"Honda-san."
Tohru looked up from the dishes in the sink. Spotting Yuki and Kagura by the door, she grinned brightly.
"Hai, Sohma-kun?"
"Kagura-san and I will be going to the groceries to get things for dinner. We won't be long."
"Oh, are you sure? I mean, I don't want you two to go through the trouble –" She started to move from the sink.
"Ie, Tohru-chan!" Kagura chided. "Let us do the shopping. You always go, so this time it's our turn!"
Tohru smiled again. "Alright. Come back safe, okay?"
Yuki mirrored her smile. "We will."
---
"So, what should we get?" Kagura asked.
"Hmm... Maybe..." Yuki scanned through the aisles.
"You know, Yun-chan, Haru-kun was telling me that you and Kyo-kun were starting to get along. It would be nice if you two were agreeing for once, wouldn't it?"
"Humph. I doubt that baka neko will ever get over it."
Kagura laughed lightly. "Well, maybe not."
Yuki grinned. "But then again, I think I would like that."
-Five minutes later-
"Wow, that was fast," Yuki commented. "Whenever I get groceries with Honda-san, we spend half an hour here."
"Well, now we won't have to wait so long for dinner, right?" Kagura said, stepping through the automatic glass doors.
"That's true."
Then... all at once... thousands of images collided with the other.
Tires screeching.
People screaming.
Burning rubber.
Glinting sun.
A foreboding feeling.
"Kagura-san!"
Scraped knees.
Sore palms.
Glass shattering.
The smell of blood.
---
Tohru stood and stretched. "Ahhh... I'm finished! The house is sparkly-clean now!" She looked around. "Now I wonder what I can do..."
Kyo thumped his way down the stairs. Quickly glancing around, he looked at Tohru. "Oy, where'd that damn rat and Kagura go?"
"Ah, Kyo-kun! They went to the groceries to pick up a few things for dinner. They should be back soon."
"K'so... do we have anything in the refrigerator?" As if to amplify his statement, his stomach let out a low growl. His cheeks flushed. "I was getting sorta hungry..."
Tohru laughed. "I can make you something real quick if you wish, Kyo-kun."
"Dame. I'll make something myself. You're always cooking so you might as well get a break." He headed off towards the kitchen.
Tohru grinned. 'Those two are such sweet gentlemen.'
At that moment, the phone rang. Shigure's voice came from the study.
"Tohru-kuuun... could you get that, please?"
"Hai!" She rushed towards the phone. "Moshi moshi?"
"Honda-kun?" The low voice on the other end ended up to be Hatori's.
"Hai. How are you Hatori-san?"
"Er, fine. Where's Shigure?"
"He's in the study right now. Would you like for me to get him?"
"Yes, please."
Tohru gently put down the phone and headed towards the study. Inside, the inu sat balancing a pen on his nose. Shigure bore a very thoughtful expression.
"Ano, Shigure-san," Tohru said softly. "I'm sorry for interrupting, but Hatori-san is on the phone and he wishes to speak to you."
"Arigato, Tohru-kun." Shigure stood up, straightening his kimono. "I wonder what it is that Ha-san wants..."
Tohru left Shigure on the phone. Surely she did not want to eavesdrop on their conversation, so she headed towards the living room. Looking around and finding nothing to do, she sat down by the kotatsu. Kyo appeared suddenly, munching on some onigiri.
"Ah, Kyo-kun. Did you have any trouble?"
Kyo's brow twitched. "Why would I? It's only onigiri. Just a bunch of rice."
Tohru laughed. "You're right. My mistake."
Kyo stared before he plopped down on the opposite end of the kotatsu and flipped on the TV. For a brief second, the channel was set on the news. Kyo switched it over to a different channel, searching for something interesting.
"Tohru-kun, Kyo-kun," Shigure called. "I'm going out for a little bit. I'll be back soon. Ja ne!" The front door slammed behind him.
"I wonder what got into him," Kyo muttered.
"It sounded as if something was wrong," Tohru added worriedly. "Hatori-san just called. What could it be?"
"Ah, who cares? Maybe it's something stupid."
-One hour later-
"Woooow! Sugoi! Kyo-kun, that was incredible!"
Kyo stared blankly. "It was just a stupid card trick. Here. I'll show you how to do it."
"Okay!"
The front door opened again. "Tohru-kun, Kyo-kun! I'm home"
Tohru stood up and headed towards the door. "Welcome back Shigure-sa... Hatori-san and Hatsuharu-san! Why are you two here as well?"
Kyo's voice rose from the living room. "Whaaa?! What's Haru doing here?"
