Chapter 21

"I'm leaving, Kureno! I'll be back to make dinner tonight!"

Anzu slid on her shoes and quickly left to head to school. After such an eventful weekend and extended vacation from her usual schedule, she was excited to finally go back. As she walked to school by herself, all she could do was run scenarios in her head. She was bound to see Momiji since they were in the same classroom and she knew she needed to apologize to him.

When she first walked into the classroom, Momiji was nowhere to be seen. Part of her was disappointed as it would've been nice to try and talk everything out before the school day started, but the butterflies in her stomach completely nullified the eagerness she once had.

It wasn't until the bell rang that Momiji walked into class with a couple of his friends. Anzu thought about waving to get his attention before the class rep could stand up and call on everyone to greet their teacher, but abandoned the idea and turned her focus towards the classroom windows. When she saw her wrapped bento sitting next to her chair, she decided to pull herself together and talk to him.

Towards the middle of class, she wrote him a small note to ask about seeing him alone and discreetly dropped it on his desk after having to walk to the front to answer a question on the whiteboard. The teacher's lecture had gone in one ear and out the other, so her answer to the math problem was more than wrong. After getting scolded, Anzu retreated back to her seat, but not without noticing a small crumpled piece of paper on the corner of her desk.

'Let's talk at lunch.'

With a small smile to herself, she folded the paper neatly and stuck it inside her desk. She felt that it was already a big step for him to agree to meet her, so half the job was complete.

At lunch time, Anzu quietly left the classroom and headed upstairs to the roof. Her anxiety was in the clouds, but she was overall glad that Momiji agreed to talk to her. She didn't think he would've rejected her, but she also didn't know how he was going to respond.

Her target audience was already there when she opened the door. As she walked more onto the roof, she noticed another familiar face - Kyo. Whatever their conversation was, it didn't seem to be a positive one as Kyo immediately looked back at her then quickly made his exit; he even almost bumped into her on his way out.

Wanting to keep her focus on their primary concern, Anzu cautiously took a step towards Momiji after taking a breath and held out a small parcel covered in a wrapping cloth. Somehow, she'd convinced Uo to help her come up with a lunch yesterday and she'd even brought some mandarins because she knew he'd like them.

"What is that?"

"A peace offering."

Momiji could tell right off the bat that Anzu was very nervous; if he looked closely enough, he could see her shaking. There were some things that he wanted to speak to her about as well, but he kept his distance so she could speak first. There was a bit of silence as the wind blew around them before Anzu worked up the courage to finally talk.

"I'm really happy for you, Momiji. I'm sorry I wasn't able to sincerely tell you that earlier." The crimsonette started off. "I really think this is something we can work on together and I know it'll be hard, but I'm willing to listen and understand."

The blond nodded silently as her listened to her apology. He knew it wasn't completely her fault; it was in the heat of the moment that he put his frustration on her as well. Wanting to ease her anxiety, he sent her a small smile and offered his hand out to her for her to come closer. What he didn't expect was a deep sigh to escape her lips.

"That's exactly what I didn't want you to do." Anzu frowned. "You shouldn't be smiling at me."

"I shouldn't?" Momiji looked at her in complete confusion. "You don't want me to be happy when I see you?"

"No, I do! I just…" She pursed her lips in thought before giving up and slowly approaching him. "When you got mad at me that day, I was a bit surprised and I was in my own head so I didn't take it well, but I appreciated it. You're always so happy and supportive around me, but it feels like that's the only side I get to see of you.

He was surprised by her words. "I didn't know you were thinking about stuff like that."

"Why wouldn't I? You're a very special person to me." She looked up at him as she spoke sincerely.

Momiji couldn't help but smile at her now. Out of his whole life dealing with the curse, he never really saw a positive outcome for it until now. To have someone on his side be so concerned about him was refreshing to say the least and he didn't want to mess that up. Leaning forward, he carefully placed his hand on the top of her head and pressed his forehead against hers.

"Let's both agree to be more honest with each other then. I really missed talking to you, Lola."

The crimsonette nodded with a smile of her own, relaxing against him. That was the extent of their physical touch as they didn't want any accidental transformations. Motioning for them to sit down, Anzu opened their lunch and laid out all of the food while they still had some time to eat.

"Wow, these are really good! Did you make them yourself?" Momiji gushed as he ate one of the mini omelets, followed by a sausage cut into the shape of an octopus.

