A/N: HERLO! I'm here to annoy the fuck out of you again. Kidding! We're going to explore (just there I wrote explode xD) Tohru's new living quarters! Golly gosh, I'm excited. Mostly because I haven't written anything yet :/
Sooo, Murph, the one who reviewed? I don't exactly (or at all) see how I could've offended my lovely Americano babes. I love you guys. And, contrary to your belief, I visited America for two weeks this summer, a week in April, two and a half weeks last summer, a week last years, about every year a week or so (either skiing of Florida). And my pazzys (parents :3 Isn't that such an awesomesauce word?) lived in Baltimore for a year when my eldest sister was a baby. And my aunt and uncle officially live there since...a year ago. But yes! For your other lovely review, thankers! That was soooo lovely of you! SUBLTETY is the key! Which many people seem to lack :/
But yeah. I'm beast with subtlety. It's practically my creed.
Mm, FadingNoctis, yeah? Such a babe! Loving the speculation. Yeah, you'll see ;) i mean...I think there's something...
So, this story, yeah? It got a bit out of hand... Let's just say I love Kyo too much. And Kyoru-ness. Typico. I'll fix something up for the net chapter...hopefully... :s AW WELLIO. I LOVE LADY AKITO! she's beast xD
Well, good luckio on reading this io! I hope it's not weird or complicated or shit :)
"Tohru, if I catch you trying to help our cooks again, I will not hesitate to leave you on the street with no food," Lady Akito's voice rang through the kitchen, where Tohru froze in the middle of stirring some soup. She had her own quarters, yes, and she and Tim often made breakfast. Tohru was usually out during lunch, and either attending dinner parties or dining in the main eating room.
Tohru was helping the chefs make lunch. And she's been caught. Again.
"S-sorry, my lady! I was just...helping," Tohru finished rather lamely, as she spun around to see Lady Akito glaring at her.
This was life at the Sohma estate. The manor was extortionately large, with several different wings. Tohru was in the east, which overlooked the Thames, and had four rooms for herself - her sleeping room, her eating room, her washing room and her living room. The eating room had a table as well as a kitchen, and Lady Akito insisted that Tohru had a small portion of her room dedicated solely to clothing.
Mr Kyo and Mr Yuki also stayed in the east wing. Mr Yuki had four rooms to himself as well, yet Mr Kyo had only two - sleeping and washing. Mr Hatsuharu, Lady Isuzu, Lady Kisa, Mr Hiro, and Mr Momiji stayed in the west wing, Lady Akito, her mother, and the mysterious man who lived with them were in the south, while Lord Ritsu, Lord Hatori, Lord Shigure and Lord Ayame resided in the north.
That is, when they were visiting. Lord Ayame had his own home closer to the Town, Lord Hatori ran a doctor's practise and lived in a small flat above it. Lord Ritsu was busy being schooled somewhere further out - he had taken on a voyage that took him closer to Europe.
It was rather odd. Tohru had first assumed they were all part of one same family, but it seemed it was not so: Lady Kisa and Mr Hatsuharu were siblings, orphaned by their parents' carriage overturning one day. All the lords had, of course, left their families. Mr Yuki and Mr Kyo refused to talk about their past. Mr Hiro, Mr Momiji and Lady Isuzu's mother had died during her childbirth to Hiro, and their father left them at the doorstep of the manor. There was also a woman called Lady Kagura - apparently at a ladies seminary, who was the only child of Lady Akito and another man.
This was, Tohru had reasoned, why Lady Isuzu and Mr Hatsuharu were allowed their romance.
Of course, there were downsides to staying at the manor - while it was luxurious and comfortable and very beautiful, she hadn't seen her papa in days (she had resided at the estate for a seven-night now), she wasn't allowed to cook or clean, she only saw her friends at balls and each of these dances were carefully watched over by Lady Akito, who insisted on buying Tohru a whole new wardrobe of clothes and bonnets and other frivolous things.
Tohru was rather overwhelmed.
Now, as Lady Akito shot her another scathing glare, Tohru let go of the stirring spoon and stepped forward.
"Thank you," Lady Akito said, though she did not sound very grateful at all. She then turned to the cooks. "I do recall telling you not to let Miss Tohru near the kitchen?"
