Betrayal? // An Akigure Log
Who: Akito and Shigure
When: Sometime after Hatori deals with Akito (log to come soon, for Aisu has it. *nodnod*)
What: Shigure pays a visit to Akito and things get... a little tense.
Why: Because the Akigure beast had to be fed!
Shigure//Akito
Now that he thought about it, it might not have been the best idea.
But Shigure had already made the trip out to the main house, was already standing at Akito's door waiting to be let in, so there really wasn't any backing out of it now - and he wasn't the type to back out in the first place. True, she might be in one of her moods today. True, he might only succeed in annoying her. But such was always a risk with Akito, and had been a while since last he'd seen her.
There was always the risk of a setback, of falling further from her favor. But Shigure was confident enough that he didn't really give a damn.
He tapped lightly on the frame of the door. "Akito-san?"
Akito, for once, wasn't in one of her "moods". There was always the potential to put her into one, of course (a risk anyone always took when speaking to her), but today she was simply content to stare out her window, watching the world outside and, unless anyone pushed the proper buttons, it would be next to impossible to get her into the rage she was known for.
A reign of fear, she supposed. It suited her, though, especially when the Jyuuinshi were hers, weren't they? They should obey her exclusively. How she chose to enforce that was her own business, wasn't it.
She turned away from the window only slightly at the sound of someone knocking on her door and turned back to the window. "What is it?" she asked, keeping her tone as neutral as possible. She most certainly wasn't about to turn around for anyone, least of all from someone who apparently was intent on disrupting her.
Well, at least she didn't sound angry. Yet.
He slid the door open, though he didn't move into the room. "May I come in?"
Shigure. Akito had to force herself to calm down. Shigure was just here to visit, after all. That's all it would be...
"You come in whether I give you permission or not," Akito pointed out, not turning away from the window. "Do what you like; it matters little to me."
He suppressed a smirk. She was right, of course - he hadn't been planning on taking no for an answer. He stepped inside, sliding the door closed behind him. "How are you feeling today?"
"What do you want, Shigure?" Akito asked instead of answering Shigure's question. After all, how was she supposed to feel?
"Must everyone question my motives?" There was just a touch of hurt in his voice - artifical, of course; he knew exactly why everyone questioned his motives. They'd be stupid not to. "I only wanted to see how you were doing, Akito-san."
Akito said nothing, instead raising a hand out the open window to catch a feather within it, clenching it tightly in her fist as she drew her hand inside to look at it. Then, after a moment, she asked, "How's that girl doing, Shigure?"
That girl. Akito hated her. She was just driving more of the Sohma's away from her...
"Tohru-kun? She's doing well...very well, all things considered."
Now that he thought about it, Shigure wasn't sure if Akito knew about the recent incident - about Tohru seeing Kyou's true form. Bringing it up might help him sever one more link between Akito and the others, might force Akito to confront one more way the bonds of the curse were weakening.
Or bringing it up might send Akito into one of her moods and get him thrown out.
Hmm.
Akito had heard something about the recent incident, yes. How could she not? Did the others really think that anything could escape her knowledge? Of course, why bother bringing it up now? She merely clenched the feather tighter and released it as a breeze blew by the window. The feather was crumpled now; it could barely fly. Not that it mattered.
It was still hers now.
"She can't stay there indefiniately, Shigure. I won't allow it."
He was getting a bit tired of standing by now, so he moved a bit closer and seated himself on the floor. There was still a respectful amount of distance between them, a distance he didn't plan on crossing, not unless she asked. He was hardly counting on that, of course - not yet, anyway.
Someday, he thought calmly, she wouldn't just ask. She'd beg. But not yet.
"You won't?" he asked simply, his tone betraying nothing.
"No," Akito replied, turning now to look at Shigure with her indifferent eyes. "All of you are mine, Shigure, and don't you forget that." All she's good for is taking all of you away from me one by one. I won't allow it. I won't.
"I couldn't forget that if I tried, Akito-san."
He had told plenty of lies in his time, but that was not one of them.
