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Akito sat in the back of the sleek black car. His hands gripping the seat so tight his knuckles were turning white. He was here with Shigure and Hatori, watching Tohru leave her class for the evening. She was attending college for nursing when she was out of high school. She still lived with Shigure for the time being. She had come to Shigure two nights ago to let him know she would be moving out.
Akito’s health had been failing for several months. Tohru's diligence slowly broke the curse, but it was not fast enough. Before Akito passed, they needed another God. The only way to do so was for the current God to father one. Akito decided he wanted Tohru to be that person.
He was worried she would leave the Sohmas and couldn’t let that happen. Last month, she lost her grandfather, and he turned over an account that was started by her parents when they found out they were expecting Tohru. The account had 500 million yen in total. She had a wealth of her own now.
When Akito heard the news of her new-found wealth, dread curled in his gut. She would leave; he knew that was a given. She was always determined not to rely too heavily on others and often felt like a burden. When she first arrived, he wholeheartedly agreed that she was a nuisance and needed to be rid of her, but now, having had her with the Sohmas for three years, he saw her in a different light.
This is why the curse was slowly breaking.
He didn’t hate her as much as he used to. Before, looking at her smile made him want to smack it right off her face and replace it with tears and fear. Fear of him and the pain he would make her endure. Now, the mere thought of anyone but him hurting her fueled his rage. She was the light to his dark.
Things changed when he met her in the woods two years ago. She had fallen after asking to be his friend. This was the second time she had surprised him. He had abused her in the past, yet she still wanted to know him. To share his pain.
No.
He didn’t hate her; he desired her. He used the excuse of his poor health when explaining his plan to Hatori and Shigure. Of course, part of it was that they would need a new God before he passed, but the real reason was that he wanted her.
He made that decision after spending a few hours with her once a week for the past two years. Even though they would eventually be free, his zodiacs would flock back to him, where they belonged, with her by his side.
Clearing his throat, Hatori looked at Akito in the rearview mirror. “Akito, are you sure this is a good idea?”
Akito blinked his obsidian eyes slowly and met Hatori’s gaze with a cool one. “I think it is a perfect idea, Hatori. Who else is better to birth the next God? She is the one, and we all know it. She can’t leave.”
Pursuing his lips, Hatori turned his gaze back to Tohru, who was patiently waiting for the bus. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he took in her appearance. Akito followed his gaze and knew what he was thinking. It was clear to see.
She was no longer the woman-child they once knew. Now, she had turned out to be a stunning beauty of nineteen. She looked so young and carefree, standing there chatting with her classmates. She looked different tonight. She was wearing scrubs with a hoodie. Her hair was in pigtails.
‘Adorable.’
“Are you going to continue staring at her, Hatori?” Akito growled. “Go and get her.”
Akito’s possessive eyes followed Hatori’s every movement as he approached Tohru. She would come to the Honke tonight and remain there if he had his way. Being Akito, he would get his way. He always did. He would get great joy in making her submit to him. He would be the only one to do so.
He watched Tohru's confusion and worry as Hatori approached. Of course, she would be worried something was wrong, seeing Hatori at her college. Hatori gestured towards the car where they waited, and Tohru tipped her head to the side, looking towards the dark alley and back at Hatori.
Akito held his breath at the uncertainty on Tohru’s lovely face. From her body language, he could see that she was uneasy. He gripped the seat tighter as Tohru turned and briefly spoke to some of her classmates, offering a few brief hugs before falling into step next to Hatori, gripping her school bag tight against her chest.
“Get in the front seat next to the dragon,” Akito growled at Shigure, impatience colouring his voice. “I want Miss Honda back here with me.”
Shigure blinked over at Akito before opening the door and sliding out. He grasped Tohru’s hand, leading her to the back as she tried to reach the front seat. “Akito wishes you to sit next to him, my little flower.”
Shigure grinned, bringing her hand to his mouth. His lips barely touched her knuckles as he handed her into the car and closed the door behind her.
