I loved her. It was as simple as that. Between all the laughs, flirting, the gifts, I fell in love with her. Whenever I was around her I felt like everything in the world could wait because we were together. She was the one and only for me.
Now I saw Tohru as a mother. I wasn't in love with her as I once was. Machi is now the object of my affection. I think it's time to reveal the curse to her. To be quite honest I am nervous.
What if she rejects me?
I guess there's only one way to find out…
I dialed her number on my cell phone. It rang three times before I heard her voice.
"Hello?" Machi's beautiful voice was on the other end.
"Hi Machi, can you meet me in the park today?" I asked.
"I guess so…" she replied as if it were strange to ask her.
"How about in 20 minuets?" I set the time for my problems to be out in the open.
"Sounds good to me," Machi replied.
"Bye," I simply said before hanging up.
My hands were shaking violently; I brought them to eye level.
I hope she accepts me…
I grabbed my jacket and carried it down the stairs. Tohru was walking passed the stairs as I came down.
"Where are you going Sohma-kun?" 'Mother' asked with a warm smile.
"To the park, I'll be back before dinner," I answered brushing her shoulder with mine as I walked towards the door.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as her soft skin touched mine. Why did my body act this way? I didn't want her did I? Machi was the one for me, right? Yes, Tohru was like a mother to me, nothing more...not a romance…a mother and that was all.
I threw my jacket on before opening the door. I walked fast to the park. I came in enough time to think of what to say for her to accept me. Words flew through my mind, but none of them seemed right. Leaves gracefully fell to the ground; behind me I heard some crunch.
I turned around fast. There she was, standing in all her beauty. Machi's hair blew in the gentle breeze making her appear angelic.
"Hello Machi," I greeted standing up from the bench I was sitting on.
"Hi Yuki, what's going on?" she asked sitting down.
"This is really hard for me to say…I think I have real feelings towards you…"
Machi blushed as I said this. She brushed a few rebellious strands of hair behind her ear.
"I'm so nervous," I laughed a little.
My body started to shake, I couldn't help it. She was the one I wanted to be with, if she didn't accept me, then…No, I shook the feeling away.
"Yuki, you can just say it," Machi said nudging me a little.
I smiled, it was a real smile. It seemed as though they were not a rare thing anymore around her. Machi smiled back at me. I hoped she wouldn't be as confused as Tohru was when she found out. I smiled at the memory of Tohru freaking out and offering us to the postman.
If I don't do it now, I never will!
"Hug me," I asked throwing my arms out as I stood up.
Machi's face reflected confusion, but none the less she embraced me. I knew she'd been waiting to do that because he hug was tight and it had many emotions in it. As soon as I had gotten used to her arms around my frame I turned into a rat. Machi opened her eyes and almost fell over. She was depending on my weight to catch her.
"Are you okay?" I asked poking her leg.
She first looked around at the sound of my voice. Machi then looked down at me in rat form; her expression was not confused nor was it warm. Her face looked almost disgusted.
"What's wrong?" I asked scurrying up to the bench and sitting next to her still in rat form.
"I…Ummm…I don't…." she answered her face looking lost.
"It's okay, you can say it…" I encouraged placing my paw on her leg.
Her eyes flashed a cold glace at me and she then finished, "I don't think I can love you this way…"
She picked me up and placed me next to my clothes before she walked away. I watched her in the cold wind turn her back on the first person to love her. I knew it was her mistake…but my heart was shattered. I loved her…and she rejected me. Akito was right about everything, he won.
Pop I was sitting naked next to my clothes on the floor. I dressed slowly, and got a few strange glances from people who walked by. I only wanted to sleep. There was no point in doing anything else after losing what you thought was for sure. I started to walk home.
It felt like it was an eternity from when I started to when my fingers wrapped around the door knob. As soon as I stepped a foot in the door the warm atmosphere overwhelmed me.
"Welcome Home Yuki-chan!" Shigure yelled poking his head out of his study.
His voice and face really annoyed me right now and I wanted to smack him. I glared at him wishing I had Hanajima's poison waves…he would be an obedient dog if this were the case.
"What's wrong Yuki? You look soooooo angsty today!" Shigure mocked.
"I don't want to talk about it…" I coldly answered placing my hand on the handrail for the stairs.
The normal conversations went on downstairs as I climbed and fought to stay awake long enough to make it to the warm space I call my bed. It looked a lot easier than it was to get to my bed, but I made it somehow.
"Finally…" I whispered falling face first into the soft blankets and feather pillows.
I didn't bother changing from my day clothes into night clothes before falling into the uneventful sleep.
"Sohma-kun…?" I heard a voice call out to me in what felt like only a second later.
My lids felt like lead weighed down with dumbbells, this needles to say, made opening my eyes difficult. I managed to answer the call soon enough though. The beautiful Tohru sat next to me on my bed. I could tell she was very shy about sitting so close, but I guess it was imperative that she sat that close to me.
"You have a fever Sohma-kun…" she informed me as a tray was placed in front of me by her.
"I'm sorry to trouble you…" I moaned noticing the stabbing pain in my sides; this fever must be pretty bad.
"It's no problem!!!" she freaked waving her hands around. "I like to take care of you…" the brunette admitted shyly.
"Thanks…" I thanked sitting upright to eat whatever she prepared for me.
Soup, water, and pills sat on the tray. I took the pills first. Then looked into her deep aqua eyes. Tohru didn't break the trance, didn't say anything and didn't do something wrong to ruin the mood. She leaned closer to me as I mirrored her action.
"NOW I WILL BEAT YOU! YOU STUPID RAT!" Kyo came crashing into the room and Tohru went flying to the door.
"Kyo, Sohma-kun is sick, do not be so loud or he will never get better," she informed him in a hushed voice so that I would not hear her or something.
"Which makes beating him a lot easier!" Kyo exclaimed walking towards me.
Tohru grabbed his arm, "Please don't…" she begged giving him the sincere eyes that made both of us bend to her will when they were used. (Though I doubt that is what she uses them for!)
"Whatever…." He finished and walked out the door.
"I'm sorry Sohma-kun. I will try to make things less noisy downstairs so that you may heal faster," Tohru promised bowing to me.
"I don't know…if sick people get this sort of treatment, I might not want to get better…" I whispered so she couldn't hear me.
"Ummm…Yuki-kun…at the summer home…did you—" she was cut off by the sudden intrusion of my pervert for a cousin.
"Tohru-kuuuuuuun! You're neglecting me!" Shigure whined putting his hand on his forehead in 'distress'.
"I'm terribly sorry Shigure-san!" Tohru apologized needlessly rushing to the door.
Just before she disappeared behind the door frame I called to her, "Tohru, what were you saying?"
Her face flushed red and she shook her head, "It was nothing of importance. Don't worry yourself over it! Just get better!"
As quickly as she had been there she disappeared to tend to the selfish needs of the pervert and demanding cat downstairs. I sat the tray on the floor, feeling my appetite fade away more and more. I laid back on my bed and realized….
I do love her…she's not a mother to me…I have to tell her…
I thought over plans and lines to use to tell her but all of them sounded stupid. Each one was stupider than the last one…it was hopeless. I eventually gave up the quest for a good way to tell her and fell asleep.
The next morning I woke up and although the fever was still in my muscles I felt a lot better than yesterday. After calling Hatori to erase Machi's memory of me telling her of the curse I walked down stairs for breakfast.
It was a normal day, just like all the other normal days before it. But, today I would tell Tohru just how I felt. How I was going to do that…that part was still in the air.