No, of course he couldn't forget. He still left her, though. He still betrayed her... She fell silent for a moment, taking a step closer to peer down at him from where she stood. If only he hadn't...
"Shigure.... do you remember...?" she asked.
"I do remember. Many things. That's an awfully inspecific question, Akito-san," he said lightly. He had his ideas as to what she meant, certainly, and he'd be quite surprised if he was wrong - but a straight answer right off the bat wasn't his style, not for that kind of question.
Akito scowled a bit at this and turned away, crossing her arms over her chest. Fine. If he wanted to be like this, that was just fine. "Nevermind."
"I do mind, but if you're quite sure..." For half a second, he considered letting her win that round, telling her that yes, he did know exactly what she meant and he had never forgotten it for a moment (not even when he was with Ren, though he had the sense not to mention that unless she pressed him on it).
He rejected the thought as quickly as it had come to him.
"...your choice. You're God, after all."
"I'm God, yes," Akito said after a moment, turning back to look at him, "and my word should be absolute." And you betrayed me, Shigure... How dare you...
"Your word is absolute," he agreed, completely nonchalant. And it was; even he would not defy a direct order from Akito.
But then, she had never ordered him not to sleep with Ren, now, had she?
After he had told her than he thought of her more than anyone else... after just being there for her.... and he had gone and slept with her mother. Her own mother! What had he been thinking?!
"And I am not to be betrayed," she continued, staring at him. "For I am your God and I won't tolerate it."
"Completely understood," he said smoothly. He was more amused than anything else, though he managed to hide it well enough - Akito could order him not to do things all she liked. He would always be able to find some other way of getting around it, moving towards his goals without directly disobeying her.
And in his own mind, it wasn't a betrayal, really. A wake-up call, perhaps. Or retribution. A tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye, a fuck for a fuck.
Perhaps someday, she'd understand that he was doing it all for her. But that day would be a while in coming, he was sure.
Not that he minded. He could be patient.
Of course, at the moment, Akito didn't care. Shigure had betrayed her, in her eyes, and Shigure had...had... touched that woman who had dared to call herself Akito's mother... "Hey, Shigure..." She smirked a bit, kneeling on the floor to face Shigure now, staring at him. "Tell me something, would you...?"
He met her gaze unflinchingly. "Yes?"
"That girl..." Akito said. "That Honda Tohru." Is she taking all of you away from me...? "Have you touched her yet?" From what Akito had been told, Tohru wasn't much older than Kyou and Yuki... but since when had that ever stopped Shigure?
Oh. So she was jealous, was she? He shook his head, chuckling softly. "Nothing like that, Akito-san."
"Funny," Akito said as she stood, turning towards the window again. "I thought you'd sleep with anything if it was female."
"Is that so?" He laughed that one off easily. Shigure was used to hearing such sentiments from everyone else, and it had never bothered him, and hearing it one more time wasn't going to make it start bothering him now.
Not even from God.
She'd understand someday, after all.
"Well, after all, you did sleep with her."
"Who?" he asked innocently.
.....he wasn't doing this to her. He most certainly wasn't doing this to her right now. How could he forget what had angered her so much that forced her to drive Shigure away from the house? How dare he forget something like that. "REN!" she shouted, spinning around to look at him, anger reflecting in her eyes. "You slept with that---that--woman and you dare to tell me you don't even remember?! What sort of idiot do you take me for, Shigure?!"
He didn't move, didn't flinch, didn't back down. "I don't take you and have never taken you for any kind of idiot, Akito-san," he said calmly. Though it didn't reflect in his voice, inwardly he was feeling oddly smug. He hadn't been able to evoke such a reaction in her since that incident had occured; to know that the topic was still such a sore point for her three years later...
...well, it was nice to know that he wasn't losing his touch, anyway.
"SHUT UP!" Akito snapped, glaring at him, resisting the urge to grab Shigure and force him against the wall. It wouldn't help her much right now, anyway. "Why did you--- I can't believe you'd even think of sleeping with that---"
"Do you really want to know why?" he said, still in that same calm tone. He was used to Akito's fits of rage, had certainly seen enough of them to practice his impassive reactions.