Hatori's expression was grim. "We need to talk."
Tohru instantly became anxious. "H-hai... shall I make some tea?"
Shigure shook his head as he headed towards the living room. "No tea. You must sit as well."
"O-okay..."
Once they were all settled in the living room, Tohru looked up again. "So... what is it that you wanted to talk about?"
Hatori hesitated. "It's about Yuki and Kagura."
Kyo raised an eyebrow. "Eh? I thought they just went to the groceries."
"They did. But there was an accident and Yuki's in the hospital."
Tohru's heart instantly stopped. "Sohma-kun is..."
"From what I've heard, Yuki and Kagura were just leaving as a car sped right into the doors of the grocery store. Kagura had been pushed away, but Yuki..."
Shigure stepped in. "It seemed as though Yuki had transformed, but no one really seemed to notice. Kagura was able to get his clothes back on when he turned back into a human. But there's no telling what might happen in the hospital."
For a long time there was nothing but silence. Everyone stared at the top of the table, painfully absorbing the details. Tohru felt as though she had been frozen.
'Sohma-kun is in the hospital... He must be in pain right now...'
"So... what happens now?" Kyo asked.
"We just wait," Hatori replied. "Hopefully he'll recover without any problems."
Without thinking, Tohru started to speak. "...my fault..."
Shigure looked up. "What was that, Tohru-kun?"
Tohru shook, as if a ghostly breeze swirled around her body. "It's my fault... If I had gone to the groceries with them, we could have avoided that accident. We wouldn't have been at the door when it happened. I always take so long getting groceries, so we could have still been inside when it happened!"
"Honda-kun –"
"No! Sohma-kun is in pain! I put him in pain! I did this to him!"
She fell against the table, sobbing. Kyo looked away to the stars outside. Shigure watched as Hatsuharu put an arm around Tohru's shoulders which shook from every sob. He seemed to have an identical expression.
"Watashi mo..." he said quietly.
Again, no one said anything as Tohru wept. Then Hatori stood, whispering something almost masked by her cries.
"I'll see what I can do..."
---
The house was silent. The days were long. The air was heavy in Shigure's house as the three continued to anxiously await any news on Yuki's condition. Tohru wasn't allowed to see him since she was not a part of the family. Kyo claimed he didn't want anything to do with Yuki.
A few weeks passed.
Tohru sighed as she finished cleaning the last plate. Her body felt heavy. She just wanted to lie down. Turning, she left the kitchen and started to head up the stairs. She stopped as she heard the front door open. She looked over her shoulder and saw Hatori standing in the doorway. He spotted her instantly.
"Hatori-san, konnichi-wa. Ano... why are you here?"
"I just came to see if you wished to see Yuki. He is doing better and I'm sure it would do you a great deal if you visited him."
"But... I thought that only family was allowed to see him."
Hatori sighed. "Hatsuharu decided to take things into his own hands and... well..."
Tohru laughed. "I see. Well, let me just change real fast."
"Mm. Take as long as you need."
Tohru raced up the stairs. Halfway up, she stopped and looked down at Hatori again. "Hatori-san... arigato! I'll have to remember to thank Hatsuharu-san too!"
Hatori gave a faint smile as Tohru raced her way to her room.
-In the hospital-
"Are you nervous?" Hatori asked.
Tohru jumped. "N-no! Of course not!"
"You know, it's fine to be nervous. This is a hospital after all."
Tohru let out a jittery laugh. She had been looking forward to finally seeing Yuki after such a long time, but now she was afraid of what she might see.
The elevator stopped and the doors slid open. Tohru followed Hatori down a long hallway to a door that was halfway open.
"Ayame is in there right now..."
"Oh... I'm sure he must have been stressed out about this, huh?"
Hatori looked at Tohru. "Well, I can go in with you, if want, Honda-kun."
Tohru shook her head. "No, that's fine. I'll just go by myself."
She walked in slowly, nerves already starting to pick up. The room was very quiet, so her steps sounded as if she were in a cathedral. She spotted Ayame in a chair besides the bed, staring vacantly at nothing in particular.
"Ano... Ayame-san?"
He looked up. Already, Tohru could see how weary Ayame had become. He smiled half-heartedly at her.
"Tohru-kun. Good of you to come." Even his voice was drained of its usual energy.
Tohru stepped further into the room and spotted the still figure in the bed. She froze, almost not breathing. Ayame watched as her expressions changed.
"You could try talking to him," he said quietly. "Of course, I have no idea how long it will take for him to wake up."
Tohru shifted her gaze to Ayame. "How long...?"
