Penniless
It was Monday morning or perhaps afternoon. Anju wasn't coherent enough to figure that out quite yet. She only knew she was tired and she'd been sleeping for a long time. The ache in her shoulder said so. She had fallen asleep on her side and her shoulder was starting to protest the ill treatment. Anju remembered Momiji and Hatori-san leaving last night so Momiji could get some sleep for school the next day. She also remembered breaching conciseness as Tohru, Shigure-san and Kyo woke up at some ungodly hour to start the day. She had drifted back into sleep before they had left for school. Perhaps Anju shouldn't have been so surprised when she fell down with a fever half way through her tour of the house. Walking through a monsoon and getting drenched to her marrow could do that. Tohru-kun had instantly freaked out calling everyone to Anju's aid. After explaining that she was fine, and just needed some sleep, Tohru-kun had proceeded to tend to her anyway. It had been embarrassing if anything.
Anju's new room was set across the hall from Tohru-kun's and faced the front of the house. Her room had been the last remaining guest bedroom before she swooped in and claimed it. Though it'd been dark when she was shown the room and Anju had been zombified over by her fever she had smiled happily with her new accommodations. A large window took up most of one wall and was lightly curtained to ward off the sun in the event of a bright morning. Although, contrary to what Anju had already decided: it always rained in Japan and she was never going to see the sun again. A wide traditional futon bed was laid in one corner of her new room and a short wooden dresser sat across from it. The room looked empty and unused, but Anju was happy to have it all the same. She had promptly passed out in her new bed without another word to Tohru-kun. Fevers could do that.
As Anju continued to wake up she could hear a light drizzle outside her window. It was raining again. The sound supported her theory that it always rained in Japan. The room was much brighter then it had been last night, but still mild and subdued compared to what she had left at her old home. Under her covers she felt drowsy and warm, but outside of them she knew a chill had set over her room waiting to freeze her through. Anju frowned closing her eyes again. Freezing through didn't sound too tempting over warm and drowsy. But the day was waiting, and probably everyone else in the house was wondering if she had lived through the night. She took the chance and tiredly sat up and scooted out of the warm tempting covers.
Beside her normal tiredness of just waking up she felt fine. The full night of sleep had chased her fever away and she felt good for it. She grinned against the cold with her good luck, to get over her fever so fast was phenomenal. Tohru-kun had been the first person to care for Anju over a simple fever. She had always just gotten through her times of illness by herself. While Anju thought of it she also realized she had tended herself through injuries too. She was forbidden to see a regular doctor by her family--who knew what would turn up in tests or what would happen if something unusual was found. And, the gods forbid, what if Anju transformed in the middle of the doctor's office?
She yawned and stood looking over her new room. It was a bit dusty, but that was easily set aside in her mind. Dusting could be fixed. As Anju pulled her fingers through her long hair to release the tangles she peered through the sheer curtains to look outside. Even from her height up on the second floor Anju noticed how much water from the storm had disappeared over night. Despite the rain at the moment she could see the mud had hardened up and was just damp dirt again. She guessed it was good news for Tohru-kun. Walking to school through mud didn't sound too pleasing. Anju recognized the space Hatori-san had parked his car last night before she turned back to her room to access her situation.
Despite the obvious age of the house the floors didn't creak under her weight. And as she started to wonder about the time Anju noticed that she didn't have anything on her or in the room to tell her what time it was. She had no clock, no clothes, and no one that wanted her. She sighed. Just by looking out the window and coupled with a feeling she had she could guess it was late in the day. Given the chance to Anju would happily sleep the entire day away. But she was already up. It was time to face the day and the people whom she had been forced upon.
Anju scooped up her thin jacket to pull over the clothes she had worn yesterday and through the night on her way to the door as the chill over the room finally got to her. When she zipped the jacket over her old band shirt she thought of her limited clothes situation again. Her family had been so hasty to drop her on the Sohma family that they hadn't given her time to pack anything. At the moment Anju was still too tired to care about it much, but she was dirt poor and living in one set of clothes.
