Ghost

Just read…

It was a very wild and blustery afternoon. The sky had darkened prematurely for the time of year, and the scent of thunder hung heavy in the air, like the scent of incense in a temple.

Tohru sat on the veranda of Shigure's house, staring at the effects the wind was having on the usually peaceful surroundings.

It scooped up leaves from their branches and swirled them through the air, as though leading them on a merry dance that only it knew the steps to. It teased at the wind chimes, causing them to play a rhapsody of tinkling tunes, all merging into one another to form one unstructured melody. The sound of the wind itself caused Tohru to shiver, as it reminded her of wolves howling at the moon.

Earlier on, the weather report had warned of the oncoming storm. Yuki had immediately run off to protect his garden, Tohru at his heels. However, when they arrived, Yuki decided that it would be safer for Tohru to be in the house, and had begged her to go home. Reluctant as she was to leave Yuki to do all of the work by himself, she didn't want to worry him or be a burden, so she did as she was asked.

However, when she tried the door to the house, she realized that Shigure had gone out, and for once, had locked the door behind him. Neither Tohru nor Yuki had thought to take a set of keys with them, as Shigure rarely went out during a storm. But Shigure liked to be unpredictable, and as a result, Tohru was left stranded on the veranda, in the beginnings of a storm.

Tohru sighed. She couldn't go back to the secret base because she had promised Yuki-kun that she would return to the house, and Kyo-kun would probably stay at the dojo until the storm was over.

The wind picked up speed and Tohru found that it was becoming increasingly difficult to see as the light was slowly draining away, like someone had pulled the plug out of the sun.

The hounds of the storm moaned mournful cries against her eardrums and she shivered uncontrollably. She had always been afraid of storms…

She cast her mind back to when her mom was alive, and how she had helped her get over her fear of the wild weather.

"What it is, Tohru," her mom had said as she held onto her, stroking her hair and comforting her cries, "is that the Thunder is deaf, and the Lighting is blind. Neither of them can tell how loud or how bright they are, so they can't control it. And when they get disturbed from their sleep, they get very grumpy, and like to complain in their own special way, not aware of how scary they are. They would be upset to know that you are scared, Tohru…"

After that, Tohru tried her hardest not to be scared of the thunder and lightning, as she didn't want them to be upset on her account. Unfortunately, when her mom had died, her old fear returned, and there was no one there to make her feel safe anymore.

Tohru whimpered as the first rumbles of thunder reached her ears. She curled her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them, so that she couldn't see when the lightning started up.

"Mom," she thought desperately, "I'm scared mom… please help me…"

The thunder rolled in louder and louder, causing her to tremble. She looked up at the sky as the first few drops of rain drenched her skin.

A flash of lightning suddenly illuminated the scene around her, and she saw everything as if it were in slow motion.

The trees were bowing down to the wind in, as it seemed to Tohru, a reluctant way. The clouds were rolling in haltingly, as though they were old men walking on crutches; the rain was falling as if it were repelling the force of gravity.

It was also during that split second of pure light that Tohru saw her.

Kyoko was standing near the entrance to the forest. She was looking up at Tohru, a teasing expression on her face. As she saw Tohru look at her, she bobbed her tongue out and ran into the forest.

Tohru's heart froze. Without a second thought as to what she was doing or how scared she was, Tohru sprinted in the direction of the forest, desperate to catch a hold of her mother one more time.

It was dark under the cover of the trees, save for the odd flash of lightning. The rain was falling heavier, and cold hard drops splashed across her skin, dribbling into every crevice of her being. The thunder rang in her ears, but nothing compared to the sound of her screaming for her mother to come back.

"Mom!" She yelled, as the figure of Kyoko skipped around the trunk of a tree.

Tears streamed down Tohru's face, scorching her frozen skin. Her hair flew out behind her as she ran deeper and deeper into the forest, calling out to the darting figure of her mother.

"Mom!" She cried out, desperately clutching to the air in front of her, "It's me mom! It's Tohru!"