"Sorry, ma'am," one of the cooks apologized. "She just- she's very persuasive."
Lady Akito raised an eyebrow. "Indeed?" she replied. "A very useful trait." She then ushered Tohru out the kitchen, towards the drawing room.
"Do sit," she said. "Lady Kisa and Lady Isuzu shall join you - I assume you have been missing female companions?"
Tohru barely even replied when Lady Akito left the room. Tohru let out a sigh of relief - the woman was rather intimidating to be around. However, what she spoke was of truth - Tohru had been missing female company dearly, ever surrounded by suitors or lords or Mr Yuki, who, though he still seemed to be sulking about the arranged marriage, brightened considerably whenever they crossed graces.
As for Mr Kyo...she could hardly say that. Whenever they talked, it was awkward, stilted, and he only ever seemed at ease when Mr Hatsuharu was there. The two seemed companianable, keeping up banter whenever they talked. Of course, there were times she saw Mr Kyo strangely angry, cursing and glaring and speaking in furious bursts.
There was one time, when Tohru had glanced out the window onto the gardens, she had seen Mr Kyo and Mr Hatsuharu in a terrible brawl. Mr Hatsuharu was even baring his chest, his eyes dark and angry. Lady Isuzu had been sitting on the grass, her face in her palm, watching with a bored expression. Mr Kyo wore not waistcoat, his shirt untucked, his boots off and no stockings to be seen. They looked far more at home fighting than they did as dandy gentlemen.
Mr Kyo seemed to be winning the battle, his fist connecting with Mr Hatsuharu's face while the latter's leg kicked out - which Mr Kyo blocked with his other hand. This seemed to go on forever, Tohru opening her window slightly and leaning out, hearing the crude comments and yells the two exchanged. Eventually, Lady Isuzu glanced up, smirking a little, and said something.
Mr Hatsuharu looked at Lady Isuzu - his eyes strangely calmer than before - and started laughing. Mr Kyo looked up, and saw Tohru staring at them. She flushed bright red - as did he, she noted - and slammed the window shut, while Mr Hatsuharu picked up his shirt and began to button it up.
"Miss Tohru?" a shy, quiet voice said. "Lady Akito sent us."
Tohru now looked over to see Lady Kisa, the young, gentle girl who often talked with Mr Hiro.
"Lady Kisa," Tohru greeted her with a warm smile, gesturing to the sofa opposite for the girl to sit. Lady Isuzu nodded hello, then took her place beside Lady Kisa.
A silence lapsed, disturbed only by the sound of Lady Kisa coughing.
A moment passed, then Lady Isuzu said, "We were planning to go shopping this afternoon."
Tohru nodded. "For the ball tomorrow night?" she clarified.
Lady Isuzu nodded. Lady Kisa smiled. "Would you like to join us?" she asked cheerfully.
"Of course! It would be an honour!" Tohru exclaimed. To go shopping with the reknowned Sohma? Saki and Arisa would be so envious.
Lady Isuzu nodded again. "We leave after lunch. Mr Hatsuharu, Mr Hiro and..." Lady Isuzu glanced at Tohru. "...a suitor of your choice may join us."
Tohru flushed bright red. What could Lady Isuzu be implying? That both Mr Yuki and Mr Kyo were merely...
...pawns in some little game?
"Mr Yuki," Tohru said firmly. "I'm sure he would enjoy such things."
Lady Isuzu raised an eyebrow. Lady Kisa gasped, clamping a hand to her mouth. Tohru's heart turned cold as she slowly looked behind, where Lady Kisa seemed to be staring, eyes wide.
There stood Mr Hiro, Mr Hatsuharu, Mr Kyo and Mr Yuki (Mr Momiji was, alas, still ill), watching the exchange. Mr Hatsuharu walked purposefully towards Lady Kisa and Lady Isuzu, nodding to them. Mr Hiro shot a look of disgust to Tohru before offering Lady Kisa his arm (she accepted it quite happily). Mr Yuki looked shocked for a moment, then rather smug.
Mr Kyo didn't react at all, his eyes, stony, staring ahead, his hands behind his back - like he was used to this.
Lady Kisa and Lady Isuzu stood up. "Lunch, Miss Honda?" Mr Yuki asked softly.