"Well, good morning Anju-kun." Shigure-san greeted her brightly. He didn't seem to be burdened by her presence, but it could have just been politeness too. He was sitting at the table with his legs under the table's skirt. The promise of heat at the table instantly pulled Anju farther into the room. "Sleeping in a bit late aren't you?" he asked as she scooted up to the table on the side parallel to Shigure-san. She tilted her head and smiled apologetic.
"It was the first time I had a night to properly sleep since landing in Japan," Anju answered after yawning. "I'm guessing I overdid it though. What time is it?" She inquired, fingering through the other sections of newspaper Shigure-san had left on the tabletop. She started sifting for something interesting as Shigure-san thought. She chose not to mention her fever. She had gotten over it already and didn't find it notable enough to bring up for her sleeping in. Besides, Shigure-san had been there when Tohru made such a fuss over her, he knew already.
"Tohru and the boys are due home pretty soon." Shigure-san said instead of telling her the exact hour. Anju guessed around two o'clock then. She just shrugged and chose the weather section to read; she sighed, rain was forecasted for the rest of her life. "Oh," Shigure-san said suddenly dropping his paper again, "Tohru left some soup out for you in the kitchen for when you woke up. I heated it up when I heard you get up earlier." He said smiling before hiding behind his newspaper again. That had been nice of him. Anju couldn't help but notice the personality change in Shigure-san. Maybe his act yesterday was only to bother his family.
Food? Anju's ears had perked at the mention of food, and it was for her no less. Her stomach had started chewing on it's self ever since she decided waking up might be a good idea. Shigure-san smiled behind his paper as Anju failed to be mindful of how much noise she made as she scrambled to the kitchen. Anju was indulgently sipping her soup while she leaned against the counter in the kitchen when Tohru, Kyo and Yuki returned home. She heard Tohru ask about her to Shigure-san before Tohru appeared at the door to the kitchen brightly greeting her with a 'Good afternoon!'
"You found my soup." Tohru commented. Tohru smiled at Anju as the blond failed to answer her; Anju was busy finishing off the small bowl's contents. Tohru quickly noticed that Anju was still in the same clothes: a pair of skinny jeans and a zipped up soft-cloth jacket. "Oh!" Tohru gasped as she realized why Anju was still in the same clothes. "You don't have anymore clothes; do you, Anju-chan." Tohru frowned. Tohru didn't remember any luggage coming with Anju before. Anju guessed Tohru would never be happy if she wasn't concerned with everyone else. She was too nice to let others go on without any help she could provide.
"Nope," Anju said turning to the sink with her bowl. "Just these." She turned on the water in the sink and started rinsing out her bowl as Yuki leaned into the kitchen holding back the short curtain hanging in the door jam from his hair. Anju smiled in greeting toward Yuki as Tohru still looked worried about Anju's situation. She wasn't one to think too much on her problems. When she needed different clothes she would start brainstorming, but for now she was content cleaning her dish.
"How are you feeling, Mamoto-san?" Yuki asked. Anju turned away from the semi-clean bowl and finally noticed the school uniforms before choosing something to answer Yuki with. He looked a little tired like something had happened to him during school that'd taken a lot out of him. He looked like he needed some normalcy to cheer him up. Anju had a fleeting thought of how a strange girl moving into his home might add even more grief to him.
"Much better thanks to Tohru-kun." Anju smiled to Tohru accordingly before searching out a towel to dry her hands. She figured she should do better to find a comfortable groove with her new "family" soon; she didn't like the idea of causing people unnecessary trouble. And Anju decided to ignore Yuki calling her Mamoto-san; she rather hated that name suddenly, but she would put up with it as long as she could. The family associated with it hated her after all. "She just can't take no as an answer, ne?" Anju pointed out. Yuki and Tohru watched Anju frown at the kitchen. She couldn't find a towel. Tohru blushed in response to Anju's words as she held out a towel to her. "Arigatou, Tohru-kun." She mumbled. So much for doing something on her own.