"Tell me." It wasn't a request now; it was a flat-out order.
"I slept with Ren...because you slept with Kureno." Simple, emotionless statement of the facts - as far as Shigure was concerned, it was just a standard cause-and-effect reaction, you-fuck-him-so-I'll-fuck-her, nothing difficult to understand.
He wasn't expecting her to take it well, regardless, but she wanted an honest answer, and so she had one.
Because you slept with Kureno. Because she had slept with Kureno... so, wait. Was he implying this was her fault?! Her eyes narrowed to mere slits, rushing forward to grab Shigure and force him to the floor. She didn't care how wrong this would appear to anyone else who happened to glance in to speak with Akito. Right now... none of that mattered. "ARE YOU SAYING THIS IS MY FAULT?! HOW DARE YOU! I AM YOUR GOD! I CAN'T BE AT FAULT! WHAT I DO WITH MY JYUUINSHI IS MY OWN BUSINESS! IT'S MY RIGHT!"
...no, he would not call that taking it well.
Shigure had entertained quite a few thoughts of the two of them tangled on the floor before, but this wasn't quite what he'd had in mind. And yet, he couldn't deny to himself that he didn't really mind the contact, even if Akito was pissed off and looked one inch away from throttling him.
There was really no answer he could give to that, however, at least not one that wouldn't incite further rage from her. Perhaps admitting the fault was entirely his and begging for her forgiveness...but that was possibly the only answer he would not, could not give.
He wasn't saying anything. Why was he just staying silent? Akito's grip tightened a bit more on the folds of Shigure's clothing, continuing to glare at him. "You--- How dare you try to use that woman against me! How dare you call this my fault. I'm not at fault; you're the one who betrayed me!"
He normally would have reacted to a fit like this by simply taking his leave, but with her pinning him to the floor, that wasn't an option, and nor did staying quiet and waiting for her to calm down seem to be having much effect, either. He was going to have to say something if he wanted her to get up and let him go.
Shigure wasn't entirely sure he did want her to get off of him, but she was expecting some kind of response.
"And that I'd react by doing something so drastic...does that not say something for the loyalty I have to you?" Still calm, still matter-of-fact. "Does that not show..." He reached up and carefully took hold of her wrist with one hand, though he didn't try to pull her off of him. "...that I think of you more than anyone else?"
Akito froze, her hands loosening their grip on his clothing. Had he just said... "You...you didn't forget...."
"No, I didn't. I never have." As she loosened her grip on his clothing, he tightened his grip on her wrist. "And that is a definite truth."
Akito couldn't think of a reply, simply stared back at Shigure for a moment. "I.... Shigure...." He didn't forget. He didn't forget....
Funny how in the span of a few seconds, she could go from the spiteful, angry woman she'd become, to something so like the calmer girl he'd said those words to, all those years ago. She didn't seem so - so tainted, when she looked at him like that. "Did I not just tell you, I could never forget that I'm yours, Akito?"
A dog might get into the garbage and chew up the furniture and do a hundred other little things that drove its master crazy, but when all was said and done, the dog was still loyal. Shigure found it maddening, to want to take control and yet feel compelled to give it up and show that canine loyalty to his master.
He had been quite serious when he told Hatori that perhaps he was the most cursed of them all.
How tempting it would be to kiss him! But, no. He had incurred her wrath mere seconds before! How could she just kiss him and put an end to it just like that? "...let me go."
He didn't really want to, but an order was an order. "As you wish." He let go of her wrist, his hand dropping back to his side.
Akito stood and moved away from him, staring at Shigure for a moment. "Get out." She turned towards the window again.
He took his time getting to his feet and dusting himself off, but he didn't protest - just bowed his head slightly and moved towards the door. That hadn't gone quite as he'd hoped - but then, things didn't always work out so easily, did they? Shigure was good enough at planning, but more importantly, he was better at adapting, altering whatever arrangements he'd already made to suit changing circumstances.