.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·..·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.
Tohru’s heart was pounding as she settled next to Akito. Their relationship was getting a little better, but he still had moments when he would lose his temper with her. She had been with the Sohmas for three years, and it took that long for Akito to tolerate her presence, or so she thought.
She tried not to flinch when Akito’s cool hand wrapped around hers, intertwining their fingers as they took off into the night. She held perfectly still as Akito studied her under the flashing lights of the lampposts. As they rode silently, her face remained forward, not meeting his gaze.
Twenty minutes later, arriving at the Honke, Tohru opened her door, waiting for the others to join her. She had no idea why she was here and this late. She wasn't supposed to see Akito until this weekend, four days from now. All Hatori would tell her was that they had something of great importance to discuss with her.
Her mind began to whirl, wondering if he finally decided to erase her memories. She swallowed the dryness in her throat as Akito grasped her hand again and tugged her through the gardens to the veranda that led to his chambers, avoiding the front doors. She tried not to panic as all four entered the dim room, and Akito slid the door and locked it with a ‘click’.
Leading her to the middle of the room, Akito helped Tohru settle on one of the plush pillows in the front. Shigure and Hatori sat behind her and waited for Akito to speak.
The swishing of fabric was the only thing Tohru could hear as Akito paced in front of her, her eyesnever leaving the floor. He seemed agitated tonight, and she knew better than to speak up until he decided to initiate the conversation. She didn’t relish the pain that he would dole out to her, so she kept mute.
Pausing his steps in front of her, she looked up at him, trying not to flinch, waiting for the blow to come across her face, but instead, he looked down at her and gave her a wide smile that caused shivers to run down her spine, and not in a good way.
“Miss Honda.” He started before he knelt in front of her, grasping her chin tightly and forcing her to look at him. “I’ve brought you here for an important discussion.”
“Y-yes,” she breathed. “Hatori told me you wish to discuss something of great importance with me, Akito-sama.”
“I’ve decided it is time to father a child.”
Tohru’s heart stopped as Akito gave her a slight smirk, “A child?” she whispered.
Letting go of her chin, he stood, brushing his thin hand down the fabric of his expensive kimono. “Yes. As you know, I am the God of the Zodiacs, the keeper of their souls.”
Tohru nodded.
“When their God dies, there has to be a new God in place to hold onto their souls; otherwise, everyone with the curse will perish,” he gave her a slight frown. “The only way for a new God to come about is for the current God to procreate.”
“I see,” she said quietly. She had no idea why Akito was telling her all these things; her mind went blank.
“Do—do you have someone in mind to help you with this? Another Sohma?”
Akito let out a small chuckle, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “You.”
Her brows went up. “Me?”
Humming in the back of his throat, he knelt in front of her once more. “You’re the reason the curse is finally breaking my Tohru. However, with my health, I am not sure the curse will be broken in time, so I need to have a child, and that is where you come in.”
Tohru sucked in a sharp breath, “You want me...” she exhaled a shaky breath. “You want me to have your child?”
He made a small sound in the back of his throat, “Of course, you are the logical choice. You know of the curse, and you are helping break it.”
“I don’t know if I can do that, Akito-sama,” she said quietly.
“Why not?” he hissed, shifting closer to her.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “I’ve never...I’m still...” She blushed a deep red, squirming uncomfortably. Changing tactics, she cleared her throat, “Would it be like...artificial insemination or something?” He laughed darkly and slowly shook his head, “No.”
“I see,” squaring her shoulders, she met his gaze. “I’m not the one that can do that, Akito-sama. I will not give myself to anyone I am not married to.”
He tilted his head to the side and studied her. “ I could always take your memories from you and convince you we are married.”
“Akito,” Hatori warned.
“What?” Akito feigned innocence. “We need her to do this, Hatori." His eyes met Hatori’s and hardened. “She is the only one who can do this. If she doesn’t, then the rest of you will die when I do.”
