Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ To Melt A Frozen Heart ❯ Will You Live For Me? ( Chapter 4 )

To Melt A Frozen Heart

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of its characters. I wish though.

########## = at another place

`…'= thoughts

********** = dream sequence

^^^^^^^^^^ = recall

That's all for now. Enjoy, minna-san!!

Chapter 4-Will You Live For Me?

**********

Yume…

The red-haired girl turned to the source calling her name.

"Nanda? Who are you?"

There was silence, and the darkness that engulfed everything except her made Yume cringe in fear. Darkness always brings misfortune; she had learnt that the hard way.

"Won't you come out?" The girl cried out in frustration borne of fear. "Where am I? Where is this place?"

"Yume." The voice was achingly familiar, and Yume whipped around sharply in the hopes of seeing this mysterious person.

"Wha…"

**********

"What happened? How is she?" Shigure and Ayame had just entered Hatori's practice. They had gotten the news of the assignation attempt some half an hour ago and had arrived as soon as they could.

"Yeah, is Yume-san…." What Shigure realized that he had directed his question to Akito; he turned and asked Hatori instead. "Is Yume-san all right?"

The doctor shrugged.

Ayame was outraged.

"What do you mean by a shrug, Ha-chan?!! You are a doctor, for kami sake!! You can't just go around shrugging!!"

"I have done what I can; the bleeding was stopped, and the wounds stitched and bandaged. She had lost quite a lot of blood though, but no internal organs were ruptured. All that we have to do now is to wait for her to awaken, and that depends on her own willpower to live."

"Sou ka…" That was Shigure. "So is she out of danger already?"

Hatori nodded.

"Why are you so concerned about her?" Ayame asked.

Shigure looked affronted.

"Of course I am anxious!! She is Akito's bo…OUCH!!!" The brunette glared at Ayame, who had elbowed him in the ribs. "er…she is Akito's nurse, and a pretty one at that!! Can't have all the pretty girls dying on me, ne?"

Hatori suppressed the urge to roll his eyes; why he had such idiotic cousins/friends, he did not know.

"Can we go in and see her?

"Not unless I accompany you."

**********

"Wha…"

A tall, lanky young man stood a few feet away. He had long, pristine white hair that reached past mid-thigh, and sharp emerald green eyes. His cheekbones were high and elegant, structuring an aristocratic and arrogant face.

Yume gasped, and her eyes widened in recognition.

"Ryo…" Yume breathed almost hopefully, and her eyes softened with love. "Ryo, is it really you?"

The man in question was not that loving in his reply, however. He merely nodded with annoyed impatience.

"Yes, you half-cracked idiot, it is really me. What are you doing here, carrothead? What stupid stunt have you pulled now to land yourself here, baka?!!"

Normally the redhead would have taken offense at the insults, but this time, she let it go because it was Ryo.

"I…I don't know." Yume muttered at last, moving closer towards the handsome man.

She pinched him.

"Ow!!" Narrowed green eyes glared at her. "What the bloody hell are you trying to do?!!"

Yume could not help it; she grinned.

"It really IS you." The redhead threw herself at the man and gave him a tight hug.

"I missed you so much, Ryo." Yume murmured, content to be in his arms.

"Me too," Came the gruff reply. "I missed you too, Yu." The girl felt Ryo's lips caress the top of her head.

Suddenly, Yume stiffened.

**********

As one, the Mabudatchi trio turned to stare at Akito, who had not spoken until now.

"We may not go in unless you are with us, Akito-sama?" Ayame squeaked the question.

The man did not answer the hebi's redundant question but walked towards one of the closed doors and opened them.

"While we are inside, the three of you will tell me who Yume really is." The patriarch said frigidly. Cold brown eyes regarded the trio. "I may be dying, but I am not stupid. You will tell me everything." He entered the room.

Shigure and Ayame turned to Hatori with a What-the-hell-is-going-on look which the doctor returned with yet another shrug.

"As Akito said; he is not stupid. He will catch on sooner or later."

With a sigh, the blossom trio trudged into the room, prepared to face the music.

**********

Suddenly, Yume stiffened.

"MATTE!! If you are dead and I am seeing you, does this means that I am…"

"Dead?" Ryo released his hold on the girl and pried her off him.

Yume nodded, and the man glared forcefully at her again.

"That issue is the reason why I am here looking for you, you baka."

"What?!! What did I do now?!!" Ryo always made her feel useless and idiotic.

"You don't understand, do you, Yu?" Ryo smiled affectionately at the confused girl then, all traces of annoyance gone. "You are not supposed to be here."

"No? Demo…"

"In other words, your time is not up yet. You have to go back."

The redhead shook her head forcefully.

"IIE!! I will not go back." She forcibly attached herself to Ryo. "You are here, that's all that matters. I will stay here with you!!"