She shook her head. "Please, tell Lady Akito I am not hungry," she replied, gazing in front of her.
She heard people leaving, feet against the flooring, hushed voices. Then quiet; finally.
"Miss Tohru." Somehow, this did not surprise her. Of course he would stay.
"Mr Kyo."
She glanced behind her - he wasn't standing up, he was sitting, leaning against the back of Tohru's chair. He looked at her.
They were so close.
"Why are you not eating?" she asked quietly.
"I prefer to eat on my own; when I feel like it," he explained, his voice equally low. She nodded. "And you?"
"Not hungry."
Tohru didn't feel like she had to make her excuses about why she wasn't taking him with her to the shops - she was much more content, just sitting with him. He also seemed to feel this way, not pushing any conversation subjects.
"You often shop with your lover?" he then asked.
Tohru smiled. "I don't recall ever having shopped with you." She leaned back in the seat, turning round to look at him. He was smiling.
"So forward," he said, his voice barely a whisper. His eyes were gleaming, watching carefully for her response.
She bit her lip, trying to conceal her smile. Of course, it hardly worked. "Well," she said, her voice almost inaudible - he had to lean in to hear. "Do you not prefer it that way?"
He couldn't answer, however, as his lips were suddenly occupied with that of the innocent, modest, demure Tohru Honda. She pulled back after a moment, her eyes sparkling, grinning widely - she couldn't tell if it was from Kyo's reaction or from the strange rush powering through her.
"I must say I do," he finally replied, his eyes brightening wickedly.
She smiled and he chuckled, both oblivious to the gentleman turning away from the scene, back to the eating room, where he said that Miss Honda did not feel like joining them.
He made no excuses for Kyo - and no one asked about him. Instead, they carried on eating, discussing where they would shop and the ball the next evening.
However, back in the drawing room, Tohru was having her...second, third, forth and fifth kisses. They were simplistic - breathtaking and lovely, strange but almost completely welcoming. If Mr Yuki's kiss made her fingertips tingle, Kyo's made Tohru feel as if her entire body was on fire.
And she had known him merely a week - ten days, in fact. And yet she could kiss him? Why, it had taken her almost a month to work up the courage to even speak with Mr Yuki! But Kyo was not Mr Yuki: he was of another species entirely, far more endearing, enchanting, enthralling and different. If Mr Yuki was the tamest man of the ballroom, Kyo was the exact opposite.
He was there. And currently, Mr Yuki wasn't.
Tohru had given up her seat on the armchair - it was now replaced with the floor, of which she was sitting on, her legs lying out in front of her. Kyo was beside her, his arm cautiously round her waist, a hand to her face.
There weren't kissing now - his forehead was pressed against the cloth on her shoulder, as she mumbled something in his ear. She absent-mindedly stroked his hair - such a bright, bright colour.
"Miss Tohru?"
They froze. The voice didn't come from the room they were in, however, somewhere just outside. Kyo jumped up, taking Tohru's hand and pulling her up with him. He kissed her again - softly, sweetly, swiftly - before whispering, "I was never here," and running silently out the room, winking at Tohru.
She collapsed into the chair, her face flushed. She could, now, hardly believe the secret kisses they'd been sharing. Then, feelings of adrenaline and something rushed through her body, filling her up with admiration - and love? - only for him. But now...
"Miss Tohru!" Lady Kisa sighed. "We were looking for you." The girl took in Tohru's dischivelled appearance and gasped. "Dear Miss Tohru! Are you quite alright? My, you're so flushed!"
Tohru forced a smile. "I'm quite fine, Lady Kisa," she said - despite the fact she didn't feel quite fine at all. She couldn't tell if it was because she might be ashamed of how she was acting with Kyo, or because she was sad that he now wasn't here.
Tohru tried her best not to dwell on this. Instead, she got ready for the shopping trip, where they all piled into several carriages.
She found herself alone with Lady Isuzu. The silence was heavy, difficult, lodging itself between them.
Finally, Lady Isuzu said, "I trust you will handle them well?" Tohru didn't even have to ask who she was talking about.
"I don't know," Tohru sighed. "Kyo is to be my husband, but I have always loved Mr Yuki."
Lady Isuzu continued examining her nails. "Really?" she asked, and though she looked disinterested, her voice was sharp, and, in the brief moment her eyes met with Tohru's, even doubtful.
