Morning had started to rise as the sound of rushing water was heard. Birds just started to wake up from their daily slumber and began to sing their peaceful songs as they flew around the Sohma Onsen. The wind softly blew through the open windows and doors; brushing the leaves onto the lap of a young man.
Ritsu sat, on his knees, looking at the sky. He let out a soft sigh and looked at the leaf on his lap. He smiled sadly and gently picked up the leaf and rested it on his left palm. The sleeve of his kimono fell from his wrist, exposing cuts, both old and new. Quickly he pulled the sleeve back to its original position and looked around to make sure no one had seen them. He sighed, and once again looked back at the leaf. It was gone. Ritsu gasped and desperately began looking for it. After awhile, he gave up, and looked back outside, sadder than before.
Ding, ding, ding, ding.
Ritsu sighed and stood up. He heard someone run to the door. He guessed it was his mother. He could tell he had guessed right, when he heard her apologizing. Then he heard her say the name: Tohru. Ritsu heart skipped a beat and looked at the direction at the door and heard her voice. A smile appeared on his face and he ran to the end of the room. Ritsu was about to open the door when he hear more voices, Kyo's and Yuki's as well as Shigure's. The smile disappeared from his face. Ritsu took his hand away from the door and took a step backwards. Ritsu looked at the floor and gave a soft sigh.
"Welcome again," Ritz's mother said, her voice always cracking. She looked at Tohru and smiled. "So, Ms. Tohru, I heard you met my son, Ritsu. Is that true?"
"Oh, yes." Tohru nodded and began to say something but was interrupted.
"I'm sorry! I'll apologize to the whole world! I'm sorry for my son! He is a nice person deep down, he really is! He just a little confused! Please for give him! He doesn't know any better!"
"Wait! No!" Tohru tried to calm her down.
Ritsu began to walk away but heard his mother apologizing for him. He growled and ran down the hall. Once he goes to it, he looked at the ceiling and looked at a string. He pulled it and down came stairs. After he climbed them he pulled up the trap door and locked it. He walked to the back of the room where sat a mirror. Kneeling infrequent of it, he picked it up and looked in to it. He looked at his face, and quickly put it down, and looked away. Ritsu pushed the mirror to the other side of the room and looked at the floor. Ritsu tapped on one of the wooden boards and it sounded hollow. He smiled a soft smile and put his fingers under it and pulled it up. He looked in the hole and found a knife and a white silk cloth. Ritsu picked them both up and place the cloth on the floor and put the knife on his left wrist. Careful not to be his kimono stained, Ritsu put a lot of pressure on the knife and cut himself. He glided the knife across his veins. Then he dropped the knife and grabbed the cloth and covered the cut. The cut, being deeper than his usual one, bleed a lot and everything became bleary to Ritsu.
Ritsu swayed in and out for a few minuets and finally gained control over his body after five minuets. He dropped the cloth in to the hole and grabbed the mirror and as about to drop it in the whole but some of his long hair covered his eyes. Ritsu sighed and then had a thought. He put the knife to his hair and cut it. The hair hit the ground. Ritsu counted cutting his hair until it was a little longer than Shigure's. Ritsu then dropped the knife into the hole and covered it with the old piece of wood.
"Ritsu!" He heard his mother call.
Ritsu sighed and walked to the end of the room and pushed down the stairs, and climbed down. Once he got to the floor he pushed the trap door back up and headed to his calling mother.