Again, the man gave the younger girl a tender smile.

"You can't Yu. It is not our time yet. You have to go back and do your things, all the things that you want to do. Fulfill your dreams. Fall in love. Whatever it is that you want."

The redhead glared angrily at Ryo now.

"Ok, what I want now is to STAY HERE!!"

**********

They stared at the pale girl who was currently lying so stilly on the bed. She was covered by snowy sheets and blankets, and somehow, it had made her even more bloodless. The only thing that looked alive was her hair. The fiery mane shimmered with life.

Yume looked defenseless, and incredibly fragile. She did not look like she had just taken an assassination attack for Akito. In fact, had she not looked that…pale, she could have passed for an innocently slumbering girl. However, the IV drips attached to various parts of her appendage and the beeps of the bulky and ugly-looking machines that were monitoring her vitals told the real story.

Ayame shook his head sadly; taking in the wretched sight of Yume. She had been polite and smiling a month ago when she first met them.

"I think that now is a good time to tell me exactly what had been going on."

Shigure winced and met the stares of Hatori and Ayame, and as one, they made a decision.

The truth has to be revealed. Akito have to be told. It would be unfair for Yume if their patriarch did not know or appreciate what the girl assassin had done for him.

Yume deserved that at the very least.

**********

"Ok, what I want now is to STAY HERE!!"

The smile was sad now, and the white-haired man shook his head sadly in denial.

"I am sorry pet, but I can't grant that."

"Demo…"

Ryo's emerald eyes turned fierce then.

"Do you remember what you promised me, Yu? Do you remember?"

Eyes brimming with tears, the girl nodded.

"Demo this is not the same!!"

"What is not the same?" Ryo asked harshly. "It is the same!! Or are you planning to renege on your promise?"

Yume shook her head resolutely, and the man's anger disappeared just as quickly as it had come.

"I know that you are not like that, Yu. You always keep your promises, ne?" Ryo lifted a finger to caress her cheek. The same cheek where tears are coursing down from now. "Don't cry. You are always so strong, my Yu. Be strong now. Don't cry."

**********

"You are telling me that you hired an assassin to protect me from an assassin?" Akito's eyes were narrowed as they seek for confirmation.

Shigure nodded.

"It had seemed like a good idea at that time." The man mumbled.

Ayame looked at his morose cousin sharply.

"It IS a good idea. As unfeeling as it might sound, Yume did manage to shield Akito from the attack, didn't she?"

"You think that it is perfectly all right that a girl younger than me is sent here, prepared to sacrifice her life to prevent me, a cursed person, from being killed?" Akito looked murderously at Ayame, who moved warily to put some distance between him and the patriarch.

"Iie, I do not mean that it is perfectly all right. But Yume is a professional," Ayame defended. "She knows what she is doing."

Akito threw a hand out to indicate the unconscious girl.

"And do you think that anyone would willingly prepare herself for that? There is nobody in this world who is willing to die for another, but...." Akito had a very surprised look on his face, as realization dawned. "But she had willingly threw herself in front of me to protect me from the attack." The man ended in a very soft, bewildered whisper.

The snake wisely kept his comments to himself this time. It was obvious that his replies are doing nothing but angering the patriarch even more.

Shigure and Hatori exchanged a stunned look.

Does Akito care for Yume, even a little bit?

Shigure began to grin insanely, away from Akito's sight of course. So the patriarch is human after all. He has a heart.

"Ayame," Akito said at last, finally getting over his shock.

"Yes, Akito-sama?" The snake asked timidly.

"You were the one who contracted Yume, right?"

"Hai."

"Tell me what you know about her."

"H…hai." Befuddled, Ayame begun to tell Akito all that he knew about Yume.

Shigure continued his crazy grinning.

When Ayame was done recounting, it was then that they realized Yume was crying.

**********

"I know that you are not like that, Yu. You always keep your promises, ne?" Ryo lifted a finger to caress her cheek. The same cheek where tears are coursing down from now. "Don't cry. You are always so strong, my Yu. Be strong now. Don't cry."

The girl nodded blindly as the tears continued. She looked at the hand that the white-haired man had used to touch her. They were so slim, so elegant. An artist's hands. But its owner had held so much strength and willpower to be just a mere artist. The same pair of hands that had always wiped away her tears and protected her from pain had also wielded the katana so very flawlessly. Ultimately, it had also been the same two hands that had pushed her away from harm.

Pushed her away from harm to take the killing blow for her.

"I never regretted what I did, Yume." Ryo spoke up, as if he heard her thoughts. "It was my duty to protect you. I promised that as long as I am around, no harm will befall you. I promised, remember?" Bright emerald eyes stared at Yume's, willing her to understand.