"Oh Anju-kun!" Shigure-san yelled from the other room.
"Oi! What're you yelling in my ear for?" Kyo yelled angrily in the other room. Yuki sighed seeming to be used to outbursts from Kyo and Tohru just frowned.
"Hai, Shigure-san?" Anju decided to ignore the underlying note of familiarity between everyone. It only reminded her how long it would take for her and everyone else to get used to her staying in the house with them. Maybe one day she would end up sighing as Kyo yelled about something not worth yelling about, or maybe frown when Tohru-kun apologized too many times for something that wasn't her fault. Anju walked past Yuki through the doorway and plopped down at the table again in front of her abandoned section of newspaper. The forecasted cartooned rain drops made her immediately frown.
"Hatori-san called me earlier asking for you, but you were asleep. But I just remembered the message he asked me to write for you." Anju blinked while the others saw it fit to groan. Shigure-san just smiled seeing nothing wrong with his unknowing procrastination and pulled a folded paper from his sleeve to hand to her. Would she be groaning with them someday too?
Anju curiously leaned over the paper as she unfolded it. The message from Hatori-san had caused her to forget Shigure-san's own forgetful nature which had probably been his plan in the first place. Kyo leaned behind her nosily but turned away back to his school papers when Anju struck him with a particular look.
"What does it say?" Yuki asked curiously. Yuki didn't seem to have a problem with being nosy. He and Tohru had joined her into the room again. Anju frowned down at the note. What might Hatori-san have to say to her? Anju shifted under the stares as she wasn't used to being put on the spot. Even Shigure-san stared at her when everyone knew very well that he was the one that received the message. He already knew what she would say.
"Hatori-san's going to pick me up at three to go take my Entrance Exams for Kaibara High School." Anju read. 'Congratulations!' Shigure-san cheered in the background. She furrowed her eyebrows with confusion. Anju felt that she looked pretty bad after sleeping and walking through a hurricane in her clothes. She'd just gotten over a fever and now she was expected to go take a ton of tests? She sighed dropping the paper. The time to worry over her lack of clothes presented itself sooner then she would have liked. This was turning out to be the most uncomfortable week she had ever had in her life.
"That's in ten minutes!" Tohru-kun yelled surprised, "Oh no! You don't even have time to study or change or get something better to eat. Because you always need to have something good to eat before a test, and…and." As Tohru-kun bordered another freaking out episode Anju put on a brave face and smiled brightly toward Tohru hoping she would calm down before she grew an aneurism. Anju knew Tohru-kun was a nice person. It was very obvious. But she didn't feel right making her worry over her.
"Don't worry Tohru-kun. I don't need to study, I don't have anything else to change into," Anju pointed out. "And you make good soup; it's just what I needed. I'll do fine." Though she did wish she had brushed her hair with something more suitable than her fingers. Anju couldn't remember ever having troubles with tests because she didn't grow anxious, her mind didn't blank out, and she had never worried about not passing. She was a natural test taker, no problem. But she did have a problem presenting herself in dirty clothes and stringy hair to the people that would decide if she could enter their school or not. "Ah," Anju started feeling sheepish as she scratched the back of her head and looked away from Tohru-kun. Tohru was her best bet, Anju was going to have to bother the girl with something else after all "You wouldn't mind lending me something to wear though, ne Tohru-kun?" Tohru-kun was quick to disperse her uncomfortable request.
"Of course!" Tohru-kun said she was happy she could help. In fact, Tohru acted like she should have thought about giving Anju some clothes before Anju had to ask. Tohru was a funny girl. "Come on, we can pick something out." And then Tohru-kun proceeded to drag Anju up the stairs and out of sight.
