Anthology: Smiles and Raindrops
by Her Pretty Smile
synopsis : #1: When the red cap got blown away by the storm, a red string connecting them both appeared. - Yukiru revelation. [Collection of oneshots and short stories; mostly Yukiru]
note : finished this in ten minutes. That's just how inspired I am. C:
spoiler : set after the manga chapter wherein Yuki tried to tell Tohru that he was the one who saved her back when they were little.
Tohru woke up to the sound of a raging storm.
Startled, she sat up in her bed, staring at the view outside her closed window in horror. The trees seemed to be swaying with the wind to the point of almost breaking, and the sky was so dark, you couldn't tell that it was five in the morning.
Tohru hurriedly got out of bed and began to think about both Yuki and Kyo. She hoped that the secret base wouldn't be destroyed by the time the storm ended. She knew that it was the only thing Yuki did that he really liked, and she would hate it if it was taken away from him. She also hoped that Kyo wouldn't be feeling too weak in this sort of weather condition. Given the cat's normal reaction to just the usual rainshower, she couldn't imagine what he would be feeling right now when it was a real storm.
At that exact moment, Tohru was snapped out of her thoughts when her window suddenly slammed open, letting in the angry wind. She could only gape in shock as some of her things were blown away outside.
"A—Ah! M—My notebook!" she cried. "I spent hours rewriting those notes…!"
She stopped in her tracks suddenly. She wanted to chase after them, but would that really be wise? She would only become more of a liability when she went outside. She would only trouble Yuki and the others.
But my notebook… she wailed softly in her mind. Well, I could just get Yuki-kun to tutor me… again… Aaw, this is so embarrassing!
For a while, she mourned the loss of her notes while running towards the window to close it shut. But before she could even grab the handles, a familiar red cap sailed outside.
Tohru's jaw dropped to the floor. "NO! Not the cap! No!" Without even thinking about her actions, she climbed out the window and began to chase after it.
"Honda-san?!"
Tohru momentarily ceased, turning towards the source of the voice reflexively. "Y—Yuki-kun?!"
"Honda-san!" Yuki ran towards her worriedly, his arms full of wet clothes. Apparently he had been trying to salvage the laundry before things got even worse. Tohru briefly chided herself for forgetting about saving the hung laundry. "What are you doing out here?! It's dangerous!"
"B—But the cap…! I just can't let it go off like that! It doesn't belong to me! I have to give it back to a very good friend!" she insisted frantically.
They were both panting and shouting at each other due to the harshness of the weather and the loudness of the rain. Yuki could only watch helplessly as tears began to stream down Tohru's face. Anyone could mistake it for raindrops falling on her face, but Yuki knew better.
I don't know if this is going to be a good idea or not… Yuki thought as he pondered about what to do with the current situation. But if Honda-san's going to be like this just because of that cap… I will try.
"I'll go get it for you! Here, take these!" Yuki gently shoved the wet clothes in her arms. "Go inside, Honda-san! I'll be right back, okay?!"
Tohru could only nod helplessly as he ran off. Deciding to trust in Yuki and wait until he came home, she rushed inside the house, placing the dripping clothing into a strainer. Then, remembering that her window was still open, she ran to her room.
She was just in time to see her mother's picture leisurely flowing with the wind… towards the window.
Tohru's could practically feel her eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets. "OKAA-SAN! Don't worry, okaa-san! I'll save you!"
She made a dive for the picture, but the latter flew out of her grasp and disappeared outside. Tohru promptly forgot about everything and only focused on chasing after her mother's picture.
She spotted it sailing near the forest and ran towards it, almost catching it with her fingers. However, it once again flew away from her, and Tohru tried again. And again. And again, until she delved deeper into the forest.
When she finally caught the picture, she heaved a great big sigh of relief. "O—Okaa-san… It's all right now! Ahahaha!" Feeling the happiness filling her body, Tohru turned around and intended to return back to the house.
But then she stopped and looked around.
"Wh—Where am I…?" she wondered aloud.
It took a full minute to sink inside her mind. "OH NO! I—I—I'm lost! Wh—What am I going to do? I—I still have to make breakfast for everyone… I still have to buy some groceries, dry out the laundry, clean up my room, mop up the floor… Oh no, there's so, so much to do!"
