The wind chimes sang their beautiful song as the wind blew them against each other. The breeze blew gently against Tohru's face, and she slowly began waking up. Somewhere close by she could hear water dripping and splashing against the rocks. The warmth and the light of the sun spilled over her face, opening her eyes slowly and looking out toward the doors of the porch she was laying beside. Outside there was a pond and a garden full of flowers of all kinds. Tohru's eyes widened as she looked at the garden with sparkling eyes, a smile spreading across her face. She didn't know where she was, but she knew that she immediately liked it here.

She was lying in blankets, her head resting on a pillow. Her bed was next to a door leading to a porch, but besides that the room was empty, but at the same time well kept. As she sat up to get a better look at her surroundings, she felt her knees bump against something and heard the clatter of dishes.

* * * * Tohru's POV * * * *

I mumbled curiously, looking over at what it was that was on my lap. I soon discovered the source of the clattering; there was a tray with breakfast laid out on it, fork, knife, napkin and all.

"Wow! This looks great!" I realised, after looking a little more closely, that I had no clue where it had come from, or who made it. I jumped as I heard a soft, handsome chuckle, and looked up to find Yuki sitting down inches away from me, staring at me with those attractive, laughing eyes.

"Good morning, Honda-san," he said, attempting to stifle his quiet laughter. "Nice to see you awake again." He smiled his usual smile; a sad one. I had seen him at school a lot, since he was in my class, and I had never seen him smile. I mean, really smile. See, you can tell when a person is really smiling, and when they're not. It has to reach their eyes. They seem to have a light in them, a kind of happiness that spreads around to anyone near enough to see it. But with Yuki… his eyes stayed black, with a light shining dimly.

He looked at me now with those eyes, his head tilted to the side, half-smiling. Even though he seemed sad, he was still very good-looking, the Prince of the school…and he was sitting inches away from me! I could feel my face turn red, and my heart started pounding. I really didn't know what to say around Yuki. And why was he here in the first place?

"H-hello Sohma-kun," I said shakily. I tried to be as formal and polite as possible. I didn't want him to think that I was being disrespectful. "What brings you here?"

"Really," Yuki started, his brow creasing slightly. He walked over and sat down beside me, touching his fingertips to my face. He said very quietly, his eyes dark and searching. "Why are you being so formal, Tohru?" I stared back at him with widened eyes, confused. He paused, catching his thoughts, and looked at me straight in the eyes. "You don't…remember anything…about me, do you?"

I looked at Yuki's face closely since the first time I woke up. His gaze was searching; his eyes darted back and forth, looking for something in mine. His face was bandaged up in certain places, covering a few bruises on his face. He looked pretty….terrible. It really surprised me; I had only seen him look perfect. But now he was far from it. Dark shadows coloured his eyes. His silver hair, almost always an attractive mess of a style, was now in disarray. My heart began to race as I stared at Yuki, concern washing over me.

His fingers slipped past my cheek, his palm against my face. We were very close now, and it was almost as if he was trying to get as close as possible, hoping that maybe the closer he got the more pressure forced me to remember. My eyes widened and my heart raced, and I could feel my body suddenly turn rigid. I could only stare into his deep, dark eyes.

"Tohru," he said quietly, as if trying to call back my memories. But I really couldn't remember anything specific about him, and his closeness was sending my thoughts in a quiet whirl.

"Yuki, I…" I moved back a bit away from him, his closeness now becoming uncomfortable. "I don't know what you mean." I looked at his face to see his reaction, but there was nothing. I tried to lighten the suddenly grim atmosphere. "But I do remember this; I've always wanted to get to know you better. So I'm very grateful for you being here to visit me." I paused, looking into his searching eyes. My answer didn't seem to satisfy him; he looked away, his brow creased in a frustrated glare directed at the floor. I put my hand on his tentatively; trying to quell whatever it was that seemed to be bothering him.

"Try to remember." he said, his eyes suddenly dark, his hand on my face holding pressure. "Tohru, you have to try."

I stared at my plate with a muddled expression, as if willing it to reveal its secret. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realised that I really didn't know where I was. I tried to think of the last thing I remembered, but the only thing I reached was a black wall in my mind.

I don't understand…, I thought. What happened to me? Why can't I remember anything? Suddenly I yelped as I felt my body being pushed back and driven to the floor by a hurtling force that exclaimed loudly, "TOHRU!"

I hit against the floor, along with my breakfast, and stared up into Uo's face, who was grinning widely and had her arms wrapped around my neck.

"Tohru!" she exclaimed again, with less volume and less force. She smiled again, happy but scolding at the same time. "I was so worried about you!" She pummelled me on the head. "Don't you ever do something like that again! I was just about ready to go after those guys with my pole!" she gripped at the air as if wishing she was holding the pole right now.