These feelings spread over Tohru now. Didn't she? Of course. Had she not seen Mr Yuki at every ball she attended, watched him out of the corner of her eye, feeling so thrilled and happy whenever he chose her to dance with?
"I..." Tohru didn't understand. She had kissed him - didn't that mean something? But of course, she had recently kissed Kyo: which maybe meant something more. "I don't know."
Tohru couldn't see Lady Isuzu's reaction, she only noted the clean flooring of the carriage, but she heard it well enough.
"What about Kyo?"
Tohru's eyes widened.
"He's-"
"Cursed?"
Tohru's head snapped back up to stare, shocked, at Lady Isuzu. The latter now had her fingers fluttering near her mouth, looking surprised at her own word.
"I-I did not-"
"What do you mean by-"
They stopped speaking, respectively, and in turn just looked at each other.
"That was my mistake," Lady Isuzu said eventually, her voice quiet.
"Then it shall not be noted," Tohru replied evenly. "But...is what you say true?"
Lady Isuzu leveled her intense gaze with Tohru's own, sincere one.
"It's twisted," she soon breathed. "And beautiful. I doubt the likes of you would be able to even comprehend it, but..." Tohru leaned forward, too interested to stop her actions. "...it barely affects us all anymore."
Lady Isuzu shook her head, sighing. Tohru bit her lip.
"Kyo is a special case - you will see soon. But I..." She looked troubled. "I should not have told you any of this. Please - make sure Lady Akito learns not of this."
Tohru nodded fervently. "Of course, my lady," she promised.
The carriage stopped suddenly, jerking Tohru forward.
"What happened?" Lady Isuzu demanded, stepping out the carriage - this one had was no open-top, due to the rather miserable weather they were enduring.
The coachman appeared at the door, hastily blocking Lady Isuzu's way.
"A terrible accident, Miss," he said, glancing to and fro. "You mustn't leave the carriage."
Lady Isuzu scowled, but took her seat. "Who was in this 'terrible accident'?" she asked loftily. "Surely none of our coachmen could have caused such a problem."
The man shook his head frantically. "But Miss, it was. One of your own carriages," he said truthfully.
"What carriage?" Lady Isuzu asked sharply.
The coachman glanced outside. "Looks like the phaeton, Miss," he answered.
Lady Isuzu's eyes widened - for now, she looked terrified.
"Mr Haru was taking the phaeton," she gasped. "With Mr Yuki."
Tohru felt herself react to this. Her mouth dropped open, her eyes became wide, she felt worried - but no tears welled up, contrary to what was happening to Lady Isuzu. The stubborn woman wiped at her eyes, shooting a look at Tohru for watching that suggested she didn't. The younger girl looked away, still feeling surprised - now due to the fact that she wasn't crying, despite it was her beloved involved in this accident.
Her beloved...
"What happened to the coachman?" she asked now, the strange sense of foreboding silently washing over her.
"The coachman..." the man repeated. He looked back outside, hopping off the steps. He returned a few minutes later, saving Lady Isuzu from jumping down and demanding to know what happed. "He was involved in the accident. We're not entirely sure what caused the accident, Miss, but some says they saw a man cross the road and the horses got awful anxious."
Lady Isuzu nodded slowly. "I see... Mr Kyo is present, is he not?"
Tohru fought to keep herself breathing.
"The driver, Miss. Mr Yuki insisted."
"Ky-" Tohru clamped a hand over her mouth, cutting short her worried (no, not worried, rather terrified) exclamation.
Lady Isuzu raised an eyebrow.
"Mr Yuki always makes Mr Kyo drive for him," she sighed despairingly. "Mr Yuki despises him."
Mr Yuki.
"Are they not hurt?" Tohru yelped immediately, springing to her feet. Lady Isuzu laid a hand on her arm, forcing her to sit again.
"Most likely," she replied.
"But then-" Tohru gasped. If she hadn't been crying before, she now was.
The coachman looked around in some kind of panic - he was clearly not used to women weeping. "I-I'll check outside again," he muttered, then leaped away from them.
"Miss Tohru," Lady Isuzu gently. "I'm sure nothing too terrible will happen."
