A/N: Hello, everyone! I updated quicker than I thought I would. There's not much to say, except . . . if you didn't read "The Disturbing Truth," you'll be very lost. Because I said that, I'm not going to bother with the usually "spoiler" crap. You should know the "revelation of 97" by now if you're going to read this fic. Anyway . . . I hope you enjoy the sequel!

Disclaimer: (I haven't done one of these in a while.) I do not own Fruits Basket. It belongs to the evil genius Takaya-sensei. She should be shot for what she's put us through, but I still adore her.

Akito closed the book she was reading and set it down on the floor gently. Her legs had fallen asleep ages ago, and her eyelids had grown heavy. After she shifted her legs out from under her, she hit them repeatedly to stop the tingling sensation. I'll never get used to this, she thought miserably. Akito slowly got to her feet and yawned, stretching her arms towards the ceiling. It was time to go to bed.

She dragged herself into her bedroom and plopped onto the futon. Rolling onto her back, she sighed and loosened the sash on her kimono to feel more comfortable. Even with her living as a woman, Akito preferred to wear a guy's kimono. It was simply what she was used to. She changed everything else, but she wanted to keep that one shred of her old life.

A soft voice came from the door, and, soon after, it slid open silently. Then feet padded over to where Akito lay.

Keeping her eyes fixed on the ceiling, she said quietly, "I'm too tired for that."

"Then you don't want me to stay with you?"

She turned her head towards him, her lips forming slight a grin. "I would like the company."

Akito shifted over to give Kureno room. He laid beside her slowly and rested his arm over her stomach. She shivered for a split second.

"You're cold. You should get under the blanket."

"I'm fine."

That was a lie. Akito was freezing, and it took all of her energy not to shake. It was in the middle of October, and it was always dreadfully cold in that room. The only thing that protected her from the chilly air was her kimono, which wasn't much help. She was beginning to wish she had taken her haori with her to bed. It was too much of a bother to get under the thick blanket. That only meant more exhausting movement. -1-

"If you're that stubborn, then I'll keep you warm. You wouldn't want to catch a cold."

Akito rolled her eyes. "You don't catch a cold from the cold. Hatori told me it's a common misconception."

He smiled.

"But you can still keep me warm."

Kureno tightened his hold on her and said, "Good night, Akito."

"'Night."

When sleep took over, Akito dreamt of something awful. She wasn't "God" anymore, and all of the Juunishi had left. She felt so torn, lost in a sea of despair. It was almost as if her life wasn't worth living without her Juunishi. The dream was so disturbing that it woke Akito up. Her eyes snapped open, and her breathing was erratic.

"Why . . . did I have a dream . . . like that again?" she whispered to herself.

She looked over at the sleeping Kureno. She had already lost him, and she couldn't bear to lose the others. If only her dreams would stop haunting her . . .

Akito slowly closed her eyes and fell back into a deep, troubled sleep.

"Ah, you're doing so well today!" Ayame said gleefully as he clapped.

Akito narrowed her eyes a bit. "Well, I have been doing this for the past month. I'm not slow."

"But you've been very reluctant!"

"I am with anything feminine. It's all so foreign to me."

Akito carefully took a sip of the steaming tea, holding the cup delicately in her hands. She had learned how to drink hot tea without burning her tongue. This "tea ceremony" crap is really annoying. Is this what women have to deal with all the time?

Ayame simply adored her. To him, she looked beautiful, especially when she acted so ladylike. He remembered how ecstatic he was when Akito had asked him if he could teach her the "ways of a female." Of course, Ayame knew her reason for asking such a thing. To be more feminine meant that Ren would go more insane.

"Oh! Speaking of foreign! I made you a Western dress!"

"I don't do 'dresses' . . . You know that," she said bluntly.

"Yes, yes. Though, I don't think you'll mind this one!"

She sighed, putting her cup down on the low table. "Fine. Go ahead and show me," she said wearily.

Ayame raced out of the room, not even bothering to close the door behind him. He was bubbling over with excitement.

Akito shook her head, muttering things about "idiots" and "female gear." Then she realized she should wake up her legs. Trying on clothes, which Ayame was bound to make her do, while sitting down is next to impossible. By the time she could stand without the prickly feeling in her legs, Ayame had returned. She was surprised to see that the garment was not covered.

"Well?"

With a dull expression on her face and an index finger pointed in its direction, she said, "What is that thing?"

"It's called an evening gown! With the right style and color, an evening gown can make any woman a rare beauty! Try it on!"

She narrowed her eyes. "It looks like something a slut would wear."

He gasped dramatically. "This dress is not revealing! I swear! No prostitute in her right mind would adorn this essence of sophistication!"

Rolling her eyes, she walked up to him and grabbed the dress from his hands. "Fine! I'll wear it!"

Ayame smiled widely at this small feat. It was getting easier and easier to persuade Akito to try on his creations. The hard part was getting her to like them.