"Yes, I remember," The redhead said bitterly. "You kept your promise till the very end. How could I not remember?"

"Yes, I did, didn't I?" Ryo smiled wryly. "I kept my promise just like you are going to keep yours. Just like you promised me, right?"

Yume found that she could not refuse Ryo. Not when he had worded it like that.

She nodded.

"Hai, Ryo." The redhead intoned listlessly. "I promise to live for you."

**********

"Ryo…"

They stared at each other.

"Hey, Ha-chan," Shigure asked conversationally. "Do we know of a Ryo?"

The doctor shook his head.

"Not that I know of any."

"What about you, Aya?"

The snake affirmed negative.

"That's weird." Shigure frowned. "I don't know a Ryo either. Who do you think this fellow is?"

"Her past." Akito said quietly. He was very certain that this Ryo is someone from her past. Someone very important.

^^^^^^^^^^

"There are other things worse than death. Be glad that you don't know them."

^^^^^^^^^^

Had Ryo been someone she had lost?

Yume thrashed unconsciously on the bed, breaking Akito's thoughts and drawing his attention to her.

"Ryo…" She whimpered; the tears had not abated, and unconsciously, Akito gently wiped them away with the back of his knuckles. The Mabudatchi looked at one another with raised eyebrows.

It was driving Akito nuts wondering about this mysterious man. Why is he so important to Yume that she would keep calling out for him even at her weakest?

"Ryo," Yume cried out again. "I promise to live for you."

**********

"Hai, Ryo." The redhead intoned listlessly. "I promise to live for you."

The man's eyes lit up then.

"Don't look so sad, Yu. I will always be here, right by your side. I swear. We will be together again when your time is up, when you are ready to join me. But for now," Ryo stooped down and kissed Yume's forehead gently. "I love you, Yu. Always remember that."

The girl was about to respond to that when she felt an unseen force tugging her away from Ryo.

"Iie!! Matte, Ryo!! We still have a lot to talk about!! MATTE!!"

It was as if a huge gust of wind is blowing her away. She tried to clutch at the white-haired man but to no avail.

Ryo, on the other hand, did not even attempt to anchor her to him, damn his handsome hide. Yume watched with disgust as the man waved cheerfully at her diminishing form.

"Aishiteru, Yume!!"

Fate had chosen to tear her away from Ryo's side again.

Unbidden, tears welled up to the surface, much to the redhead's annoyance. When had she become such a crybaby? She should at least pretend to be happy, because knowing Ryo; he would be worried if she left him in such a wretched state. Steeling herself, Yume forced a watery smile and waved hesitantly back at Ryo, whispering all the while.

"Aishiteru, onii-chan."

**********

"Machine…what's that beeping...means? …she…going to die…"

"…idiot…"

"She is waking up…"

"…see that…her hands…twitching…"

Yume's eyes shot open, and the emerald depths were wide and unfocused. All that she could see were glaring bright lights. The brightness lessened gradually and when Yume's eyes finally refocused, she saw that she was lying prone on a bed and that Shigure and Ayame were hovering anxiously over her. A visual sweep across the room told her that Hatori was adjusting the IV drips by her side and that Akito was sitting rather casually at the other end of the room.

"Daijoubu ka, Yume-san?"

That was Ayame and he looked pretty anxiously at the redhead.

"Yeah, how do you feel?" Shigure seconded.

Yume was touched by the concerned that these almost-strangers are giving her. Most of the time, whenever she ended up injured, she always woke up alone in a hospital bed. No concerned friends, no anything.

"Yume-san?" Ayame waved his hand in front of her, breaking her thoughts.

"Oh, yeah, I am all right." Yume croaked. "Feels like shit though."

Two thirds of the Mabudatchi looked surprised at the redhead's remark, but they got over it pretty quickly and grinned at Yume. Hatori merely snorted and mumbled something under his breath.

Shigure was about to ask the doctor to repeat what he was mumbling earlier on when the man ordered everyone out of the room so as to give Yume a thorough checkup.

With practiced eased, he turned Yume over on her stomach and began looking at the wounds. When he was satisfied that everything is healing exactly the way he wanted, he rewrapped them with fresh bandages and gently helped the redhead to lie on her back again.

Yume waited for Hatori to question her about the scars on her back, but to her surprise, they never came. The man merely told her gruffly that she is to stay here for the next few days until her wounds are healed enough for her to move about.

"You are not going to ask?" Yume said huskily.

"It is not in my place to question your past." Hatori said at last after a long silence. "If you wanted us to know, you would have told us a long time ago. All that we need to know is that you are doing a good job now." Hatori had all but told her that they are not going to judge her by her past. Yume smiled gratefully at him, and he left the room soon after.

With nothing to occupy her attention and the fact that her body was still exhausted from the day's events, Yume was about to drift off in slumber when she heard the room door open.