Obviously surprised, Ayame sat up straight. "You mean Tori-san and Gure-san didn't tell you? He's in a coma."
Coma.
The word stabbed Tohru's heart even more painful than ice. Ayame saw how his statement shook her. He stood and shook his head.
"Seriously, I would have thought that at least Haru-kun would have told you." He stood besides her, silent for a second. "Well, it's not as scary as it looks. I'll leave you here as I must speak to Tori-san."
He stepped out into the hallway. Immediately, Tohru could hear the two voices of the older men outside trying to remain hushed. She smiled in spite of herself and moved to where Ayame had sat before.
"Sohma-kun... I..." She stopped. What was she supposed to say? Could he even hear her words? "... I came here to see you. You must thank Hatsuharu-san later, because normally, they wouldn't have let me come in. Well... ah! Uo-chan and Hana-chan send their regards. The Yuki fan club has gotten pretty scary too..."
Silence. What was she expecting? Surely he wouldn't suddenly pop up, awake and energetic as he usually was. As he usually was...
Tohru started to sweat. "Um... I've been taking care of your base since you were gone. Some of the leeks were ready, but of course Kyo-kun didn't like those. And I think maybe the strawberries are starting to bear fruit. I wish you could come to see –"
Come to see...
Tohru could feel her legs getting weak. She leaned onto the side of the bed for support, hoping that she wouldn't disturb Yuki's frail figure.
"Sohma-kun... Yuki-kun... please wake up soon... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."
Sobs began to shake her body. Her knees collapsed and she fell, crying like she had the first time. Memories jumped up from the depths of her mind. Memories of a similar accident.
"Yuki-kun, please wake up..."
Outside in the hallway, Hatori and Ayame could hear the cries from inside the room. Hatori turned and shut the door. Then, wordlessly, the two men left to leave Tohru alone.
---
Tohru opened her eyes. Her legs were sore. She sat up and looked around, confused for a moment. Then she remembered she was at the hospital. But for how long? She looked over her shoulder at the window. The stars shone to greet her. Nighttime.
She sighed and stood up, stretching her legs. She looked again at the immobile figure in the bed in front of her. Nothing had changed. But she felt stronger now.
"Get better soon, Sohma-kun."
She slowly began to make her way around the bed when something stopped her. A soft voice, almost a whisper.
"...Honda-san...?"
Tohru looked up from the dishes in the sink. Spotting Yuki and Kagura by the door, she grinned brightly.
"Hai, Sohma-kun?"
"Kagura-san and I will be going to the groceries to get things for dinner. We won't be long."
"Oh, are you sure? I mean, I don't want you two to go through the trouble –" She started to move from the sink.
"Ie, Tohru-chan!" Kagura chided. "Let us do the shopping. You always go, so this time it's our turn!"
Tohru smiled again. "Alright. Come back safe, okay?"
Yuki mirrored her smile. "We will."
---
"So, what should we get?" Kagura asked.
"Hmm... Maybe..." Yuki scanned through the aisles.
"You know, Yun-chan, Haru-kun was telling me that you and Kyo-kun were starting to get along. It would be nice if you two were agreeing for once, wouldn't it?"
"Humph. I doubt that baka neko will ever get over it."
Kagura laughed lightly. "Well, maybe not."
Yuki grinned. "But then again, I think I would like that."
-Five minutes later-
"Wow, that was fast," Yuki commented. "Whenever I get groceries with Honda-san, we spend half an hour here."
"Well, now we won't have to wait so long for dinner, right?" Kagura said, stepping through the automatic glass doors.
"That's true."
Then... all at once... thousands of images collided with the other.
Tires screeching.
People screaming.
Burning rubber.
Glinting sun.
A foreboding feeling.
"Kagura-san!"
Scraped knees.
Sore palms.
Glass shattering.
The smell of blood.
---
Tohru stood and stretched. "Ahhh... I'm finished! The house is sparkly-clean now!" She looked around. "Now I wonder what I can do..."
Kyo thumped his way down the stairs. Quickly glancing around, he looked at Tohru. "Oy, where'd that damn rat and Kagura go?"
"Ah, Kyo-kun! They went to the groceries to pick up a few things for dinner. They should be back soon."
"K'so... do we have anything in the refrigerator?" As if to amplify his statement, his stomach let out a low growl. His cheeks flushed. "I was getting sorta hungry..."
Tohru laughed. "I can make you something real quick if you wish, Kyo-kun."
"Dame. I'll make something myself. You're always cooking so you might as well get a break." He headed off towards the kitchen.
Tohru grinned. 'Those two are such sweet gentlemen.'