A few moments later, Akito stepped out reluctantly. She appeared to be irritated, her face flushed and her left eye twitching.

It was a black gown that went all the way down to her ankles. It didn't show too much skin, only the slightest cleavage and half of the back. The straps were like string, displaying how nicely her collar bone had healed. The back of the dress went into a scoop down to her mid-back. It was very elegant.

He clapped and beamed at his goddess. "You look absolutely stunning! It's so sleek!"

"It's so clingy . . . "

He waved his hand at her nonchalantly. "That's what it's supposed to do, dear Akito!"

"I don't like how it's showing my back, and it's a little low-cut in the front, don't you think?" she asked dangerously.

"But it's not like it leaves nothing to the imagination! Besides, it only seems that way to you because you're not used to it. In my opinion, I think you look very sexy!"

She closed her eyes in annoyance and said, "I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

"But you do! Now all you need is a little make-up, but I know you're not that far yet."

"And I never will be."

Ayame briskly walked over to the agitated woman and took her by the shoulders. "Let me tell you something." He guided her back into her bedroom, where he had left his full-length mirror months ago. "Look at your body and ignore your facial expression. See how the dress hugs your curves? This is how you're supposed to look as a 21-year-old woman. Dear Akito, if Ren saw you like this, she'd have an aneurism." -2-

Almost instantly, the corners of her lips turned up into a smirk. She liked the idea of that. Changing her attitude towards the gown, Akito put her hands on her hips and posed in front of the mirror.

"I'll show that bitch just how feminine I am."

"That's the spirit!"

"Ayame! I want you to make me another one of these 'evening gowns,' but I want this one to be a little more revealing," Akito said with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

He was ready to cry. "Oh, Akito! You have no idea how long I've waited for you to say that!"

Still smirking, with one hand on her hip, she said, "Then get to work."

He clapped excitedly. "Right away, right away! It shall be red, a seductive color!"

"Just keep it tasteful. I don't want to look like a slut."

"Don't worry! You will love it!"

Ayame ran out hurriedly, leaving Akito in front of her mirror. She looked back at the reflection with impassive eyes, her smirk now gone. She wasn't comfortable at all with the way she looked in women's clothes, but she put up a convincing front for the sake of angering Ren.

Akito gave an exasperated sigh and started taking off the feminine catastrophe, not bothering to close her bedroom door. Just as she took the straps off her shoulders, the door to the main room abruptly slid open. Akito froze, then snapped her head towards whoever had disturbed her. It was him.

"Hello, Akito-san."

She immediately slid the straps back up, suddenly nervous.

"What's the matter?" he asked calmly.

"Weren't you ever told not to enter someone's room without their permission?"

She glanced around for something to cover herself with. He wasn't allowed to see her like that because there was no need for him to get excited . . .

"Hmm, I was."

Akito folded her arms over her chest, giving up on her search. This isn't what I need right now, she thought with mild anger.

"Go away already."

"You can just close your bedroom door."

"But I want to keep my eye on you."

He sighed. "You still don't trust me, huh? I understand why. I've been acting 'strange' for the past few months."

"Six months," she corrected.

"Keeping count, are we?"

"Shut up! Leave me alone, Shigure!"

He put up his hands defensively. "Okay, okay. I'll let you have your privacy."

Shigure smiled, not smirked, and left the room peacefully.

She let out a shaky breath, and her arms dropped to her sides. Why had he been acting so strangely? It was bothering her till no end. Before, Shigure had acted possessive and selfish. Lately, though, he had been very understanding and a lot less clingy. She wouldn't mind the change so much if it wasn't so sudden. There was no logical reason for the drastic change in his personality.

Akito shook her head and started undressing quickly. When she moved her right arm back to put it in the kimono sleeve, a sharp pain shot through her collar bone to her shoulder. She gave out a small cry and ceased moving. Damn, it still does that, she thought. Then she began to move more slowly. Even though the bone was completely healed, she'd still feel pain in the area for a few seconds every now and then. Hatori had told her not to worry about it, though.

Once she was clothed in her comfortable attire, she opened her door, half expecting to find someone unwanted. Akito stared out into the room with narrowed eyes. There was no one. Relieved, she stepped out, but she immediately looked down at what was under her foot and glared at the object suspiciously. She bent over and picked up the folded piece of paper. It read:

Dear Akito,

I know you'll never give me the chance to explain myself, so I've finally decided to explain as best as I can through written words. I hope you won't just crinkle it up and not even bother.

About six months ago, I heard from Haa-san about your pledge to Ren-san. (He heard from Kureno-kun.) It was then that I understood your strange behavior. Whether you believe me or not, I made a pledge myself that I would help you to become a woman. To do that, I must treat you like one. I realized that I treated you more like an object before. Now, I'm trying my best to change, too. It's hard to pick apart your feelings for someone. Trust me, though, I do love you. If you would let me, I'd like to help you. I swear I shall try to better myself. If I ever step over the line, just once, you have every right to punish me. Please, Akito, I know this is very confusing, but I'd like to give this a try.