Shaking herself awake, Yume turned to see who the visitor is.

"Why did you shield me from the attack?"

Yume stared at Akito.

"I…I am sure that Shigure-san had told you the truth already. I am, after all, your bodyguard." Yume stammered. "I am paid to protect you."

Chocolate eyes narrowed and it was obvious that Akito was not buying any of her excuses.

"You are willing to die for the money? Last time I heard, it is not possible to bring money to the afterlife, and I know that you do not have any relatives at all."

Yume turned her head away; Akito had hit the nail on the head.

Why is she risking so much to protect him?

She did not know.

Akito refused to be ignored, and placing a finger on her chin, he turned her head around to face him.

Emerald clashed with brown.

"Answer me." Akito demanded.

"Atashi wa…atashi wa…wakarinai." Yume wanted to look at anything other than Aktio.

"You don't know?"

There was a long pause.

"You should have let me die."

At that dull, deadened comment, Yume whipped around and glared at Akito.

"IIE!! You have no idea how precious life is, do you?" The redhead was furious, and she made no attempt to hide it. "All you can think about is how miserable your life is!! What about others? Everything is about you, you, YOU!! You are so selfish. You want to throw away your life when there are others who would do anything for it."

Akito did not like the fact that Yume had branded him selfish.

"You have never lived my life before, so don't presume that you know me." Unlike other people who got louder and louder when they are angered, Akito goes the opposite way. He becomes softer and colder. "I would willingly give my life to whoever wants it."

Stunned silence, then…

"Naze?" Yume could not understand.

Akito did not answer; instead, he strode towards the door and opened them quietly. As he stepped through them, he whispered.

"Because my life is empty. Because I have nothing to live for. Because I have no one to live for."

##########

The next few days flew past very quickly. Drugged by anesthetics, Yume was asleep most of the time and her wounds healed quickly.

Akito never visited again after their confrontation. It was later that she was informed by the blossom trio that Akito is being closely watched by the servants and not allowed outside.

Shigure and Ayame dropped in fairly often, and as Hatori. He is, after all, the doctor.

Another one of her frequent visitor was Shisho, who came in everyday after school. He would always be bearing some wildflowers for her, and Yume looked forward to his visits.

The younger Soumas came once too, accompanied by the girl Tohru. Kyou, Yuki, Momiji and Haru; if her memory serves her. It had been an unusual experience; due to her unique occupation, Yume was seldom in contact with people her own age and the group of teenagers had been interesting, to say the least.

Very soon, Hatori had declared her well enough to return to her suite of rooms, and for that, Yume was relieved. It had been annoying, not being allowed to move about the place. Shigure and Ayame had came specially to help her back, and once she was settled nicely in the bed in her own room, the duo bustled off after repeated warnings for her to stay put. The redhead smiled politely and agreed on everything that they said until they walked out of the door.

Yume flopped on the bed, and the wounds on her back protested. Yume winced slightly; she had forgotten about them. They were still sore, and Hatori had not removed the stitches yet. She still had wait for another week or so.

"Home sweet home." Yume murmured to herself, and mused as to when she had started regarded this place as her home.

Content to be on her own bed at last, the girl was about to fall asleep when the silence of the room got to her.

^^^^^^^^^^

"Because my life is empty. Because I have nothing to live for. Because I have no one to live for."

^^^^^^^^^^

Yume cursed silently when that particular memory chose that moment to resurface on her mind. Akito's words had been plaguing her for the past few days, despite all efforts to repress them, and now, it had made her fully awake.

She did not know why, but something about the cruel patriarch of the Souma clan called out to her. It was as if Akito was…asking for help.

`But that is stupid.' Yume chided herself. `Asking for help? Why would he ask for help, and if he really did, why would he ask you too, of all people. The man has everything. The respect of his clan. The world at his feet. What more does he need?'

`Someone to live for. He needs someone to live for.' Her subconscious whispered.

Yume's eyes widened in shock.

"But…why me? I am nothing, just an ordinary person among the millions." Yume waited for a reply, but found none. She rolled her eyes.

"Great, now I am talking to myself. This Akito issue is driving me batty." Even as she said those words, the redhead found herself deep in thoughts again.

`I promised to live for Ryo,' Emerald eyes clouded over.

`Can Akito promise to live for me?'

Heheh…as promised, minna-san!! Chapter 4!! I hope that it is good enough for you peeps!! A big chunk of Yume's past, and I think that I am falling in love with my OC, Ryo!! Damn, why must I fall in love with my OCs all the time?!! *huggles Ryo, Kamui, Akai, Aoi and Haiiro all the same* Heheheh….

Well, that's all for now!! Until next time, please review!! I'd really like some feedbacks as to what you guys think of this chapter!! Domo!! ^^