Her heart clenched with the pain of remembering that fateful day. The day that a part of her had died alongside her mother; the day when Tohru also wished for death…

She tripped over a protruding root, but she paid no heed to the blood that was pouring from her knees and palms; she just dragged herself back up and ran, terrified that she would lose sight of her.

However, Kyoko had slowed down so as her daughter could keep pace, but not get close enough for her to catch her. "Mom!" She called out again, fresh tears streaming down her face, sobs wracking her body so hard that she could barely stand straight.

By now she had been reduced to a stagger, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps, her desperate cries and sobs echoing through the trees, adding to the deafening sound of the wind and thunder.

Kyoko too, had slowed down; she was now walking backwards, her hands stretched out in front of her, towards her beloved daughter, so that she could hold onto them.

"I love you so much!" Kyoko cried, her voice not coming from her mouth, but from all around her. It resonated in the leaves and the bark and the sky, filling the air with its own electricity.

"Mom!" Tohru called weakly, and fell into her arms.

For a split second, Tohru was transported back to when she was younger, and when she ran into the arms of her mother so happily, without a thought as to how much it meant for her to be able to do so.

The warmth and love that those two arms possessed spread into Tohru's body, intoxicating her with it, almost to the point that she was almost delirious with it.

Kyoko held on to her daughter with all of her strength, hot tears pouring down her face and into Tohru's hair. Tohru buried herself in her mother's embrace, recalling the sound of her breathing, beating heart and the smell of her perfume and the soft touch of her mother's love.

And then it was gone, and Tohru fell onto the ground, sobbing. She dug her fingers into the soft ground and ripped out clumps of earth as she screamed, her face thrust towards the heavens: "Come back! Please come back!"

But her only answer was the rumble of thunder, gentler now, and the sound of a voice she knew.

"Tohru?" Kyo emerged from the shadow of the trees and rushed to her side. When he got to her, he grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and looked desperately into her face.

He was drenched from head to toe, his fiery hair reduced to the colour of mud, and plastered flat to his head.

He had left the dojo in spite of what Kazuma had suggested. His only thoughts were to find out if Tohru was ok, as he knew of her deep fear of storms.

"Tohru!" He repeated desperately, and shook her. Tohru just sobbed even harder and threw herself into Kyo's knees, burying her head in his warmth, gripping the sides of his legs with almost painful need.

Tears streamed down Kyo's face as he held onto her as best as he could. His heart felt as if it were being ripped out and shredded.

All about them, the wind was dieing down, the rain was slowing, the thunder was letting up and the lightning becoming less frequent. Slowly, the light was being painted back in.

Kyoko watched helplessly as her daughter regained control of herself. She had recalled how much Tohru had hated storms, and when she heard her begging for help, she was only too happy to oblige.

And even though she had caused her daughter fresh pain, she knew that she had fulfilled her wish; she was with someone who was warm, and made her feel safe…

Tohru gave one last sob, a sob that shook her entire body, and then stilled. Kyo looked at her, alarmed and panic-stricken.

"Tohru?" He questioned nervously. She gave no answer, but raised her head to gaze at Kyo, her face mud and tear streaked. A few teardrops still clung to her skin, leaving a gossamer trail behind them. If Kyo hadn't have been so worried, he would have noted how much like diamonds they really looked.

"Tohru?" He repeated weakly.

She tore her gaze away from Kyo's and turned to scan the surrounding trees. She knew that her mom was watching.

Slowly, she turned back to face Kyo again.

"I hate storms…" She whispered.

End

Hello!

'Tis me again, with more juicy fruits basket work. I know that I should be updating "wedding drama" but this idea struck me at a very inconvenient time (ie: when I was going to bed) and thus I had to write it.

It is definitely the most emotional thing I have ever written… I was crying to myself as I wrote the bit when Tohru and Kyoko hug, much to the alarm of my mother at two o clock this morning.

I hope it was to your liking… let me know please??? Please???