He was going to have to rethink some of the finer points of his approach, definitely.
When: Sometime after Hatori deals with Akito (log to come soon, for Aisu has it. *nodnod*)
What: Shigure pays a visit to Akito and things get... a little tense.
Why: Because the Akigure beast had to be fed!
Shigure//Akito
Now that he thought about it, it might not have been the best idea.
But Shigure had already made the trip out to the main house, was already standing at Akito's door waiting to be let in, so there really wasn't any backing out of it now - and he wasn't the type to back out in the first place. True, she might be in one of her moods today. True, he might only succeed in annoying her. But such was always a risk with Akito, and had been a while since last he'd seen her.
There was always the risk of a setback, of falling further from her favor. But Shigure was confident enough that he didn't really give a damn.
He tapped lightly on the frame of the door. "Akito-san?"
Akito, for once, wasn't in one of her "moods". There was always the potential to put her into one, of course (a risk anyone always took when speaking to her), but today she was simply content to stare out her window, watching the world outside and, unless anyone pushed the proper buttons, it would be next to impossible to get her into the rage she was known for.
A reign of fear, she supposed. It suited her, though, especially when the Jyuuinshi were hers, weren't they? They should obey her exclusively. How she chose to enforce that was her own business, wasn't it.
She turned away from the window only slightly at the sound of someone knocking on her door and turned back to the window. "What is it?" she asked, keeping her tone as neutral as possible. She most certainly wasn't about to turn around for anyone, least of all from someone who apparently was intent on disrupting her.
Well, at least she didn't sound angry. Yet.
He slid the door open, though he didn't move into the room. "May I come in?"
Shigure. Akito had to force herself to calm down. Shigure was just here to visit, after all. That's all it would be...
"You come in whether I give you permission or not," Akito pointed out, not turning away from the window. "Do what you like; it matters little to me."
He suppressed a smirk. She was right, of course - he hadn't been planning on taking no for an answer. He stepped inside, sliding the door closed behind him. "How are you feeling today?"
"What do you want, Shigure?" Akito asked instead of answering Shigure's question. After all, how was she supposed to feel?
"Must everyone question my motives?" There was just a touch of hurt in his voice - artifical, of course; he knew exactly why everyone questioned his motives. They'd be stupid not to. "I only wanted to see how you were doing, Akito-san."
Akito said nothing, instead raising a hand out the open window to catch a feather within it, clenching it tightly in her fist as she drew her hand inside to look at it. Then, after a moment, she asked, "How's that girl doing, Shigure?"
That girl. Akito hated her. She was just driving more of the Sohma's away from her...
"Tohru-kun? She's doing well...very well, all things considered."
Now that he thought about it, Shigure wasn't sure if Akito knew about the recent incident - about Tohru seeing Kyou's true form. Bringing it up might help him sever one more link between Akito and the others, might force Akito to confront one more way the bonds of the curse were weakening.
Or bringing it up might send Akito into one of her moods and get him thrown out.
Hmm.
Akito had heard something about the recent incident, yes. How could she not? Did the others really think that anything could escape her knowledge? Of course, why bother bringing it up now? She merely clenched the feather tighter and released it as a breeze blew by the window. The feather was crumpled now; it could barely fly. Not that it mattered.
It was still hers now.
"She can't stay there indefiniately, Shigure. I won't allow it."
He was getting a bit tired of standing by now, so he moved a bit closer and seated himself on the floor. There was still a respectful amount of distance between them, a distance he didn't plan on crossing, not unless she asked. He was hardly counting on that, of course - not yet, anyway.
Someday, he thought calmly, she wouldn't just ask. She'd beg. But not yet.
"You won't?" he asked simply, his tone betraying nothing.
"No," Akito replied, turning now to look at Shigure with her indifferent eyes. "All of you are mine, Shigure, and don't you forget that." All she's good for is taking all of you away from me one by one. I won't allow it. I won't.
"I couldn't forget that if I tried, Akito-san."
He had told plenty of lies in his time, but that was not one of them.
