𝐒𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐭 ❄️

18: Kindling Flames

For a moment, I just stared at Akito, unsure what to say. Tohru was at a loss too, so it took us both a moment to absorb the fact that the head of the Sohma family was greeting us.

"Ah! I-I'm so sorry! It's nice to meet you!" Tohru exclaimed with a flustered bow.

"Nice to meet you!" I echoed, bowing similarly to my sister, but not as deeply.

I noticed that Akito bowed only slightly in return. Perhaps he wasn't used to bowing to others so respectfully. He was the Sohma family head, after all. He probably didn't have to bow his head to others very often.

"You two are quite well-mannered girls," he said. I was stunned when his words were accompanied by a gentle smile. "You seem kind. And cute," he said.

Tohru flushed at the compliments. "N-no that's not true!"

Akito chuckled. "And you're so modest, too." Then, his eyes shifted to me. He hummed thoughtfully. "You have a funny expression on your face. Almost like you are afraid of me."

I froze, surprised that he had pointed out my feelings so clearly. Was it that obvious I was uncomfortable? Was he angry about it? I felt a sudden need to apologize. "Sorry!" I blurted. "I'm just nervous."

"Don't worry, I'm only here to greet you." Akito seemed a little amused at my reaction as he reassured me. "I suppose I understand how you feel. I get nervous meeting new people too. That's why I didn't get the chance to meet you when you both visited the main house earlier. You'll forgive me, right?" He asked.

When faced with that question so directly, it was hard to disagree. "Ah, yes. You're forgiven," I smiled.

Tohru agreed. "We're glad we can meet you now," she added.

Akito seemed happy. "Then I should officially introduce myself," he said. "I'm Akito Sohma, head of the Sohma family . . . I hope you will continue taking good care of Yuki and the others." A strange smile crossed his face, but was replaced with shock when the wind carried a voice towards us.

"Akito . . ."

I turned to see Yuki standing a short distance away looking frozen as he stared at us. The look on his face was difficult to read, but he certainly didn't look happy to see Akito.

"Ah, Yuki!" Akito exclaimed.

Excitement sparked life into Akito's smile and I suddenly realized how empty his expression had looked before now. When faced with such a pretty, smiling face, it was hard to see the lack of emotion behind it. But seeing the look in Akito's eyes when he noticed Yuki was vastly different from whatever look Akito had shown Tohru and I. But at the same time, Akito's smile now felt strangely unnerving. I thought I might prefer being faced with his empty smile than the excited grin that was currently plastered on his face.

Akito approached Yuki. "I really missed you, Yuki. It feels like it's been such a long time since we've seen each other." He said.

Yuki didn't return the greeting. Instead, he carefully spoke to the dark haired boy. "What are you doing?" He asked, tone cautious.

Akito ignored the question and continued as if Yuki hadn't spoken. "You've gotten taller," he noted, stopping before the grey haired boy. "And you look more mature, too."

"What did you do to them?" Yuki's voice was more forceful this time, demanding an answer. He looked angry. The expression on his face was one I'd never seen, even while he was fighting with Kyo.

Akito paused for a heartbeat. "Nothing, I was merely introducing myself," he said innocently. "Right?" He turned to Tohru and I for support.

I couldn't see Akito's expression earlier while his back was turned to us, but when he turned around, he was smiling gently. Although Tohru agreed with Akito, I hesitated, glancing at Yuki. His expression was a complete contrast to Akito's gentle smile. Something wasn't right . . .