"But Lady Kisa and Mr Hatsuharu's parents died in a carriage accident!" Tohru pointed out sadly. "What if this has the same results?"
Lady Isuzu's lips were set in a grim - but determined - line. "I am trying not to think of that," she said evenly. "Are you not meant to be cheerful in these times?"
Cheerful... Tohru nodded reluctantly. "Indeed, my lady," she said quietly. "Forgive me."
Lady Isuzu nodded, closing her eyes.
This was going to be quite a long wait.
Tohru sighed, glancing at the flooring. An accident. Not just an accident - an accident which involved Mr Hatsuharu and Mr Yuki and Mr Kyo. Tohru found herself unable to tell which one she was worried about most. Indeed - how on earth did Kyo make it to be a coachman? How did he get there? Why was he trained to ride horses, yet Mr Yuki (as he had often said, smiling) been educated at Eton? For that matter, why on earth had Kyo gone to Scotland?
"Cursed?"
No. Surely not. He couldn't be. Why on earth would he? But then, why would Lady Isuzu lie? Why would she play such sick little games?
This was Lady Isuzu, after all. One of the most refined, beautiful, elegant women in Town. She had no need to lie, no urgency to hide the truth - she wouldn't do this.
"It's twisted. And beautiful."
Tohru doubted she'd ever make sense of Lady Isuzu's words. How could something twisted be beautiful? But of course...
Why wouldn't it be? Mr Kyo seemed as twisted as he was beautiful - not that she could quite say such things, she hardly knew the twisted sides of him...
Apart from when he was angry, terribly angry, pounding the table with his fist as he spoke in those short, sharp bursts, looking up every now and then, spitting out his words at Mr Hatsuharu, angry and deceitful and she'd never seen him cry.
"Rin," a voice croaks out quietly, "I'm fine."
The girl's hair swishes as she shakes her head frantically. "I was so worried," she said sadly. "I thought..."
"I'm fine," the voice rasps out again. "Fine."
Tohru bit her lip as she glanced at Kyo. He shrugged, the peered in again at the room, seeing Mr Hatsuharu sprawled across the sofa, Lady Isuzu kneeling beside it.
"Are you sure we should stay?" Tohru asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Kyo nodded, irritated. "There's no other way to get to the kitchen." He shook his head, sighing. "They just had to pick this room."
Tohru gave him a reprimanding look, but said nothing - she so dearly wanted to, but speaking would mean missing out on what Mr Hatsuharu was going to say.
"I have to say," he said, sounding amused, "I'm more worried about Kyo - Yuki's certainly going to bash him up."
"Don't speak so," Lady Isuzu scolded. "Although Yuki does sound rather furious."
Mr Hatsuharu nodded gravely. "He'll beat Kyo to a pulp," he declared. "I hope he doesn't kill him - the hag might not enjoy that."
Lady Isuzu. "Kyo will kill you if you say that to his face. He never did enjoy being beaten by Yuki." Lady Isuzu paused, then added, "And you speak of him so as if he is merely a pawn in this game."
Mr Hatsuharu looked up at Lady Isuzu, the door open at such an angle that Tohru could just make out the expression on his face. Unfathomable, dark, mysterious - twisted and almost beautiful?
"Isn't he?" he asked quietly. Next to Tohru, Kyo stiffened, his eyes downcast, his face tight. Didn't this bother him more?
Lady Isuzu, however, didn't respond to Mr Hatsuharu's comment, and instead he said, "It will be a while before he gets better, won't it?"
"Quite a while, yes," Lady Isuzu agreed.
Tohru swallowed the lump in her throat, thinking of Mr Yuki - the person the accident had harmed most. His clothes were torn and he was swathed in bandages. He could barely speak and he had servants attending to him every day, shooing Tohru away if she stayed by his side too long. Then she felt so guilty because she wasn't beside her love in his time of weakness.
Of course, he wasn't the only one who was weak. Mr Hatsuharu had, of course, also suffered. A bandage on his face, one on his leg (or so he had said - Tohru had never seen the evidence), and he now walked with a limp. Lady Isuzu was with him at all times, whatever any servants would say. She was fiercely loyal to Mr Hatsuharu - and rather fierce to anyone who tried to stop her.