"Uh, um, Uo!" I said, dazed, fumbling to find my words. I considered apologizing for making her worried, but then realized that I didn't even know why she had been worried, and so decided to ask the next best question. "Um, what exactly did I do?"

"That's a pretty long story, and I think you should eat your breakfast before I tell you." Uo paused and looked around. "Where is your breakfast, anyway? I was pretty sure I told that damn boy to bring it to you this morning…" she growled, sneering. I mumbled nervously, my hands outstretched to Uo, trying to hold her back if she tried to run off on some sort of damn-boy-pummelling spree and grab her pole.

"If you're looking for Tohru's breakfast, you're sitting on it." A solemn voice said from the doorway. Uo and I looked up, surprised, and found Hanajima standing by the doorway, her long midnight black hair flowing down her back. "Hello, Sohma-kun." she said, nodding toward Yuki. He nodded back stiffly, seeming to be lost in his thoughts. She turned her gaze on me now, her eyes softening as she smiled slightly. "Tohru, I'm so glad you're feeling better."

"Ah, I'm sorry Tohru," Uo said, attempting to restore the surviving pieces of my breakfast. She winced.

"No, really, its fine!" I blurted out. I paused as they looked over at me incredulously, and then said more quietly, "Thank you. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but for some reason I feel as though you two took good care of me."

"You would have done the same for us," Uo said with a grin. She paused then, toying with her hair that was pinned back, as if thinking about something, and then gasped, looking at me with excited eyes. "Tohru," she started, her voice rising with her excitement. "Do you know where we are?"

I paused and looked around. It actually wasn't familiar, especially the pond and the garden outside. The room was very simple, and the door gave absolutely nothing away as to what was on its other side.

"I really have no clue," I admitted, curious. "Where are we?"

At this point Uo seemed as though she was just about ready to blurt out the whole story in one breath, but instead began in a quick rush while gripping my blankets, "You won't believe it, Tohru! Your father bought this house a few years ago."

"This is my father's house?" I exclaimed, surprised. They nodded. I couldn't believe it! My father had a house in Japan this whole time, and I hadn't even heard about it! I was itching to ask more, but then I suddenly realized something. "But why am I here? I don't remember much…" I said, unsettled. I didn't remember getting hurt, and I definitely didn't feel sick…just a little uneasy about not remembering what had happened.

"Well, it turns out that you fell down the steps at your grand-father's house." Uo said, her eyebrows slanted with concern. "They brought you here afterwards, explaining what happened. The doctor said you were fine, and you just had a few scratches and bruises from the fall, but I knew you'd tough it out. Your grand-father barely left your side, that is, until a few minutes ago, when you decided to wake up."

"It was strange," Hanajima said quietly, and quite creepily, a fan up to her face as she gazed off into the distance. "You weren't hurt physically enough to put you into unconsciousness, but you were. You seemed to have withdrawn into your thoughts…" she trailed off, her eyebrows slanted slightly.

"How did I get here?" There was no way grandpa could have driven me. Last time he tried to drive he nearly put us in the ditch. Yup, ojisan was really quite the driver…

"That…idiot brought you back." She sneered at the mention of whoever-it-was' existence. For some reason that reaction rang a bell, but I couldn't quite remember why. I looked at her, puzzled. "Kyon-kyon." she added, as if that would help me anymore. I heard Yuki, who had been silent during most of the exchange, scoff at the nickname. For some reason this reminded me of school, but I couldn't see the face in my mind. Hanajima nodded and sat down next to me, her long, black locks bouncing off her back.

"Tohru, dear, if you don't remember, maybe its best to wait until you get your memories back to tell you the full story." she patted my hand affectionately.

"Thank you," I said, smiling. I was so thankful to have friends like this, who would worry about me and keep me well while I was unconscious for days. She nodded in encouragement, and looked over at my spilt tray of food with dismay. I shivered slightly; if I didn't know better I would almost say that I could feel the waves she was putting off toward Uo.

"Arisa, looks like because of you we'll have to be making Tohru a new breakfast." she shot a look at Uo that suggested if she didn't…

Uo frowned slightly. She didn't like it when Hana threatened to use her powers on her. She was one of the only people I know that didn't run away screaming. After a look at me, though, she softened up.

"Well ok. But don't get too lonely, okay Tohru? And Princey, don't try anything tricky. We'll be right back." Uo glared threateningly over at Yuki and then got up and they both slid out the door.

It was silent.

Yuki and I were the only ones left in the room. He had mostly remained quiet during the whole thing. I looked over at him, rigid once again. His presence shocked me, and I wasn't quite used to seeing his face yet. When our eyes met he looked away quickly, and so did I, but soon after I peeked up. He was looking away, frustrated, but in some kind of self control. I could almost hear the battle raging in his head. My face flushed, and I could feel the blush coloring my cheeks. He couldn't be that frustrated because of me…right?