She was practically pacing back and forth, not even minding the heavy rain that poured on her. For a brief moment, she was glad that the thin glass that covered her mother's picture in the frame was sturdy enough and didn't let any water inside. However, just to be safe, Tohru hid her precious treasure inside her clothes and began to find her way around the forest.
She had been living at Shigure's house for a long time now, so she often knew her way out in the shallow parts of the forest. But then it now seemed that she had trudged into an unfamiliar part of the forest, somewhere she had never explored before. Not to mention that there seemed to be a lot of trails, indicating numerous paths. Picking the wrong trail would result in her getting even more lost, but picking the right one would probably guarantee the road home.
Tohru's mind spun. What was she supposed to do now?
"Honda-san!"
When Tohru turned around to see a worried-looking Yuki, she had never felt more happy and relieved in her entire life. She could see that the rain had made him look worn-down; his hair was dark and stringy due to the wetness, and his clothes looked rumpled and completely drenched. In short, it looked like he had an adventure of his own.
"Yuki-kun!" she exclaimed, paddling over to him. "I'm so glad you're here! A—Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Honda-san." Yuki's voice was gentle and quiet, like the sound of lapping waves. "Are you… lost?"
"A—Ah, yes," she replied, embarrassed as she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I can't seem to find my way back home…"
In response, Yuki grabbed her hand, albeit almost tentatively. As he led the way, Tohru couldn't help but notice that he seemed really silent and that this scene seemed like… déjà vu.
When they finally reached the house, a smile lit up Tohru's face, clearing away all her worries in an instant. It was also then at that moment that the rain began to slowly let up. The dark clouds were also receding, letting the sun shine brightly from behind a few gray ones.
Tohru immediately got out her mother's picture and beamed. "Look, okaa-san! We're home!" Then she turned to her saviour, her smile never fading. "Thank you so much, Yuki-kun!"
An unreadable expression was painted on Yuki's face as he seemed to stare at her, causing her to look at him inquisitively. Then, without warning, a light, familiar object was gently placed on her head, causing her to bow her head slightly.
For a moment, Tohru's mind went blank. She didn't know exactly what was happening.
Or rather, what was happening to her.
When she raised her head, Yuki was gone. Panicked, she searched for him with her eyes, then relief washed over her when she saw him trudging slowly back to the house.
"Yuki-kun!"
He stopped in his tracks.
Tohru didn't know what to say. Her right hand was touching the cap on her head, as if still in disbelief that it was actually there while her left hand was placed on her chest, her fingers curling and uncurling over and over out of nervousness.
But… what was she nervous about?
However, could it… could it be that Yuki was…
"A—Ano… Yuki-kun… I—… This cap…" she stammered, chiding herself mentally for not knowing what she should say.
But if Yuki really was the one who saved her back then, then she should—
Yuki turned his head towards her and gave the softest smile and the gentlest expression she had ever seen.
"I'm glad you're back home, Honda-san," he said simply.
When the two of them returned to the house, Shigure began to fuss on Tohru.
"Tohru-kun! Are you all right? You're soaking wet! Yuki, you should go get Tohru-kun some towels! Oh, and Tohru-kun, Kyo-kun has actually locked himself in his room! Ahahaha! Isn't that… funny…" He slowly stopped at the look on her face. "…Tohru-kun… are you… blushing?"
fin
note : had to end it right there. I had a little difficulty on what words Yuki should say to her which would fit in canon and would just give the perfect, doubtless implication that he was, indeed, the boy who gave her the cap. I've always thought that for Yuki to just tell her straight that he was the owner of the red cap (in a way, since in reality it's Kyo's) seems a bit awkward, so I just let him show her. It works for me, though. It's just a shame that she never knew about Yuki in the manga, let alone his past! (And she never even hugged him! Ridiculous, I say! *sobs in a corner*) It's always Kyo, Kyo, Kyo, even though I love the adorable, tsundere cat as well. (No one can beat Yuki in my heart though…) Yukiru forever! 3
another note :…should this only be a oneshot? Or a multi-chapter? Hmm, I wonder what's good…