "We'll just have to fix that then. Every time I come over, I'll bring a new snack for you to try. I was told food tastes better when you eat it with friends."
"...Friends?"
"I'm going to be honest with you." Anzu sighed. "Me hating you has gotten me nowhere, so I decided I'm going to accept you and love you. The way we met was unconventional, but everything happens for a reason. Therefore, I'm not going to fight it. I'm telling you that I'm willing to be there for you out of the goodness of my heart, not because I'm obligated to through the bond. All I'm asking is that you be transparent with me too."
"What is there to be transparent with you about?"
Shaking her head, the younger girl decided it was time to go. When Akito started to sound combative or catch an attitude, she decided it was in her best judgment to leave before there could be any repercussions. As she moved to get up, Akito grabbed her wrist.
"Where are you going?"
"There's no point in talking to you like this. We can just talk tomorrow if you're feeling better."
Akito frowned and slowly let go. "I'll talk if you bring some more snacks. We're out of chips."
She looked frail and forlorn. That was the picture that Anzu couldn't get out of her mind. How was it that last year Akito seemed to look like this big bad wolf in her eyes, but now the tables had seemed to turn. Was it because she had a glimpse of what the inside looked like? As Anzu walked to a nearby convenience store, she couldn't be more preoccupied in her thoughts. She was so out of it from Akito's reversal that she took the wrong path back to the main house.
When Anzu looked up, she noticed the house servant from before with what seemed to be the same tray of food. Because she was standing behind a tree, the servant didn't see her but the crimsonette was able to see where she came from. There was a small pavilion hidden among the greenery that she'd never seen before. Once the coast was clear, Anzu cautiously approached the little building and tried to peer through the bars on the window. Unfortunately she couldn't see much since it was dark and the only light came from the moon above. She was about to stop looking when she spotted what looked like someone's arm.
"What are you doing out here?" Someone grabbed her arm and Anzu immediately jumped, dropping her convenience haul all over the ground. When she turned around, she saw the servant from before.
"I-I was... What is this place and who's in there?"
"Leave this place at once and never come back." The servant hurriedly pulled her away before they could both get in trouble. "Don't ever tell anyone what you saw."
That night, Akito stayed true to her word. As they ate more snacks, Akito answered the questions about Kureno and what the bonds meant to her. Anzu didn't realize how dependent Akito was on the curse until she said they meant everything. She'd even slipped in a small comment about her father saying no one would ever leave her because she was that special. They stayed up talking so long that Anzu ended up falling asleep next to the head.
Akito stayed awake a little longer and looked out at the moon. This was such a change in pace and she wasn't sure how she felt about it right now. Looking down at Anzu, she pulled the blanket over the girl so she wouldn't get cold. Deciding to go get another blanket for herself, Akito opened the room doors to leave. A few steps down the hallway, she felt her stomach drop into the deepest pit it could find. This wasn't a feeling she had felt in years, but she knew exactly what it meant.
Stumbling away from the main house, she frantically ran until she arrived at her destination. With wide eyes, she came face to face with a familiar tall blond. As the moon looked down at them, the realization had finally come full circle as desperate, dark eyes bore into dejected, golden ones. Momiji was free.