Author's Note:OK, I made up the part about the white ribbon, but I needed a symbol to represent Tohru's being promised. I think it is called writer's prerogative!
"Honda-san is getting married", Yuki hissed through clenched teeth to Haru's question of "What's going on"? Yuki and Haru both looked on as a gaggle of girls circled around a dejected looking Tohru. She held out a limp left wrist for the girls' inspection as she stared at the floor, with Hanna and Uo standing by supportively. "Is it true, Tohru, you're betrothed", asked a giddy looking classmate. "Just like in the old days!" gasped another girl. "See, she has the ribbon!" another added. It was true. Around Tohru's tiny left wrist was tied a simple white ribbon. It had been placed there by a man Yuki had never met, and Tohru had met only once briefly. The ribbon appeared harmless enough to an untrained eye, but in the old custom it meant Tohru was spoken for. How Yuki wanted to shred that ribbon into a million threads, but it might as well be an iron shackle because of what it represented, and because of his powerlessness to prevent it. "Oy, Rat-boy!", Kyo called as he glared in Yuki's direction from across the room. "When did this happen, and how come I didn't know about it?", he growled. Kyo was sure Yuki was the culprit who had shackled Tohru so, and it made him do a slow burn under his red mop of hair. "Because you don't listen, stupid cat!", Yuki seethed back at him. Kyo stepped towards Yuki menacingly, unnoticed by the giggling girls. "So you think you can get away with this, Rat-boy?" Kyo glared. Tohru was much too young to be thinking about getting married in Kyo's estimation, and he was sure Yuki hadn't consulted Akito or anyone else in the family about this. He must have acted rashly, and by the looks of it, Tohru wasn't happy about the idea at all. The protective nature in Kyo boiled up to the surface, and he was ready to save Tohru-kun from the wiles of the scheming rat. He planted himself squarely in front of Yuki and prepared to attack. "She isn't engaged to me, idiot cat!" Yuki hissed with greater than usual hostility, and pushed Kyo hard out of his way, then stormed out of the classroom slamming the door behind him; his quiet rage going unnoticed by everyone except perhaps Haru and Kyo.
Yuki clutched at his chest as it painfully closed in on him. For days now he had felt he could hardly breathe, but this time it was not due to his asthma. Without really thinking about where he was going, Yuki found himself climbing stair after stair as fast as he could until they abruptly ended at the doorway to the rooftop of the school. He shoved the release bar forcefully, and found himself bathed in late spring sunlight. A gentle breeze played with Yuki's hair as he emerged from the building. He found a ledge to rest himself on. The weather was glorious, but not to Yuki. The sunshine and breezes which carried the faint scent of flowers on them seemed to mock the pain in his heart; the pain that consumed him.
It had all started several weeks before with a simple phone call. Tohru had just served another one of her delicious dinners, and Yuki was helping her clear the table and wash the dishes as he usually did. He enjoyed even the simplest moments like this as long as he could be with her. They had been chatting happily about school events and classmates, and nothing in particular when the phone rang. Shigure emerged from his office with the handset. "Tohru, it's for you. It's your grandfather", he said, and he offered her the phone. Tohru didn't get many calls so already a sense of alarm had settled on the otherwise ordinary scene, but what happened next, none of them were prepared for. "Grandpa Hi", Tohru exclaimed. "How are you? Yes… oh, I see". Toru's face fell as she listened intently. The mood in the room had entirely changed. Yuki and Shigure watched her, trying to appear like they were not in fact listening, as she continued her conversation. "But Grandpa, I….yes…I'm sure that's true, but….yes, I understand. No! Thank you for caring so much about me. I love you too, Grandpa….bye". Tohru put the phone down. She looked dumbstruck and stared into space. Tears began to well up in her eyes, and she darted from the kitchen and up the stairs. Yuki was right behind her, but not quite fast enough. Tohru slammed and locked her door, and Yuki could hear her sobbing pitifully inside. He swallowed hard, "what could it be", he wondered, a million things were racing through his mind. Perhaps grandpa had decided she could no longer stay with the Sohmas. It was a rather unusual arrangement they had. Perhaps he felt he could no longer trust them. Or perhaps because of his delicate health, grandpa had decided he needed Tohru to come home to care for him. What if he was moving far away, and had decided Tohru must accompany him to wherever he was headed. "That would be terrible", Yuki muttered to himself. He pictured the painful goodbye scene that would ensue if such were the case, and shuddered at the thought. No, he couldn't continue this irrational, tortured guessing. He had to keep his head on straight and think of Tohru right now. Yuki gently rapped on Tohru's door. "Miss Honda", he inquired gently. Tohru's sobs crescendoed in pitch and intensity at the sound of Yuki's voice. Yuki stepped back, startled by the din. "What seems to be the problem", Shigure called from the bottom of the stairs. "I'm not sure", was Yuki's shocked reply. As deft as Yuki was in handling most situations, at this moment he felt totally inept. "Well, perhaps if we let her cry a little, she'll be ready to talk after awhile" Shigure offered, seeing Yuki's bewilderment. Even though Shigure wasn't totally sure what to do either, he couldn't help but feel amusement at the sight of a totally flustered Yuki, and a slight smile flickered on his face. Since Yuki had no other ideas at the moment, he decided to take the dog-man's advice for this once. It did seem, after all that Yuki's presence was upsetting Tohru even more at the moment, so Yuki reluctantly left her to cry alone.