At that moment, the phone rang. Shigure's voice came from the study.
"Tohru-kuuun... could you get that, please?"
"Hai!" She rushed towards the phone. "Moshi moshi?"
"Honda-kun?" The low voice on the other end ended up to be Hatori's.
"Hai. How are you Hatori-san?"
"Er, fine. Where's Shigure?"
"He's in the study right now. Would you like for me to get him?"
"Yes, please."
Tohru gently put down the phone and headed towards the study. Inside, the inu sat balancing a pen on his nose. Shigure bore a very thoughtful expression.
"Ano, Shigure-san," Tohru said softly. "I'm sorry for interrupting, but Hatori-san is on the phone and he wishes to speak to you."
"Arigato, Tohru-kun." Shigure stood up, straightening his kimono. "I wonder what it is that Ha-san wants..."
Tohru left Shigure on the phone. Surely she did not want to eavesdrop on their conversation, so she headed towards the living room. Looking around and finding nothing to do, she sat down by the kotatsu. Kyo appeared suddenly, munching on some onigiri.
"Ah, Kyo-kun. Did you have any trouble?"
Kyo's brow twitched. "Why would I? It's only onigiri. Just a bunch of rice."
Tohru laughed. "You're right. My mistake."
Kyo stared before he plopped down on the opposite end of the kotatsu and flipped on the TV. For a brief second, the channel was set on the news. Kyo switched it over to a different channel, searching for something interesting.
"Tohru-kun, Kyo-kun," Shigure called. "I'm going out for a little bit. I'll be back soon. Ja ne!" The front door slammed behind him.
"I wonder what got into him," Kyo muttered.
"It sounded as if something was wrong," Tohru added worriedly. "Hatori-san just called. What could it be?"
"Ah, who cares? Maybe it's something stupid."
-One hour later-
"Woooow! Sugoi! Kyo-kun, that was incredible!"
Kyo stared blankly. "It was just a stupid card trick. Here. I'll show you how to do it."
"Okay!"
The front door opened again. "Tohru-kun, Kyo-kun! I'm home"
Tohru stood up and headed towards the door. "Welcome back Shigure-sa... Hatori-san and Hatsuharu-san! Why are you two here as well?"
Kyo's voice rose from the living room. "Whaaa?! What's Haru doing here?"
Hatori's expression was grim. "We need to talk."
Tohru instantly became anxious. "H-hai... shall I make some tea?"
Shigure shook his head as he headed towards the living room. "No tea. You must sit as well."
"O-okay..."
Once they were all settled in the living room, Tohru looked up again. "So... what is it that you wanted to talk about?"
Hatori hesitated. "It's about Yuki and Kagura."
Kyo raised an eyebrow. "Eh? I thought they just went to the groceries."
"They did. But there was an accident and Yuki's in the hospital."
Tohru's heart instantly stopped. "Sohma-kun is..."
"From what I've heard, Yuki and Kagura were just leaving as a car sped right into the doors of the grocery store. Kagura had been pushed away, but Yuki..."
Shigure stepped in. "It seemed as though Yuki had transformed, but no one really seemed to notice. Kagura was able to get his clothes back on when he turned back into a human. But there's no telling what might happen in the hospital."
For a long time there was nothing but silence. Everyone stared at the top of the table, painfully absorbing the details. Tohru felt as though she had been frozen.
'Sohma-kun is in the hospital... He must be in pain right now...'
"So... what happens now?" Kyo asked.
"We just wait," Hatori replied. "Hopefully he'll recover without any problems."
Without thinking, Tohru started to speak. "...my fault..."
Shigure looked up. "What was that, Tohru-kun?"
Tohru shook, as if a ghostly breeze swirled around her body. "It's my fault... If I had gone to the groceries with them, we could have avoided that accident. We wouldn't have been at the door when it happened. I always take so long getting groceries, so we could have still been inside when it happened!"
"Honda-kun –"
"No! Sohma-kun is in pain! I put him in pain! I did this to him!"
She fell against the table, sobbing. Kyo looked away to the stars outside. Shigure watched as Hatsuharu put an arm around Tohru's shoulders which shook from every sob. He seemed to have an identical expression.
"Watashi mo..." he said quietly.
Again, no one said anything as Tohru wept. Then Hatori stood, whispering something almost masked by her cries.
"I'll see what I can do..."
---
The house was silent. The days were long. The air was heavy in Shigure's house as the three continued to anxiously await any news on Yuki's condition. Tohru wasn't allowed to see him since she was not a part of the family. Kyo claimed he didn't want anything to do with Yuki.
A few weeks passed.
