Tooru walked in with the laundry, glad to be done with the task and out of the cold air. She
walked past the living room, thinking about what she should make for dinner and if she'd have to
go to the market.
"Ah, Tooru-kun!" Shigure sing-songed from where he was sitting warm under the heated cover of
the table. "Could you come in here for a moment?"
"Yes?" Tooru was surprised to see Yuki and Kyou also seated with Shigure, looking serious.
Placing her laundry basket by the door she took a seat at the table. She immediately felt warm in
the scarf and jacket she'd put on in while outside.
"You're all red!" Kyou burst glaring at her accusingly.
"Honda-san, do you feel unwell?" Tooru glanced away from Kyou to look at Yuki who had come
surprisingly close. Flushing for a different reason all together, she quickly protested and shook
her head.
"N-no! Not at all! I just came in from outside it was cold." She quickly removed her jacket and
folded it on the floor next to her. Yuki sat back looking at her with gentle eyes. Kyou looked at
the screen door, and focused on the cat shape pasted to it. His brow furrowed, but his shoulders
relaxed.
"Aaah -Tooru-kun! You can sleep with me if you get cold at night!" Shigure offered. The
response was immediate.
"PERVERT!" Yuki punched Shigure to the floor and Kyou kicked him while he was down. The
both threw themselves back into their seats and glared at opposite walls. Tooru looked back and
forth between the three of them.
"Eh?" Her eyes were round in shock and she felt like her hair was standing on end. "Eh?"
"E-hem," Shigure sat up, a little bruised but willing to act like nothing had happened. "Anyway,
we wanted to talk to you about something important."
The tension jumped in the room, and Tooru felt her shoulders tighten. Perhaps she'd done
something wrong? Or perhaps she'd done something to embarrass them? They were high-class
people, with bank accounts and great houses; she may have been acting awfully and didn't even
know it! The worry was practically radiating off of her. Yuki and Kyou both regretted letting
Shigure handle this…surely they could have come up with a way to broach this without making
her feel bad.
"Its about Christmas," Shigure looked at her kindly. "We wanted to make sure that we had an
understanding."
"Understanding?" Tooru blinked. Whatever she had been expecting this hadn't been it.
"Honda-san…doesn't have much money." Yuki hesitated; he didn't want to be insulting, but-
-But he didn't want a repeat of Valentine's Day either; Kyou flushed when he thought of how
embarrassed she must have been when the teacher confronted her about the money for the school
trip. "So don't go buying us gifts!"
"Gifts, but-" Tooru rose up on her knees, about to protest.
"Tooru-kun works very hard." Shigure interrupted serenely. "We don't know what we'd do with
out you around the house. Yuki would kill us with his cooking, and Kyou would destroy the
house." He paused, "Oh, wait, he already does that."
"WHO DOES?!" Kyou glared at the writer who steadfastly ignored him.
"Anyway, if you work too hard, you'll get sick and then where will we be? We don't want to put
that kind of burden on you." He took a sip of his tea. "You understand don't you?"
Tooru nodded, stood up and bowed, "Yes. Sorry to cause you such concern." She smiled radiantly
at them "You're all so kind to worry about me." She stood and put her jacket on. "I have to get to
the market if I'm going to get dinner ready on time."
Yuki half rose out of his seat, "I'll go with you to carry the bags."
"Oh, no! It's not necessary, I'm just getting a few things." She smiled again and ran out the door.
Both boys watched after her, feeling like they'd mishandled the situation and concerned that
they'd hurt her feelings. Shigure watched them worry and smiled as he sipped his tea. Then he
looked down in surprise at his mug.
"Oh, its empty."
walked past the living room, thinking about what she should make for dinner and if she'd have to
go to the market.
"Ah, Tooru-kun!" Shigure sing-songed from where he was sitting warm under the heated cover of
the table. "Could you come in here for a moment?"
"Yes?" Tooru was surprised to see Yuki and Kyou also seated with Shigure, looking serious.
Placing her laundry basket by the door she took a seat at the table. She immediately felt warm in
the scarf and jacket she'd put on in while outside.
"You're all red!" Kyou burst glaring at her accusingly.
"Honda-san, do you feel unwell?" Tooru glanced away from Kyou to look at Yuki who had come
surprisingly close. Flushing for a different reason all together, she quickly protested and shook
her head.
"N-no! Not at all! I just came in from outside it was cold." She quickly removed her jacket and
folded it on the floor next to her. Yuki sat back looking at her with gentle eyes. Kyou looked at
the screen door, and focused on the cat shape pasted to it. His brow furrowed, but his shoulders
relaxed.
"Aaah -Tooru-kun! You can sleep with me if you get cold at night!" Shigure offered. The
response was immediate.
"PERVERT!" Yuki punched Shigure to the floor and Kyou kicked him while he was down. The
both threw themselves back into their seats and glared at opposite walls. Tooru looked back and
forth between the three of them.
"Eh?" Her eyes were round in shock and she felt like her hair was standing on end. "Eh?"
"E-hem," Shigure sat up, a little bruised but willing to act like nothing had happened. "Anyway,
we wanted to talk to you about something important."
The tension jumped in the room, and Tooru felt her shoulders tighten. Perhaps she'd done
something wrong? Or perhaps she'd done something to embarrass them? They were high-class
people, with bank accounts and great houses; she may have been acting awfully and didn't even
know it! The worry was practically radiating off of her. Yuki and Kyou both regretted letting
Shigure handle this…surely they could have come up with a way to broach this without making
her feel bad.
"Its about Christmas," Shigure looked at her kindly. "We wanted to make sure that we had an
understanding."
"Understanding?" Tooru blinked. Whatever she had been expecting this hadn't been it.
"Honda-san…doesn't have much money." Yuki hesitated; he didn't want to be insulting, but-
-But he didn't want a repeat of Valentine's Day either; Kyou flushed when he thought of how
embarrassed she must have been when the teacher confronted her about the money for the school
trip. "So don't go buying us gifts!"
"Gifts, but-" Tooru rose up on her knees, about to protest.
"Tooru-kun works very hard." Shigure interrupted serenely. "We don't know what we'd do with
out you around the house. Yuki would kill us with his cooking, and Kyou would destroy the
house." He paused, "Oh, wait, he already does that."
"WHO DOES?!" Kyou glared at the writer who steadfastly ignored him.
"Anyway, if you work too hard, you'll get sick and then where will we be? We don't want to put
that kind of burden on you." He took a sip of his tea. "You understand don't you?"
Tooru nodded, stood up and bowed, "Yes. Sorry to cause you such concern." She smiled radiantly
at them "You're all so kind to worry about me." She stood and put her jacket on. "I have to get to
the market if I'm going to get dinner ready on time."
Yuki half rose out of his seat, "I'll go with you to carry the bags."
"Oh, no! It's not necessary, I'm just getting a few things." She smiled again and ran out the door.
Both boys watched after her, feeling like they'd mishandled the situation and concerned that
they'd hurt her feelings. Shigure watched them worry and smiled as he sipped his tea. Then he
looked down in surprise at his mug.
"Oh, its empty."