No, of course he couldn't forget. He still left her, though. He still betrayed her... She fell silent for a moment, taking a step closer to peer down at him from where she stood. If only he hadn't...
"Shigure.... do you remember...?" she asked.
"I do remember. Many things. That's an awfully inspecific question, Akito-san," he said lightly. He had his ideas as to what she meant, certainly, and he'd be quite surprised if he was wrong - but a straight answer right off the bat wasn't his style, not for that kind of question.
Akito scowled a bit at this and turned away, crossing her arms over her chest. Fine. If he wanted to be like this, that was just fine. "Nevermind."
"I do mind, but if you're quite sure..." For half a second, he considered letting her win that round, telling her that yes, he did know exactly what she meant and he had never forgotten it for a moment (not even when he was with Ren, though he had the sense not to mention that unless she pressed him on it).
He rejected the thought as quickly as it had come to him.
"...your choice. You're God, after all."
"I'm God, yes," Akito said after a moment, turning back to look at him, "and my word should be absolute." And you betrayed me, Shigure... How dare you...
"Your word is absolute," he agreed, completely nonchalant. And it was; even he would not defy a direct order from Akito.
But then, she had never ordered him not to sleep with Ren, now, had she?
After he had told her than he thought of her more than anyone else... after just being there for her.... and he had gone and slept with her mother. Her own mother! What had he been thinking?!
"And I am not to be betrayed," she continued, staring at him. "For I am your God and I won't tolerate it."
"Completely understood," he said smoothly. He was more amused than anything else, though he managed to hide it well enough - Akito could order him not to do things all she liked. He would always be able to find some other way of getting around it, moving towards his goals without directly disobeying her.
And in his own mind, it wasn't a betrayal, really. A wake-up call, perhaps. Or retribution. A tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye, a fuck for a fuck.
Perhaps someday, she'd understand that he was doing it all for her. But that day would be a while in coming, he was sure.
Not that he minded. He could be patient.
Of course, at the moment, Akito didn't care. Shigure had betrayed her, in her eyes, and Shigure had...had... touched that woman who had dared to call herself Akito's mother... "Hey, Shigure..." She smirked a bit, kneeling on the floor to face Shigure now, staring at him. "Tell me something, would you...?"
He met her gaze unflinchingly. "Yes?"
"That girl..." Akito said. "That Honda Tohru." Is she taking all of you away from me...? "Have you touched her yet?" From what Akito had been told, Tohru wasn't much older than Kyou and Yuki... but since when had that ever stopped Shigure?
Oh. So she was jealous, was she? He shook his head, chuckling softly. "Nothing like that, Akito-san."
"Funny," Akito said as she stood, turning towards the window again. "I thought you'd sleep with anything if it was female."
"Is that so?" He laughed that one off easily. Shigure was used to hearing such sentiments from everyone else, and it had never bothered him, and hearing it one more time wasn't going to make it start bothering him now.
Not even from God.
She'd understand someday, after all.
"Well, after all, you did sleep with her."
"Who?" he asked innocently.
.....he wasn't doing this to her. He most certainly wasn't doing this to her right now. How could he forget what had angered her so much that forced her to drive Shigure away from the house? How dare he forget something like that. "REN!" she shouted, spinning around to look at him, anger reflecting in her eyes. "You slept with that---that--woman and you dare to tell me you don't even remember?! What sort of idiot do you take me for, Shigure?!"
He didn't move, didn't flinch, didn't back down. "I don't take you and have never taken you for any kind of idiot, Akito-san," he said calmly. Though it didn't reflect in his voice, inwardly he was feeling oddly smug. He hadn't been able to evoke such a reaction in her since that incident had occured; to know that the topic was still such a sore point for her three years later...
...well, it was nice to know that he wasn't losing his touch, anyway.
"SHUT UP!" Akito snapped, glaring at him, resisting the urge to grab Shigure and force him against the wall. It wouldn't help her much right now, anyway. "Why did you--- I can't believe you'd even think of sleeping with that---"
"Do you really want to know why?" he said, still in that same calm tone. He was used to Akito's fits of rage, had certainly seen enough of them to practice his impassive reactions.
