Change of Fate

by Makitog

Tohru has changed the Sohmas in many ways after meeting them. But what happens when Akito demands her time with them to be forgotten, with a twist? Would their lives be different? Set somewhere during the middle of the series. Tohru Honda, Yuki, Kyo, Shigure, Hatori Sohma. Possible pairings. R&R -Story starts off slow, but it gets better!- **ON HIATUS!**

7. Encountering Remnants

Change of Fate: Chapter 7
-Encountering Remnants-

The next day came quicker than she would have thought. Tohru ran a brush through her long brunette hair, looking at herself contently in the mirror. She had washed her face in the bathroom early this morning, now enjoying the way her skin felt. She ran her fingers across her cheek for the softened texture. It was if she had been completely refreshed inside and out. She parted her hair at the back and pulled the two sides forward. Tohru was ready for the day. She had her school uniform on. All that she needed now was to prepare and eat breakfast.

Tohru slipped into the kitchen, peering around the place as she went to wrap her fingers around the stainless steel handle of the fridge and pull it open. Her brown eyes met the various items that sat untouched on each of the three shelves. She hadn't taken much time to examine his fridge yesterday morning, but when she had, she found a slight flaw in Hatori's words.

When she had looked in the fridge again around lunch time, she was astonished to see what was inside. There had been a small carton of milk, a pitcher of cold water and raspberry juice that was on the top shelf, along with a light-weight egg carton. When Tohru took the egg carton out and peeked in, her suspicions were correct: there were only four white-shelled eggs left, two taken for breakfast. With her mind elsewhere, she hadn't realized that they would be running out of eggs soon. Tohru had then decided in that moment she would buy groceries. She was eating his food after all! There hadn't been much on the other two shelves below. A plate of half-eaten sushi, which was saran-wrapped, looked to have gone bad. Beside it was a rotting orange, a bag of wilting lettuce, leeks and shrivelling cucumbers. A few yellow-red apples were sitting by their lonesome near the back. Tohru's nose had wrinkled at the sight of the last shelf where a few onions and radishes lounged. There wasn't much to work with.

With a quick shake Tohru returned to the moment and took out the carton of eggs, block of cheddar cheese she found (she was happy to see there was no mold on it), leeks, and the white radish. She placed them on the counter, once again returning to the spice cupboard to pull out salt, pepper and an interesting-sounding herb. Tohru grabbed the bag of rice, sugar, and dashi soup stock from the pantry as well. She set them out as she usually did while preparing anything. She took a shallow pan and pot out, each with a lid, and set the pan on an element. The girl carried the pot to the sink to fill it with water, already beginning to hum a tune to herself. She turned the tap off once she had enough water, returning to the stove. The young cook set the pot on the second front element and clicked the heat on, sprinkling salt into the liquid.

She gave a blink as she took a bowl, cracking eggs into it and beating. After taking out a ceramic cutting board she washed each vegetable and then began slicing the leeks and grating the radish. Tohru put a few teaspoons of sugar into the beaten eggs, as well as the soup stock and leeks. She quickly mixed everything together, pouring the omelette mixture into the heated pan. All she had to do now was to wait for the pot of water to boil.

Hatori Sohma then entered the kitchen, surprised at the new scents that mingled with usually flavorless air. He watched Tohru from behind just as he had yesterday. She never failed to impress him. It might just be that he couldn't cook anything other than rice, but she was far too generous with what she seemed to be preparing for him. "Honda-san doesn't need to make two things for breakfast," he told her, noticing the bag of rice that she intended to use.

Tohru whipped around, startled. She had forgotten that Hatori was in the house! Already she was being a horrible guest and acting completely on her own. She clasped her hands together quickly, bowing her head. "I'm sorry. I thought I could start breakfast like I did yesterday and…" She stopped as Hatori continued with his stare. "I usually make more when I'm at Shigure-san's…" she trailed off again. "Eh, it's not too much, really." She turned back to the stove and busied herself with placing the lid on the pan just so. Right now she didn't want to think of what it would be like if she were back there. Kyo would have complained about the leeks, watching over her shoulder, while Yuki snapped smart comments to Kyo. Shigure would have been seated at the table with his glasses perched on his nose as he read the morning paper. Tohru knew he would be smirking at the two, and most likely complimenting Tohru while doing so. Already she missed it. The horrible truth was that she missed Yuki and Kyo fighting, she missed that they weren't arguing. Anything from them now would be an angelic gift to her.