Looking back down at Tohru, he grasped a slight curl from her pigtail and twirled it around his thin fingers, “Tohru, you understand they will all die when I do, don’t you? By refusing to do this, you are condemning them to a death sentence.”
Bowing her head, she clutched the fabric of her hoodie. She didn’t want anyone to die, but to give herself to someone who was not her husband just seemed wrong.
She remained silent as Akito continued to twirl her hair with his deft fingers.
Akito let out a huff, shoving her on her back. He straddled her hips as he grasped her hands in his and slammed them above her head, causing her to let out a small hiss of pain.
Her wide blue eyes met his obsidian ones. “You have no choice in the matter, Miss Honda,” he said in a low tone. “You’re part of the Sohmas; as soon as you decide to stay, I’m your God and theirs. You will have my child.”
Tears welled in her eyes as she studied him, “Why?” she croaked, “Why me? I am sure there is a Sohma who would be more than happy to do this for you. I’m nobody.”
Akito tsked her, leaning forward and licking her tears as they trickled down her cheeks, “That is simply not true, my Tohru. It is your duty to this family to do as you're told.”
Turning her head, her eyes met Hatori’s. His face had a blank look, but his hands were fisted on his lap. She could tell this was difficult for him. Her eyes drifted to Shigure’s pleading for help.
He met her gaze with an even look.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she closed her eyes, “I’ll do it,” she said in a pained whisper.
Akito grinned down at her and then planted open mouth kisses on her neck, lightly biting. “Perfect,” he breathed against her skin.
Releasing his hold on her, he got up and shifted his kimono back in place. With a smirk on his lips, he nodded to Hatori. “Take her to the clinic, give her a full examination. I want to make sure we can start immediately. " He paused at the door and stopped to look at Torhu, who lay in a heap on the floor. “Oh, and Tohru. I agree with your condition. We shall be married by the week's end.”
After looking at them again, Akito strode to the door and opened it, leaving a shocked Tohru quivering on the floor. .·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·..·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.
Hatori stood on shaking legs and assisted Tohru, wrapping an arm around her trembling form. “Thank you, Torhu,” he said quietly.
Shigure watched them leave the room. His heart felt oddly heavy. He had been using Tohru for years to break the curse, and now it was breaking. When she met his eyes, her pleading look made his heart clench. His desire to be free outweighed the desire to help his ‘little flower’ to get out of this situation.
He didn’t wish to die, of course, and if it came down to it, Akito could have a child with someone else, but he knew Akito. When he obsessed about something, he never relented before he got his claws into that something or someone.
That was Tohru right now.
She could leave, he knew; she already tried to. He couldn’t and wouldn’t have it. She was part of the Sohmas now, whether she liked it or not.
Kyo and Yuki were off to college an hour away and lived there, leaving just Tohru and him in his small little house.
Hell, he even wanted to bed her, but he knew better.
The way Akito had been talking about Tohru for the past year, he knew it was only a matter of time before Akito had demanded her submission. It was the way it worked in this family. He could demand it from anyone with the last name Sohma. Even though Tohru was not technically a Sohma, she still fell under those rules when Akito allowed her to keep her memories of the curse. She had to obey.
Standing to his full height, he ran his hand through his raven locks and padded to the door and down the hall to his new temporary chambers. He and Tohru would be living here from now on. Akito would make sure of it. He would cage her and keep her here under his thumb until he was done with her or died, that was for sure.
Akito had been gracious enough to start remodelling a new home on Honke grounds for him to live in, and it was almost finished. He knew that he and Hatori would be living there with his little flower as soon as she was with a child so they could watch over her unless Akito wanted her with him.
Entering his room, he flopped down on his bed and let out a low groan. He hated that he was feeling sympathy for her. Things were much more manageable when he could manipulate her and not feel any guilt for doing so. In the past three years, Tohru had wormed her way into his cold heart and now firmly resided there.