"It's a shame you don't own any pants Tohru-kun." Anju sighed looking down at herself for the fifth time. Her dark blond hair had been tied back into a long ponytail leaving her bangs to fall into her honey-gold eyes. "A real big shame." She added once she saw her bare legs. Didn't Tohru-kun know it was raining outside and it was almost winter? Tohru-kun just laughed a bit nervously from her spot on the floor of her bedroom. There wasn't much else Tohru could offer Anju, plus Tohru had planned on loosing the clothes Anju was wearing in the back of her closet because they didn't fit her anymore.
"Well, the only pants I own I wear for work and they're not a good impression on anyone." Tohru said laughing again. "Besides Anju-kun, the school uniforms are skirts. You'll have to wear one for school everyday." Tohru-kun pointed out. Anju slouched in defeat. That was true, Anju had seen Tohru's uniform—Tohru was still wearing it actually.
"I thought I could go another day with pants," She commented. Anju looked down at herself one more time before taking the stockings Tohru-kun was holding out to her. Anju slouched to the floor and began pulling the long socks up her legs with her head bowed. She had lost.
Tohru-kun had dressed Anju in a dark green skirt with matching stockings that almost met the short hem of her skirt and a simple light green shirt and white sweater. Tohru-kun thought Anju looked adorable, and she didn't understand the other girl's dark sulking over the matter. Anju returned to her feet and glanced down at herself for the seventh time, Tohru sighed. "You look so cute, Anju-kun!" Tohru-kun cried with sparkles in her eyes.
"Thanks, Tohru-kun." Anju replied depressed. It was a nice compliment but while she was still in a skirt it was lost on her. "Hatori-san's already here. Guess I should go take those tests. It was really nice of you to let me borrow your clothes like this Tohru-kun; I'll make it up to you somehow."
"Oh, you don't have to, Anju-kun!" Tohru said back. Tohru-kun smiled brightly deciding she should get up too. Tohru felt more nervous for Anju then Anju felt at all. She didn't understand how she could be so calm--still sulking over the skirt--but calm overall.
"I want to." Anju smiled prettily and Tohru swooned over her.
"I think I'm going to have to just give you those clothes, Anju-kun. I can't ever wear them again; I won't be able to live up to them after seeing you wear them." Tohru-kun said honestly.
"I can't take your clothes, Tohru-kun." Anju looked up suddenly with shock. "No, I can't, I'll buy more. Tohru-kun, these are yours."
"Take them as a 'Welcome to the House' gift. I'm sorry I couldn't get you something better, you just arrived so suddenly and…" Tohru-kun said smiling with a blush. She suddenly dropped her head and stared at the floor where her feet fidgeted. "Besides, they don't fit anymore." She confessed. She felt embarrassed to admit it.
"Nani?" Anju asked tilting her head. She hadn't quite heard what Tohru-kun had said.
"The skirt's too small and the shirt was too tight; they're yours now. They fit you so well." Tohru-kun added still starring at the floor. She felt hot as she admitted that the clothes didn't fit anymore. Anju's eyes widened as she noticed Tohru's discomfort. It was nothing to be embarrassed over, clothes shrink in the wash and people grow, it was normal.
"Well, Hatori-san's waiting, ne?" Anju pointed out taking a step toward the door. She didn't feel comfortable being near Tohru-kun when she was distressed. Nor was she experience in comforting people in distress. "Thank you so much, Tohru-kun. I am going to pay you back, you just wait." She said brightly hoping to cheer Tohru up. She could always give comforting a try though. Anju sighed with relief when Tohru-kun smiled back. "Let's go," she prompted and then they left for the stairs. That was when Anju remembered she was in a skirt. She dropped her head and sulked again, even more people were going to see her in a skirt, how did Tohru-kun do it everyday?
"Let's go Hatori-san; I want to get this over with." Anju said before anyone else could make a comment, she still hadn't lifted her head from sulking yet. All she could see were the ends of her blond bangs and her socked feet.
"You look so cute Anju-kun!" Shigure-san praised suddenly and Anju looked up, shocked. Kyo was nowhere in sight (his orange head was missing); he must have left off to somewhere else. Shigure-san smiled to her as he ignored the glares from Yuki and Hatori-san. "So cute!" he squealed.