Hatori could see how her mind was reeling over the Sohmas that had forgotten her. She needed a distraction, something different she could focus on. Yesterday she had focused on the conversations of Ayame, Shigure and he— as well as the house that she insisted needed cleaning all day. Today would be a stressful day as it was, he was sure. "Honda-san," he said carefully, trying to add warmth to his tone. "What time do classes start at your school? Is it 8:30am as it had once been?"

Tohru poured in the rice with her right hand, stirring with her left. "Yes. I should be there for that time, does Hatori-san need me to do something?" she asked.

Hatori went towards Tohru, standing at her side. "No, there is nothing I need; it's only 6:00am. Are you usually up this early in the day?" This hour of day was not a time for the girl to be up.

"Yes," Tohru said slowly. "I usually get everything ready for the day before school starts and make up a nourishing breakfast for Kyo-kun, Yuki-kun and Shigure-san," she explained, slowing down more as she felt Hatori's lightly disapproving gaze. "It's just, I had to repay them for everything they'd done and the least I could do was take care of things, it's my responsibility!" She seemed to freeze, sucking in a sudden breath. "Eh, it… it was…"

Hatori cursed inwardly at himself for reminding her indirectly of the other Sohmas. He knew personally that after losing someone the worst you could do was to be reminded of them. He was sure that in this circumstance it would be near impossible not to be reminded of them. She would be seeing the lost ones this morning, after all.

"I understand," he interrupted her beginnings of babble. If he could ease her mind, like he had said, he would do so. "If it's possible, is there something Honda-san feels she may be able to make this morning, something extra?" He watched as she bit her lip, looking to her left and thinking. "Shigure-san mentioned something about your baking," he said carefully. He hoped he wasn't coming off as too demanding.

At once Tohru's demeanor changed. "Ah, yes! Shigure-san would always ask me to bake him a western black forest cake! I've made a red velvet cake and a chocolate cake, too. But I'm not sure if Hatori-san has all of the ingredients. I can go buy them after school today. Right now I might be able to make a simple white cake, but I don't have anything to decorate it with. Maybe—"

"White cake would be fine," Hatori interrupted her suddenly. Any more of her suggestions and his stomach would begin to protest that he wasn't eating anything. He looked to the stove. Liquid was spewing over the sides of the pot, burning crisp against his stovetop. "Should you stir the rice?"

"Nyeh!" Tohru turned around to stir the pot it before quickly putting the lid on. The water was boiling. She turned the heat down some. In the conversation she'd forgotten about cooking altogether. "I can make Hatori-san his cake! I'm so happy he asked!" she said after her minor clumsy-cooking incident. She was too eager to bake! It would be just like back at Shigure's…

Hatori was glad, in a way.

"Hatori-san," Tohru said as she checked the omelette. It seemed bare. "Yesterday you told me that your house was stocked. Um, well, there wasn't a lot in the fridge and I was wondering if something happened, or maybe Hatori-san and I have different meanings of what a stocked fridge is." She mirrored Hatori as he blinked. "I'm sorry; it's just that I'm new to Hatori-san's kitchen!"

"I suppose that since I don't regularly eat here often, like you said, my idea of 'stocked' is less than what you have in mind. Since you'll be staying here I can tell the main house to add more to the fridge and pantry."

Tohru gave a slight shake of the head. "If it wouldn't be too much, I would like to buy the extra groceries for Hatori-san. Since he eats outside of his home usually I'll be the one cooking, I don't like to impose on other people. Me staying here is enough. And if Hatori-san starts getting more food than usual," she said suddenly squinting as her lips pursed, "wouldn't Akito-sama know and then suspect something?"

Hatori stared. The girl didn't get enough credit for her capabilities. What she said was too true. Akito had a strong tendency of possessiveness, and he often questioned his Zodiac about their habits and such. If changes were made to his normally-consistent activities and preferences Akito would for sure suspect something. "I see your point, Honda-san," Hatori said as he went to take a seat at the table now. "However I disagree that you should use your own money to pay for extra groceries. You should know by now that money to the Sohmas is no object. I can send money with you to pay for groceries you may need or like."

