Chapter 4: Thank You
"Rei, are you alright?" I shivered slightly and realized I was cold. Someone carefully laid a blanket over me. I gave another shiver. Then I discovered something. I wasn't on a bed, but on someone. I looked up, cracking my neck in the process and saw Haru. I had fallen asleep in his lap. I must have been more worn out and weak than I thought.
"Are you better now?" He asked quietly. His dark gentle eyes bored into mine. It took a moment for me to remember why I had even gotten a hug from Haru. I glanced around. I was still on the floor with Haru. Yuki, who had been at a student council meeting when the others had first come home, was asleep at the table with a bowl of half eaten rice in front of him. His book had fallen to the floor. Momiji was nowhere to be seen. Kyo and Tohru had drifted off lying on the sofa still sitting up. They were close together, they're heads just touching. I laughed silently. Kyo had finally found someone huh? Haru uncrossed his arms so I could stand up. I took the blanket from around my shoulders and laid it across Tohru and Kyo's legs. I drank in the scene around me like someone who has just learned how to see. I would never forget this moment. Perfect peace resounded throughout the household and I felt truly content. I grabbed another blanket from the floor and placed it around Yuki's shoulders. I patted his head gently once and walked back over to Haru.
Haru's P.O.V
What was she thinking? When she suddenly started shaking I thought she was scared again. But then I saw the happiness in her eyes. She couldn't smile yet, but her eyes said it all. While they were still dark, they showed what she was feeling. She was laughing. I glanced over to where Kyo and Tohru lay, and knew that if Shigure saw them like this he'd never let Kyo here the end of it. After Rei put a blanket on Kyo and Tohru's legs, I saw something flash on her face. It wasn't really a smile, more of a spasm. But a little more times like this and it would be her old smile. She took another quilt and put it around Yuki's shoulders. She tenderly stroked his hair for a moment and then turned back to me. She tilted her head slightly and then mouthed something. I raised an eyebrow. I didn't understand what she was trying to say. She picked up the discarded notepad from the floor and wrote something in her easy small writing.
Thank You.
Those two simple words struck a chord in my heart. This girl had suffered so much, and she was still thanking people. She was thanking me. Even though there was so much that I could've done. Even though it was my fault she'd suffered.