"Yeah, it took me forever though." Anzu laughed as she started to peel one of the mandarins. "I stuffed the first omelet too much so all the fillings spilled out, then I put too much seasoning in the rice so it was really salty… But Uo-san was really patient with me. I owe her a lot."

Momiji nodded as he continued to eat to his heart's content. She'd really worked hard on this and the final product showed it. Once the two finished eating and everything was cleaned up, they still had a few minutes left before it was time to go back to class.

There didn't seem to be a cloud in sight as the two bathed in the sun. Honestly, it felt like the perfect weather to take a nap in, but Anzu knew if she stayed out for too long, she might overheat again. Her mind couldn't help but wonder when it would be her turn for the curse to break so she wouldn't have to worry about things like that anymore. Suddenly, she felt something brush against her finger and a chill went up her spine as she thought it was a bug. As she looked down, she realized that Momiji had hooked his pinky around hers. It was like he was telling her 'baby steps' and that was all the reassurance she needed.

° ∆ -------- ••• ------- ∆ °

"How are you feeling today, Anzu?" Machi asked after her friend walked out of her classroom. The rest of the week of school was finally over and, after seeing Momiji's notes, Anzu finally felt like she'd caught up to everyone in school.

"A lot better." The crimsonette breathed. "Everything finally feels like it's coming together."

"Coming together? How?"

"I don't know…" She shrugged in response. "Momiji forgave me. My uncle seems happy. My days are becoming more peaceful and… predictable, but in a good way. Overall, I think I'm content."

Machi thought about her words before nodding in agreement. "Ah, I understand. Like the calm before the storm."

Anzu silently agreed as she didn't want to jinx the good spirits she'd been in. Since Machi didn't have a school council meeting today, the two were finally going to do some long awaited bonding time. Ever since she'd come to Japan, Anzu had been in so many situations that she hadn't had time for herself and she'd been living out of a suitcase this entire time. The two had planned to go shopping to find her some clothes and things for her room to make everything feel a little more like home.

"What kind of store were you thinking of going to first?" Machi asked. "Maybe we should stop and change out of our school uniforms first. If you want, you can borrow something from my closet for now since my house is closer." To her surprise, her friend had immediately stopped in her tracks. "What's wrong?"

"I've never been to your house before."

"...Well, it's not really anything special…"

"But you've been to mine! I can't wait to go to yours!"

Anzu immediately grabbed Machi's hand and pulled the girl along with an excited smile. She ended up leading them in the wrong direction at first, but they eventually reached their destination. When they walked into the apartment complex and entered Machi's one-bedroom, the crimsonette immediately started looking around.

"Sorry, it's a little messy…" Machi put her school bag down. "I cleaned up some before I left this morning, but-"

"It's cozy and cute. And it feels like you." Anzu immediately commented. "I was always wondering during our school trip why all the bathroom products would be all over the place and our room so disorganized, but I just figured people think and see differently. There's nothing wrong with a little mess…. It makes a place feel lived in, you know?"

Machi raised her eyebrows at the female's words. "How'd you figure that?"

"Well, if you'd seen my room last week, you would've thought a tornado came through." Anzu shrugged as Machi gave her some pants and a shirt to wear. "My mom said your space is like a reflection of your brain. A lot of times, it's pretty crazy in there but I know how to filter everything and find what I'm looking for, so it works. You always seem like you have everything together, Machi, and you get good grades. If this works for you, who am I to judge?"

"I guess you're halfway right..."

"Oh! Like I'm looking at the glass half full, not half empty, right?"

"...How many inspirational quotes are you going to plagiarize?"

Anzu broke out into laughter and gave Machi a hug. "I'll stop, I promise. I'm just really excited right now."

The two girls set out to the mall and, after a while, found some clothes to fill Anzu's closet along with a new pair of shoes. They walked hand in hand with bags and smiles as they enjoyed each other's company. Anzu even saw a plush Mogeta in one of the neighboring stores and brought it for her best friend as a thank you after seeing some similar figurines in her house. Having stayed out so late, Anzu stayed the night with Machi. The two didn't have school the next day so they were going to sleep in, but early in the morning, Anzu's phone rang.

'Uncle Sohma'

Answering the call easily, Anzu said hello as Kureno usually called her if he needed something. She'd made sure to text him about the change of plans even though he said he was going to be with his mother, but maybe it would've been better if she'd called him.

"...I-I didn't mean… I didn't mean to do it…"

"Hello?" Anzu blinked in confusion as she stepped into the bathroom so she wouldn't disturb Machi's sleep. "Who is this and why do you have Kureno's phone?"