Tohru couldn't help but gasp. "Really, Hatori-san? I couldn't! That's too much! I—"

Hatori cleared his throat, letting his well-known stern look penetrate her. "Honda-san."

"A-Alright then," she said with her lips pulled back in a quivering smile, revealing her teeth. "Thank you!" She bowed to him before turning to the stove once more. "I can make the cake for Hatori-san tomorrow, if I can buy the ingredients after school today." She flipped the omelette with a spatula she had grabbed from the drawer to her left. It sizzled as she set the spatula down away from the stove. She wasn't sure what kind of cake she should really make. A white cake was too simple, Hatori deserved something better.

Hatori's eyes widened slightly as something hit him. "Honda-san, the main house maids come to clean the house every morning at 8:00am, since they know my schedule calls that I be out of the house by then and it saves them time. You must be out of the house by then as well, heading through the hatch door," he explained to an intrigued Tohru as she smiled at his words, "I apologize for saying this, I don't mean to send you away so early."

Tohru shook her head. "Oh, no! It's fine Hatori-san!" She went to peek at the rice. It was nearly done cooking; the time had flown by, especially with Hatori's hardly-used gas stove. She turned the heat to lower temperature as she went to the fridge and pulled out the raspberry juice. She poured the cold red-pink juice it into two transparent glasses and set them at the table along with as chopsticks, plates and napkins. "I'm truly grateful for everything Hatori-san has done for me. I feel so lucky that someone is watching out for me."

Hatori held his hands at his lap as she turned the stove off. He stared at the spot ahead of him, listening. He couldn't see anything out of his left peripheral vision, but the sounds of the omelette gently slapping against a plate and then rolled and sliced with a knife reminded him of things. It reminded him of how quiet it was around here, and how it had once been. He was reminded of his fiancé. The scent, familiar now, struck him to be tamagoyaki [1]. Kana would have made it often for breakfast. He listened to the sound of a spoon edge hitting the plate; the rice was next. The private doctor winced as a plate was suddenly set in front of him, again the same as yesterday.

Tohru was smiling as she took her seat at the table with her own plate of tamagoyaki and rice. "I served it western style since Hatori-san likes it that way," she said as she looked to him. She took a bite of her own meal, chewing quickly. She was hungry. She would peek at Hatori every so often to make sure everything was okay, and then question him if he needed anything else. It seemed, like yesterday, he was enjoying the meal. She was glad.

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Hatori finished the meal with Tohru, finding himself full much earlier than usual. The time had passed smoothly, and by now he was watching Tohru finish the dishes in the sink. She had refused to let him help, insisting that she was the guest. He had replied with the complaint that he was the host, and the battle had never ended until Hatori stepped aside from the persistent girl. Hatori went to his bedroom and grabbed his wallet for the day, opening it. How much did groceries cost? He felt horrible to admit that he had never bought any in his life. He had gone with Ayame and Shigure to the store when they were young, but they had only bought sweets. Groceries nowadays must cost much more, he was sure.

Tohru placed her lunch in her bag for the day, smiling quietly to herself. Her bento had two scotch eggs, fried rice and a simple salad with radish grated over top. She had found oil and vinegar in Hatori's cupboard to use as dressing. Tomorrow she would have more variety; she was eager to head to the grocery store after school. Tohru suddenly jumped and turned around as she realized Hatori's presence, a hand over her chest. He had cleared his throat and now held her full attention, yet her gaze drifted to his larger hands.

"Here is the money for groceries," he said as he handed her bills of Yen casually. "Is this enough?"

Tohru's eyes widened at the paper now in her hands. "Eh!" she exclaimed as she mentally counted the amount. "Does H-Hatori-san mean to give me this much?" She bit her lip. "25,000¥?" [2]

"Is it not enough?" he asked in a monotone voice, slightly confused.

"No!" she said quickly. "It's a lot of money for groceries going towards feeding only two people…" She would have money left over! She couldn't imagine spending it all, especially since none of it was hers!

"Then Honda-san should be able to buy what she needs," Hatori told her as he looked to the clock. They were beginning to run out of casual time. "It's about time that I prepare to leave for work," he said as he disregarded her continuous astonishment.