"Tell me." It wasn't a request now; it was a flat-out order.
"I slept with Ren...because you slept with Kureno." Simple, emotionless statement of the facts - as far as Shigure was concerned, it was just a standard cause-and-effect reaction, you-fuck-him-so-I'll-fuck-her, nothing difficult to understand.
He wasn't expecting her to take it well, regardless, but she wanted an honest answer, and so she had one.
Because you slept with Kureno. Because she had slept with Kureno... so, wait. Was he implying this was her fault?! Her eyes narrowed to mere slits, rushing forward to grab Shigure and force him to the floor. She didn't care how wrong this would appear to anyone else who happened to glance in to speak with Akito. Right now... none of that mattered. "ARE YOU SAYING THIS IS MY FAULT?! HOW DARE YOU! I AM YOUR GOD! I CAN'T BE AT FAULT! WHAT I DO WITH MY JYUUINSHI IS MY OWN BUSINESS! IT'S MY RIGHT!"
...no, he would not call that taking it well.
Shigure had entertained quite a few thoughts of the two of them tangled on the floor before, but this wasn't quite what he'd had in mind. And yet, he couldn't deny to himself that he didn't really mind the contact, even if Akito was pissed off and looked one inch away from throttling him.
There was really no answer he could give to that, however, at least not one that wouldn't incite further rage from her. Perhaps admitting the fault was entirely his and begging for her forgiveness...but that was possibly the only answer he would not, could not give.
He wasn't saying anything. Why was he just staying silent? Akito's grip tightened a bit more on the folds of Shigure's clothing, continuing to glare at him. "You--- How dare you try to use that woman against me! How dare you call this my fault. I'm not at fault; you're the one who betrayed me!"
He normally would have reacted to a fit like this by simply taking his leave, but with her pinning him to the floor, that wasn't an option, and nor did staying quiet and waiting for her to calm down seem to be having much effect, either. He was going to have to say something if he wanted her to get up and let him go.
Shigure wasn't entirely sure he did want her to get off of him, but she was expecting some kind of response.
"And that I'd react by doing something so drastic...does that not say something for the loyalty I have to you?" Still calm, still matter-of-fact. "Does that not show..." He reached up and carefully took hold of her wrist with one hand, though he didn't try to pull her off of him. "...that I think of you more than anyone else?"
Akito froze, her hands loosening their grip on his clothing. Had he just said... "You...you didn't forget...."
"No, I didn't. I never have." As she loosened her grip on his clothing, he tightened his grip on her wrist. "And that is a definite truth."
Akito couldn't think of a reply, simply stared back at Shigure for a moment. "I.... Shigure...." He didn't forget. He didn't forget....
Funny how in the span of a few seconds, she could go from the spiteful, angry woman she'd become, to something so like the calmer girl he'd said those words to, all those years ago. She didn't seem so - so tainted, when she looked at him like that. "Did I not just tell you, I could never forget that I'm yours, Akito?"
A dog might get into the garbage and chew up the furniture and do a hundred other little things that drove its master crazy, but when all was said and done, the dog was still loyal. Shigure found it maddening, to want to take control and yet feel compelled to give it up and show that canine loyalty to his master.
He had been quite serious when he told Hatori that perhaps he was the most cursed of them all.
How tempting it would be to kiss him! But, no. He had incurred her wrath mere seconds before! How could she just kiss him and put an end to it just like that? "...let me go."
He didn't really want to, but an order was an order. "As you wish." He let go of her wrist, his hand dropping back to his side.
Akito stood and moved away from him, staring at Shigure for a moment. "Get out." She turned towards the window again.
He took his time getting to his feet and dusting himself off, but he didn't protest - just bowed his head slightly and moved towards the door. That hadn't gone quite as he'd hoped - but then, things didn't always work out so easily, did they? Shigure was good enough at planning, but more importantly, he was better at adapting, altering whatever arrangements he'd already made to suit changing circumstances.
He was going to have to rethink some of the finer points of his approach, definitely.