Tohru sighed as she finished cleaning the last plate. Her body felt heavy. She just wanted to lie down. Turning, she left the kitchen and started to head up the stairs. She stopped as she heard the front door open. She looked over her shoulder and saw Hatori standing in the doorway. He spotted her instantly.
"Hatori-san, konnichi-wa. Ano... why are you here?"
"I just came to see if you wished to see Yuki. He is doing better and I'm sure it would do you a great deal if you visited him."
"But... I thought that only family was allowed to see him."
Hatori sighed. "Hatsuharu decided to take things into his own hands and... well..."
Tohru laughed. "I see. Well, let me just change real fast."
"Mm. Take as long as you need."
Tohru raced up the stairs. Halfway up, she stopped and looked down at Hatori again. "Hatori-san... arigato! I'll have to remember to thank Hatsuharu-san too!"
Hatori gave a faint smile as Tohru raced her way to her room.
-In the hospital-
"Are you nervous?" Hatori asked.
Tohru jumped. "N-no! Of course not!"
"You know, it's fine to be nervous. This is a hospital after all."
Tohru let out a jittery laugh. She had been looking forward to finally seeing Yuki after such a long time, but now she was afraid of what she might see.
The elevator stopped and the doors slid open. Tohru followed Hatori down a long hallway to a door that was halfway open.
"Ayame is in there right now..."
"Oh... I'm sure he must have been stressed out about this, huh?"
Hatori looked at Tohru. "Well, I can go in with you, if want, Honda-kun."
Tohru shook her head. "No, that's fine. I'll just go by myself."
She walked in slowly, nerves already starting to pick up. The room was very quiet, so her steps sounded as if she were in a cathedral. She spotted Ayame in a chair besides the bed, staring vacantly at nothing in particular.
"Ano... Ayame-san?"
He looked up. Already, Tohru could see how weary Ayame had become. He smiled half-heartedly at her.
"Tohru-kun. Good of you to come." Even his voice was drained of its usual energy.
Tohru stepped further into the room and spotted the still figure in the bed. She froze, almost not breathing. Ayame watched as her expressions changed.
"You could try talking to him," he said quietly. "Of course, I have no idea how long it will take for him to wake up."
Tohru shifted her gaze to Ayame. "How long...?"
Obviously surprised, Ayame sat up straight. "You mean Tori-san and Gure-san didn't tell you? He's in a coma."
Coma.
The word stabbed Tohru's heart even more painful than ice. Ayame saw how his statement shook her. He stood and shook his head.
"Seriously, I would have thought that at least Haru-kun would have told you." He stood besides her, silent for a second. "Well, it's not as scary as it looks. I'll leave you here as I must speak to Tori-san."
He stepped out into the hallway. Immediately, Tohru could hear the two voices of the older men outside trying to remain hushed. She smiled in spite of herself and moved to where Ayame had sat before.
"Sohma-kun... I..." She stopped. What was she supposed to say? Could he even hear her words? "... I came here to see you. You must thank Hatsuharu-san later, because normally, they wouldn't have let me come in. Well... ah! Uo-chan and Hana-chan send their regards. The Yuki fan club has gotten pretty scary too..."
Silence. What was she expecting? Surely he wouldn't suddenly pop up, awake and energetic as he usually was. As he usually was...
Tohru started to sweat. "Um... I've been taking care of your base since you were gone. Some of the leeks were ready, but of course Kyo-kun didn't like those. And I think maybe the strawberries are starting to bear fruit. I wish you could come to see –"
Come to see...
Tohru could feel her legs getting weak. She leaned onto the side of the bed for support, hoping that she wouldn't disturb Yuki's frail figure.
"Sohma-kun... Yuki-kun... please wake up soon... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."
Sobs began to shake her body. Her knees collapsed and she fell, crying like she had the first time. Memories jumped up from the depths of her mind. Memories of a similar accident.
"Yuki-kun, please wake up..."
Outside in the hallway, Hatori and Ayame could hear the cries from inside the room. Hatori turned and shut the door. Then, wordlessly, the two men left to leave Tohru alone.
---
Tohru opened her eyes. Her legs were sore. She sat up and looked around, confused for a moment. Then she remembered she was at the hospital. But for how long? She looked over her shoulder at the window. The stars shone to greet her. Nighttime.
She sighed and stood up, stretching her legs. She looked again at the immobile figure in the bed in front of her. Nothing had changed. But she felt stronger now.
"Get better soon, Sohma-kun."
She slowly began to make her way around the bed when something stopped her. A soft voice, almost a whisper.
"...Honda-san...?"