"Anzu… I think I made a mistake."

Immediately, the crimsonette recognized the voice as Akito. Her voice was so quiet and she could barely hear her, but she could tell that something was very wrong. Akito's voice was shaky, like she was scared, and her breathing was really labored.

"What are you talking about, Akito? Where's Kureno?"

"If we're really thinking about it, you were the one that told me to face the problem-"

"...I don't understand what you're saying."

"-so this is really your fault."

"Akito…" Anzu could feel her heart beating loudly in her chest. At some point, Machi had woken up and entered the bathroom to try and see what was wrong, but Anzu wasn't paying any attention. "Please just tell me where he is, or give him the phone. If there's a problem-"

"The only problem is… I don't think I've addressed the root of the problem yet. I just wanted to say thank you for giving me the idea."

The phone abruptly hung up and Anzu's eyes widened as she fervently tried to redial the number to no avail. Her hands were shaking and she immediately looked around her surroundings. She had to go home right now. No… she needed to go to the Sohma estate. First, she needed to find her uncle, but she also needed to find Akito. Her mind was spinning and she was starting to feel very overwhelmed.

"Anzu… is everything okay?" Machi grabbed the girl's hand with concern. She would've asked more but, suddenly, the girl dropped to the floor. She was hyperventilating and didn't seem to realize that there was anyone else in the room but her.

It took Machi nearly an hour to get Anzu to leave the bathroom. Whatever was going on clearly caused her panic attack, but the older girl couldn't see the severity of the situation with the lack of details that she had. At some point, Anzu's phone rang and a man named Hatori spoke to her, which seemed to ease the situation a little bit, but there were still no concrete answers regarding Kureno's whereabouts. He said he would call back with an update so the two were left to wait by the phone.

"How are you feeling?" Machi asked as she brought Anzu some tea at the kitchen table.

Anzu frowned and looked down into her cup. "I didn't mean to scare you like that. I'm okay now."

"It's okay. Things happen. I just hope everything's okay with your uncle."

As long as Akito was out doing who knows what, there was little to ease Anzu's anxiety. Ever since the end of the phone call, she couldn't stop thinking about what Akito's fixation on the 'root of the problem' was. Everything just seemed so chaotic and she was never getting any true answers to anything. What if Akito was planning something crazy? What if something terrible was ensuing?

Anzu's phone rang and the crimsonette immediately reached for it, not giving the first ring any time to finish. She opened it so fast, she didn't even see who was calling. "Hello? H-hello!"

"Anzu, I need you to listen to me carefully." Hatori spoke on the other line. There were whirring sounds in the background that she was unfamiliar with.

"Hatori-san… where are you?"

"I'm in an ambulance and headed to the hospital." He quickly answered. "Kureno has been hurt and will be going into surgery as soon as we get there. I need you to come to the hospital because you're next of kin since his parents aren't physically able to come. I'll be here the entire time and…"

Machi's eyebrows furrowed as she watched Anzu slowly put the phone down on the table. "Anzu… what's going on? What did he say?" The girl wasn't answering, but Hatori was still talking on the phone so she immediately picked it up and tried to explain the situation.

Getting up from the table, Anzu walked to the front door and quickly put on her shoes. Machi sounded like she was blocks away as she tried to talk to her, but there was no response. Anzu immediately opened the door and walked out, hugging herself as she felt a rush of the cold, morning air hit her bare arms. There was so much on her mind that she didn't care to grab a jacket, much less her phone or wallet.

"Hey! Wait up!" Machi grabbed her shoulder and pulled the girl back as they stepped onto the sidewalk outside the apartment complex. "Anzu, please just talk to me okay. This sounds like a lot, but I can walk with you to the hospital so you're not alone."

"I'm not going."

"...Huh? But your uncle…"

Anzu pulled her shoulder out of Machi's reach and turned around to look at the girl. There were tears glistening in her eyes and she was acting very unlike herself. Shaking her head, Anzu wiped at her eyes. "I-I can't. I can't go in there. If I have to see her like that again…"

Machi tilted her head in confusion. "Her? Who are you talking about?"

"You can't make me go." Anzu glared at her. "Don't follow me. Just leave me alone."

Machi wanted to say something about her friend's complete change of persona, but Anzu's phone rang in her hands once again. Checking the caller ID, she saw 'Bugs' flash across the screen. When she looked back up to approach Anzu again, the female was nowhere to be found.