Suddenly he got up from his chair, pushing it back against the floor. I got up too, following his gaze. He was going to leave, and I didn't blame him, but I felt my heart flutter with disappointment. I felt bad for making him want to leave. We both stared at the floor awkwardly, him frustrated and me not really knowing what to say. He moved closer to me once again, and put his hand on my arm.

"Bye, Tohru." he said, and ruffled my hair uncertainly. I looked up into his eyes and smiled, a bit confused. He smiled one last time and began walking out the door. Before he was half way out, I started, realizing that I might not see him for a while.

"Thank you." I said suddenly, not really understanding why I was saying it, but feeling that somehow I needed to. He turned around, his gaze questioning. I swallowed and started again, trying to make more sense of this.

"Thank you," I repeated, and then said a bit awkwardly, "For still being my friend." The last part has seemed to rush out automatically. I didn't know why I said it, just knew that I meant it. I felt so grateful that he was here, checking up on me and trying desperately to help me, from whatever it was that I couldn't know about.

He stood as still as stone, staring at me, looking completely and utterly shocked by what I had said. And then I couldn't help myself….I started laughing. At first it was a giggle, and I tried to cover it up with my hands, but couldn't help myself and exploded into full-out laughter. He watched me laughing, serious and shocked as ever.

"I-I'm sorry," I said through the laughter, my eyes tearing up. "I don't really know why I'm laughing, it's just…well, you looked so funny! The expression on your face..ahah..haha!"

I started doubling over. And then suddenly, I heard something beautiful; he started laughing too. I looked up in surprise, and stopped laughing, the shock of hearing his real laugh stopping me. He too was laughing very hard, and smiling so brightly I feared it would consume us all. My mouth dropped in amazement. He was even more beautiful when he laughed, and especially when he smiled.

"Tohru," he said, walking over to me, still smiling brightly. He placed a hand against my hair. "I promised you that I would stay your friend, no matter what happened to you. So you're welcome." And then he walked out the door, and was gone.

I felt a bit flustered after having him so close by, his hand on my face, but I was happy that he was happy. But what promise is he talking about? I wondered. He seems to know me so well, and it seems as though we might have been friends once…but I just can't remember!

For some reason, that reminded me of something. I could feel the memories there, as if they were hidden. Yuki and I, outside…Yuki, giving me a gift…Yuki, kissing me on the forehead… I gasped audibly at the last one, my heart racing. Whatever they were, if they were memories or dreams, they were so fragmented I couldn't be sure of what they meant, but that last one…I shut my eyes tight, trying to make sense of all of this. I tried to put those thoughts back together, but they had gone as fast as they had come; I couldn't remember a thing.

Uo came through the door, holding up a tray with a similar breakfast to the one she had knocked over, staring off at the direction Yuki had left in, her eyebrows raised. She turned to look at me.

"What the hell was that?" she asked. I started giggling, which lead to more laughter.

"What was the joke?" Hanajima inquired when she reached the room, holding a glass of juice in her hand. That made me laugh even harder.

"Oh god, I think princey drugged her!" Uo put her hands on her face in horror. I shook my head quickly, smiling.

"No, that's not it! It's just…" I was cut off by a piece of flying food that hurtled into my mouth. I made a muffled exclamation.

"Time to eat!" Uo exclaimed, smiling wickedly. I slowly began to eat, realizing how hungry I was. "And," she continued, putting up her index finger in emphasis, "I think it's about time we tell you where you are!" I nodded in encouragement, my mouth stuffed with food.

"This beautiful, awesome house," Uo said. "Is yours!" I stared wide-eyed at my two friends before my jaw dropped and I exclaimed,

"What?!" I shrieked, more surprised than I had ever been in my whole life.

"Yup," Uo said, putting her hands on her hips. "You father left this house for you and your mom before he died." She smiled. Hanajima nodded in agreement.

"You grand-father came across the bills the other day…it seems he's been keeping it up for quite some time, but he kept forgetting it existed…" Hanajima trailed off, and shrugged her shoulders, at a loss for words at grandpa's forgetfulness. I laughed at the thought.

"Yup, that sure does sound like ojisan." I said.

"He'll be moving in here with you in the next few days. Looks like you won't need renovations after all!" Uo said, a satisfied look on her face. She was happy that we finally had somewhere suitable to live in.

"Could you guys show me the rest of the house?" I asked, very excited to see the rest of it. "I'd really like a tour of the garden, too!"

"Sure thing!" Uo said. "Tour of Tohru's new house, part one! Please follow me in this direction to the garden."

I contented myself by looking out around us at the beautiful design of plants and stones, with a small pond. It was all very calming. I started envisioning all the things I could do out here. And then, an idea came to me. For one reason or another, I really wanted to plant a garden. And have strawberries in it. I smiled slightly, and I knew that I would love this house. Life finally seemed to be mending itself after Mom's death.

"Alright, let's get to work!"