Some time after Kyo had returned from the dojo, and long after midnight, Yuki heard Tohru's bedroom door open, and then her soft footsteps in the hall. He had not slept. He had not studied. He couldn't do anything but lie in his room and wonder what had happened that had shattered Tohru's world. He went to his doorway just in time to see Tohru disappear behind the bathroom door. Yuki waited patiently until Tohru showed her face again. Her eyes were terribly red and swollen. Yuki had never seen her look so distraught. Had she been crying all that time? Tohru's tired eyes met his. Her whole countenance had changed since dinner that evening. Her body was limp and her arms were wrapped tightly about herself as if to hold herself up with them. She seemed very small at the moment, as if her spirit had shrunk. "Miss Honda", Yuki said softly, "what seems to be the problem? Can I help?" His voice was full of concern. Tohru's eyes grew moist again, but no real tears came. She had cried herself out it seemed. "No Yuki, there's nothing you or anyone can do," Tohru almost whispered, adding, "I'm sorry" to her sentence, which was spoken through a face she screwed up into a grimace as she tried to prevent more tears. Tohru leaned her head on Yuki's shoulder and shook with another sob. Yuki felt the instinct to protect her, to save her from whatever evil was looming over her swell up in his heart. At times like this he really felt the weight of the Sohma curse. What Yuki wouldn't give to be able to hold Tohru and comfort her right then. But he had to settle for stroking her head gently with his hand. Tohru straightened up in an effort to compose herself. She seemed finally ready to talk so Yuki guided her to a settee on the landing and motioned for her to sit.
"Grandpa is concerned because I will be eighteen in less than a year now". He doesn't want me to go to work after high school". Tohru looked bewildered as she stared at the floor. "He says he's getting older, and he may not be around much longer. He needs to know I will be taken care of when he is gone". The pitch of her voice rose as Tohru's throat tightened with another sob. "Ah", Yuki thought, "we haven't been doing a good job of taking care of her in his eyes". He started to relax; sure there would be a way to prove differently to Grandpa, until Tohru offered the next piece of information. "He says he wants to see his son's grandchildren before he goes". Tohru's voice quavered as she fought back another sob. Yuki didn't follow this at all. How were they supposed to insure that for the old man? Then Toru burst out with the vital message of Grandpa's phone call. "He says he is arranging a marriage for me!" At that, Tohru burst into tears once again, and buried her face in Yuki's neck. Yuki was stunned. He couldn't possibly have heard that right. Arranged marriages were all but done away with weren't they? He knew there were some wealthy families that still held to the practice for financial reasons- the Sohmas were no exception, but for the populace at large, having your marriage partner chosen for you by family members was downright archaic, wasn't it? "Grandpa says he has already started the interviews", Tohru shook again as she forced the words out. They were followed by more sobs and tears. That was when the pain had settled in Yuki's chest. It was a gnawing, arresting ache that had followed him everywhere, never resting, never leaving him since that night. Yuki's fists tightened at the thought of it. Tohru was going to be betrothed, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Shigure hadn't been any help either. After Tohru retired, Yuki wandered downstairs again, unable to sleep. A numbness was creeping from his hands up to his neck. He only hoped his brain would go numb too so he could stop the constant replay of Tohru's words in his mind. Yuki fumbled in the kitchen for something to drink and the noise caused Shigure to stir. "So, what seems to be the problem?" Shigure queried. He had obviously been up working, and not been sleeping at all. He eyed the bedraggled looking Yuki as he spoke. "Is our beloved princess alright?" he added with a melodramatic flourish in his voice. Yuki numbly offered the gist of Grandpa's message to Shigure, who paused for a moment taking it all in. "Ah! Alright then, there's only one thing to do!" Shigure turned and picked up the phone. "What are you doing" asked Yuki, puzzled. "I'm calling Grandpa" said Shigure lightly. "I want to get my name on the list of suitors for Tohru-kun" he said with glee. Shigure's mirth was short lived as Yuki had very little humor, if any, left in him at the moment. "Just kidding, Just kidding!", Shigure shrieked as Yuki swung his fists at him. "Besides, it's two in the morning. I can't call him now!" Yuki decided it was a waste of energy to even bother with the canine and ceased his onslaught. How could Shigure joke at a time like this? He found himself turning in disgust and retreating to his room again where no sleep would attend him through that long night.