"Ano, thank you, Shigure-san." Anju said slowly.
"Amazing no one has locked you away yet," Yuki commented before looking at Anju. "You look very nice, Mamoto-san." He said sincerely. Anju nodded to him and smiled her thanks a bit shyly. She wasn't used to accepting compliments about her appearance.
"There really is nothing wrong with a skirt, Anju-kun!" Tohru prompted from behind her, she was trying to be helpful, to cheer her up. But Tohru had said the fated word: skirt. Anju frowned.
"I know, Tohru-kun," Anju answered for her benefit. "I guess I just don't like the fact that a little breeze can expose my underwear to the public." The room sweat dropped. "Can we go Hatori-san?" Anju asked before everyone had time to recover. She really wanted to get everything over with.
"Hai," Hatori-san answered as he rose from his seat at the table. It seemed to Anju that everyone ended up at that table just sitting at some point in the day. She shrugged taking Hatori-san's lead for the door. When she thought about it she always ended up somewhere around that table too. Weird.
"Good luck, Anju-kun!" Shigure-san called. Tohru and Yuki echoed similar responses before Anju disappeared out the door in her boots and coat off to take some tests. The process really wasn't anything close to what Tohru-kun had worried over. Everything went smoothly. The school had been ready for Anju, and Hatori-san had been a good influence, though it had been awkward when the women testing Anju asked if Hatori-san was her father.
In the car ride home Anju looked down at her new uniform folded in her lap and wrapped in plastic. She blanched at the second skirt that had been given to her that day. The woman testing her had been surprised; Anju had received a near perfect score, but math had gotten her again. So much for studying, ne? Anju thought when she smiled at the woman.
"I'm going to need a job Hatori-san." Anju mumbled staring out the window at the passing city. "The tuition is too much for me, and I need clothes and an alarm clock…" she sighed overwhelmed. It wasn't like her to worry like this. She guessed Japan had been presented to her as a second chance; maybe worrying a little about her future wouldn't hurt too much, and maybe even do her some good.
"I could pay it," Hatori-san said looking out the rear view mirror for other cars. Anju turned her head from the window slowly and glared at him. He couldn't help but smile for her benefit. Of course he couldn't help but offer no matter that he knew exactly what she would say to him.
"I won't let you do that." Anju said firmly. "You've done too much for me as it is. I can't even begin to pay you back for everything. Don't add my schooling too." She said turning back to the window. "I just need a job, I'll manage." Anju hoped she sounded convincing because as it stood she could see herself living in her school uniform and gathering lost change from the streets for her tuition. She frowned unhappily. Anju heard Hatori-san sigh as he made another turn through the city; they'd be at Shigure-san's house very soon. The drive wasn't long at all. They could have really used a long drive.
"I talked to Akito about your clothes." Hatori-san admitted keeping his eyes on the road. "He said he'd already spoken with your father about it. They were shipped to Shigure's house this morning and should be arriving sometime over the next few days." Anju glanced up at him. She smiled happily; Anju could already imagine all of her lovely pants. Now when she collected change from the streets she wouldn't have to worry about a skirt hem and a little breeze.
"Akito doesn't act the same around me as he does to other people does he?" Anju asked. She couldn't bring herself to look anywhere except out the window. She wasn't sure she wanted to see how Hatori-san reacted to her sudden topic shift. Hatori-san had already taken the car down the unpaved road to Shigure-san's house by that time. Anju knew what she was proposing was a touchy subject.
"No." Hatori-san said simply.
"I don't understand," Anju sighed unhappily. "I've always gotten this feeling that he's not that nice of a person. But then I feel like I'm being mean because he's always been kind and civil toward me, like I'm not being fair to him. I should give him the benefit of the doubt, right?" Hatori-san was silent. They'd arrived home.
Review this time already.
-BS