Life is starting to return to normal (or as normal as it can be with Tohru in the hospital), but there are still plenty of adjustments to be made.  

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And these two do not intend to let Kyo off easy.

Saki: “See her”…? Did you hear that, Arisa? It seems he wants to visit her after all…what a gentleman...

Arisa: Doesn’t it just warm your heart, Hanajima? What a guy…we had him all wrong! […]

Kyo: If…there’s something you wanna say…

Arisa: How dare you try to show your ugly mug, you sex-obsessed pervert!? I’ll end you! I’ll hang you high, let you swing, then send you flying! Hanajima, my spear! Get me my spear now!

Saki: Come, now we can’t do that, Arisa…it would leave evidence…

They heard about Kyo making Tohru cry from a certain Rat…

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Thus the rise of Black Yuki continues.

Arisa: You’re not allowed to visit Tohru!

Kyo: Huh!? Wait a second, gimme a break...

Saki: If you did meet her, what would you do? A canned apology alone won’t do her any good…you’d just be wasting everybody’s time. You see, Tohru-kun doesn’t blame you. An apology isn’t what she’s hoping for…if you really are sorry, isn’t there something else you should be doing…?

Kyo recognizes the truth in that (although I’m sure a part of it is just his reluctance to renew their last conversation), and he makes up his mind to do something rather than pine away (or try to get around Uo and Hana).

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Haru: It sounds like they’re putting all the blame for Honda-san’s accident on you, Kyo.

Kyo: …That’s all right. After all, I did mess up…big time. So in a way, them being pissed at me feels right.

He still blames himself for what happened, even if Tohru doesn’t.  She doesn’t want an apology from him – it would only make her feel bad for him (or even blame herself for making him feel that way in the first place). Poor Kyo’s been facing a ton of conflict recently, but it’s mostly been healthy conflict.  He’s just getting the kick in the pants he really needs.

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Akito came out to the hospital to visit Kureno, evidently with the same idea that Kyo had.

Akito: They should’ve blamed me! They should be furious. They should have condemned me! Why didn’t they? Are they that stupid…? If they forgive me, no matter what I do or say, that goes beyond being nice. That’s just stupidity. There’s no cure for someone that stupid –

Momiji: You should be thankful. Because those two are “stupid”, no one’s going to come and arrest you. So count your blessings. It’s nice to be able to exploit “stupidity,” isn’t it?

The similarities between Tohru and Kureno are more obvious than ever now, but there’s one thing Tohru has in abundance that Kureno lacks: Friends.  Tohru’s anticipating a steady stream of visitors, while Akito still seems to be the only one who’s come to visit Kureno (and part of that was motivated by guilt).  Having friends like Uo-chan and Hana-chan is no small benefit, especially for people like Kureno with great kindness and low self-esteem.

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Akito: (internally) If I had told him, “No, I’m not all right”, what would Kureno have done? Would he have come back to me? I have a feeling he would have. I think that’s just the kind of person he is. Hopelessly indulgent of me. And kind. So kind…and yet, for the longest time, I’ve been killing him by inches. (aloud) It’s infuriating…I’m so…infuriating...(internally) I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…a meaningless apology for what can’t be undone. The one person who always accepted me, who always listened…why couldn’t I do anything but hurt him?

Momiji: Then, from this point onward, cherish him. If what he does is stupid to some people, but not to you, then you need to treasure him…cherish him. That’s all you need to do. It’s like “The Foolish Traveler.” It’s a story. Want to hear it? I’m sure it’ll make you want to see Tohru.

Seeing Momiji beginning a relationship with Akito on an equal footing offers hope that the breaking of the Curse doesn’t have to mean the breaking of the Zodiac.  Granted, it can’t be the same for all of them (Momiji suffered much more from the Curse itself than from the hands of Akito), but maybe it can provide a model for Akito going forward.

Hatori: Everything go according to your master plan?

Shigure: Huh? Oh, mmm, good question…I actually do feel a little regret about various things.

Hatori: …Only “a little”?

Shigure: Come on, Haa-san. We’re talking me here. Admitting that in the first place is a major concession…

Apparently Akito spilled her guts to him about what happened with Tohru, and I think perhaps it made Shigure realize that he never did pay attention to Akito’s suffering.

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This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

Until next time…

 

3 thoughts on “Chapter 124: Meaningless Apologies

  1. Ahh yes, here’s the scene you were talking about about Shigure’s regret. I always saw it as regret because it proved he might have a SLIGHT conscious and was now confronted with the fact that Tohru almost died because of his plan. You think he just felt slightly guilty because he never noticed the extent of Akito’s suffering? (Hilarious coming from the guy who can practically read people’s minds and feelings at a glance, what was up with that weird ability anyways) Didn’t he always WANT her to suffer anyways and that all part of his twisted feelings for her? He did do a shit job at noticing that’s for sure, I mean that flashback back at the cliff scene shows Akito sitting all by herself at a Sohma family get-together while Shigure is in the center of the group and not ONCE does he attempt to even try to bring in her. I personally always thought that was intentional.

    And Ahhh the Momiji and Akito scene! ❤ Him being an angel yet again and it was this scene that further solidified him as one of my absolute favorite Zodiac characters and characters in general, I just love him so much I think you'll be in for a very pleasant surprise regarding how his life turned out once/if you get around to reading Another. ; )

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    1. No matter how good you are at reading people, if you don’t want to see or acknowledge something, you won’t (and yes, that is actually a thing). Whatever it was, Shigure’s behavior towards Akito definitely starts changing for the better after this. I don’t think his intention was ever simply to cause Akito suffering – he wanted to break the curse, which he knew would case her pain (and by his theory, would REQUIRE a lot of pain all around), but it was all really in service of his own happiness. He didn’t care how Akito (or anyone else) felt as long as he could have her all to himself, which he thought would make him happy. For him, letting go of the Curse isn’t so much about finding another love as finally considering what’s best for HER for once in his life.

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      1. You’re right, I suppose he did develop a little then, even if it wasn’t in the way I was originally hoping for lol. I was always under the impression though that he DID want her to suffer—as revenge for her sleeping with Kureno (and perhaps because he resents the fact that she can manage to stir feelings within him and get him attached?) hence why he even slept with Ren in the first place I mean that scene in chapter 101 has him inner monologuing about how he wants to “crush her to a pulp.” I thought that meant he took ACTIVE pleasure in her pain, not so much that it was just a unintended side-effect.

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