I love you.

Shigure

She clutched the note tightly, rereading it to make sure she wasn't imagining things. He was being a little too lovey-dovey for her tastes . . . Plus, how could she believe him? Suspicion would forever be in the back of her mind. That person couldn't really love her. It didn't seem possible. Him changing seemed implausible as well.

Akito folded the note and placed it on the floor inside her bedroom. She really didn't feel like thinking about it at the moment.

"I'm hungry . . . " she said to herself as she put a hand on her stomach.

It must be lunchtime by now, she thought. All I had today was tea. I guess it was a bad idea to refuse breakfast . . .

As if on cue, a servant said through the door, "Akito-sama, I have your food. May I enter?"

"You may."

The door slid open, and a young woman walked in slowly, balancing a tray in her hands. She set the tray on the table and bowed. Before the servant could walk away, though, Akito uncharacteristically spoke to her.

"How old are you?"

The girl's eyes widened. "Uh . . . um, nineteen."

"Have you ever met 'that woman'?"

"Ren-sama?"

She scowled and said darkly, "Don't refer to her as that."

The servant became extremely nervous and bowed multiple times, apologizing.

"Enough. You've met her then, right?"

"Yes . . . I have Akito-sama. I-I met her once about a year ago. She had left her room when she shouldn't have, so I had to lead her back."

"I see . . . What was your impression of her?"

"Honestly?" She hesitated for a moment before answering. "I felt that she is worse than what everyone says. She seemed very disturbed."

Akito smirked and picked up her chopsticks.

"What's your name?"

"Mitsuko."

"Have you worked here as a servant for very long?"

"Since I was eight."

"Then it's settled. You shall deliver my food from now on."

"Ah! Um, um . . . It'd be an honor, Akito-sama!" she said nervously as she bowed low.

Akito waved a hand at her. "You may go now."

Mitsuko bowed once more then left.

There was a reason for her madness. Akito wanted to get information from someone who wasn't close to her. She wanted to know everything about Ren. Who better than an inconspicuous servant? This "Mitsuko" seemed to be perfect for the job. Then Akito would know if everything she was doing was paying off. All she would be doing is using that young woman.

Hatori was exhausted. When he looked at the clock on the wall, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was time to head on home. Though, just as he got up from his chair, the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hatori . . . "

He pretended not to be surprised. He hadn't heard from him ever since the incident occurred. "So . . . you finally called. What is it?

"About Akito . . . How is she?"

Hatori sat back down, preparing for a long conversation. "She's fine. The bone is completely healed."

"She's probably still angry, right?"

"I believe she is, but she doesn't show any resentment towards you. Are you ready to apologize now? Even though she deserved some retaliation, you went too far. I feel it's absolutely necessary that you apologize to her."

"I . . . I know. I've been thinking about it for these past six months. Rin even agrees I should say that I'm sorry. I did go too far, and it's been slowly eating away at me. I just . . . I don't think she'll accept my apology. It probably won't matter what I say . . . "

He thinks for a moment. "It might, it might not. You should at least try, Haru."

"Would . . . it be alright if I come over tomorrow?"

"That would be fine. Come at one o'clock. She's usually in a good mood then because she just ate."

"Alright."

"Let me know you're here before you go to Akito. I don't want there to be chaos, and I get there too late to stop it. I'd rather be on edge."

"Alright."

Hatori hung up the phone. Tomorrow will be interesting, he thought. I can only hope Akito doesn't get too out of control. Though, I would understand if she does.

1- You see Akito with a haori almost every time you see her in traditional clothing. It's that black shawl-looking thing that she wears over her kimono. That's the easiest way of describing it. (The literal translation is "a short jacket worn over the kimono," but it doesn't really look like a jacket to me. /shrugs/ That's what everyone calls it.)

2- I almost forgot to look it up, but Akito would indeed be 21. Her birthday is in the summer. (She's a Cancer. That's all the info we're given.)

So . . . what'd you all think? It's sooo nice being able to write in third person again, and I haven't written in past tense since my first Furuba story! My god, it's been so long . . . Okay, Shigure . . . Yes, that was a very strange letter, but you don't really know if he's telling the truth or not. You'll find out later. Mitsuko actually has a somewhat significant role throughout the story. She'll help Akki through some tough times.

I have no clue when I'll update the next chap. I'm sure some of you are used to my exact dates, but this one's going to be a little different. This chapter was short because it's the first, but I want the rest to be a decent length. I'm aiming for over ten pages, which seems harder than I thought. I like stopping at certain points to leave you all with a cliffhanger. (I'm so evil.) Oh, and there won't be any random Japanese in this fic. There are honorifics, but that's because there's noooo way I'm going to write a story without them. It'd only sound like the stupid English version of the anime. (Even Tokyopop keeps the honorifics.)

Minsa-san gokigenyou!