Then there was Kyo. Tohru glanced at him, now watching the scene in front intently. Either he had recovered from the snub, or was hiding any hurt convincingly well. During the...incident. Apparently the horses had gotten frantic due to something or another, and had tugging at the reins. Kyo had fought to remain strong and steady but of course - horses weighed much more than a man, and two were even worse. They had eventually jerked free, taking the carriage - and all its occupants - down. Kyo was the least injured of all. A bruise on his chin, a wound on his chest (but of course, she hadn't seen it!) and a long, thin red line down his arm.
Tohru glanced at it now - revealed, as Kyo had a tendency to roll up his shirt sleeves. He had insisted he didn't need bandages for it, that it was just a little scratch, that he'd be fine.
It was so red, so scarlet... And he was so...
"...clothes for the ball?"
Kyo sighed, then grinned down at Tohru. They'd finally stopped speaking about the...emotional things that meant Kyo and Tohru couldn't enter to reach the kitchen. He stretched his arms out in front of him, then entered the room.
Tohru followed his lead, glancing at Mr Hatsuharu and Lady Isuzu.
"Miss Tohru," Lady Isuzu said finally. "Kyo."
"Lady Isuzu!" she said happily. "And Mr Hatsuharu."
Kyo barely looked at them.
"Miss Tohru, ma cherie, hello," Mr Hatsuharu said gleefully. "And if it isn't Kyo."
Kyo spun round on his heel (Tohru nearly walked into him) and glared at Mr Hatsuharu.
"Haru," he said. "Stop acting French." He then turned to Lady Isuzu, and bowed. "Rin."
She raised an eyebrow. "I'll have you address me properly, Kyo," she said, rather emotionlessly.
Mr Hatsuharu sighed. "Rin..." he muttered quietly, glancing at her.
"He ought to know where he stands," she replied, not moving her gaze from Kyo's.
"I..." Kyo glanced at Mr Hatsuharu, who shrugged, and glared at Lady Isuzu. "Lady Rin. I'll address you however I want."
"And I wonder what Lady Akito will say to that?" Lady Isuzu said loftily, ignoring Mr Hatsuharu's pleading looks.
Kyo seemed to snap. Right in front fo Tohru's eyes, he broke his composure, his face filled with rage, his fists clenched.
This was the Kyo she often saw with Mr Hatsuharu when they were both furious, the one who could barely restrain himself.
Mr Yuki would never do that.
"Don't say those things!" Kyo now exclaimed, his voice filled with anger. "You don't have to bother, you're just a lady, you've never had to-"
"What?" Lady Isuzu interupted quietly. "I never had to what?"
Tohru decided she would never get on the lady's bad side - her cool eyes were flashing, her face set in a cold, triumphant tilt.
She slid her eyes to Tohru, who flushed as the woman's penetrating eyes looked into her own. Kyo glanced back to Tohru, looking startled for a moment. Then he sighed, and turned away, leaving Tohru in the drawing room as he left her.
Mr Hatsuharu shrugged again, and Tohru looked rather panicked.
"It's his own fault..." Lady Isuzu said, her voice pensive and light. "After all..."
Tohru decided she would rather not hear the rest of what the lady had to say, and hurried after Kyo.
A/N: Finders keepers, it's all just a lie, you'll never find her, cause she's too hard to find... That's becoming a habit. Guys, give it up for You Me At Six, and their wondrous song Finders Keepers.
8D Soo... What did you think, hm? Do the Mr's and Miss' and Lady's and (few) Lord's bother you? They annoy the fuck out of me. It's all 'blah blah blah dammit I forgot to give Yuki a Mr! blah blah blah dammit, Kyo doesn't have a Mr!' and so on.
I came up with all those incidents as I wrote. basically like 'type type type - omg, what about this! - type type type - oh! and this! - type type type - and th- no, that's shit - type type type - FUCK YES, I am a goddess!'
The sad thing is that I have actually told myself before. Because I'm THAT modest.
I know.
Anyway! I LOVE when Tohru and Lady Isuzu are in their darling carriage! I think that was good :3
More of your darling feedback and critisism and OFMG I love YMS or ATL or The Lion King too! Wowzawow!
I LURVE YOUR HIGHLY WONDROUS HEARTS VAIRY MUCH (god knows why).