Tohru nodded as she put the money in her bag with the bento and school things, following the owner of the house to the hallway closet. She was going to be very careful with the money. She knew she would forget about it during the day. Right now she had more important things to worry about, which included leaving Hatori's home!

Tohru watched, beginning to feel anxious as he began exposing the hatch door underneath the blankets he was laying aside. Once the hatch door was visible and accessible, Tohru set her bag down and reached for the golden ring of the door. Its hinges creaked as she opened it. She attached the ring to a hook screwed underneath the bottom shelf.

"I apologize," Hatori told her. "It's not the ideal way to travel, however it's a way. At this point I am not willing to put anything in danger, including you, Honda-san." He reached to the top shelf, pushed aside a few unused pillows, and pulled out a small metal flashlight. "Keep this in your bag. I advise you to pick up an extra pair of batteries at the store and keep them in your bag just in case."

Tohru took the flashlight gingerly in her hands. She pressed her thumb on the black rubber button, clicking the light on. She knelt down beside the opened door, slinging her bag over her shoulders. She pointed the light to where she would go, quickly returning to the habit of chewing her lip. This would be a strange way to get out of the house. A wooden ladder descended down the side. It looked old yet sturdy. From the looks of it, the distance from where she was to the ground was only five feet deep; Tohru stood 5"2. She would have to make sure her head didn't touch. She slid herself feet first into the entrance, holding onto the ladder as she climbed down. One foot first, and then the other… Once her feet touched the concrete floor she looked up quickly with wide eyes. What was she supposed to do now? Hatori was looking down at her with green eyes. His calming gaze seemed to bring down Tohru's own nervousness.

"Follow the tunnel to the end, go up the ladder and push the hatch up. I will have the door connecting to the house open at 7:00pm." He frowned. "When you get to the other side of the tunnel, tell me when you have the exit open."

Tohru gave a shaky sigh. Listen to Hatori-san, she told herself. He's done this before, I'm sure he knows exactly what to do. Of course he does! I won't turn back on him now! "Alright… Hatori-san doesn't need to worry!" She turned, excited, and began walking through the tunnel. Her flashlight pointed in every direction as she went through the ancient-looking passage way. The walls were uneven concrete. She could have gotten hurt if she only stood to her full height, she could only imagine what it had been like for Hatori, Shigure and Ayame. She was fascinated by the whole place, it was—

Tohru gave a sudden, sharp scream.

"Honda-san!" Hatori exclaimed. He was knelt beside the entrance now himself, leaning further. "Is everything alright?" Nothing came for a few moments and he began to worry. Could he still maneuver through the tunnel? He couldn't remember the last time he had been down there; possibly after a party Shigure had dragged him off to. Finally a sound came echoing from the tunnel. Giggling…?

Tohru Honda had begun giggling. "I never knew Ayame-san, Shigure-san and Hatori-san were such artists!" To her right on a smoothed part of the concrete walls was a large mural of animals. The pictures were bright and well done, she thought, as she looked over the intricate pieces of work. She quickly recognised each animal from the Zodiac. Tiny features from each animal were drawn carefully, and Tohru was amazed at how realistic some of them looked. Others seemed to be a failed attempt, and some were plain average. But Tohru loved them none the less. The most common animals shown on the wall were the snake, dog, and dragon— rather, a seahorse. Tohru looked over the one animal at the lower half of the painting. The dragon had been drawn in its mythical form, and done quite well, too. Fire was blazing out of its mouth, red eyes angry. Another giggle escaped her mouth.

Hatori quickly frowned. He had forgotten about the pictures on the wall. A slight blush came to his cheeks. He thought Shigure had promised to paint over them. However, that wasn't something he was worried about at this time. "Uhm, yes… Is Honda-san at the exit?" he asked, hoping to get her back on track.

Tohru gave a last look at the pictures before stepping away. She would have to look again on her way back into Hatori's house if he had the time. With the last few strides she found herself at the base of the ladder. "I'm here," she called to him.

"Are you able to push the hatch up?" he called. It hadn't been opened for quite a few years.

Tohru put the flashlight in her mouth, lips pressed around it, and climbed up the new ladder, using one hand to hold herself to the ladder and the other free. She put her palm on the flat wooden surface and pushed upwards a few times, grunting. It wasn't budging. She gave a small 'eep' as she pushed harder, using her legs to help. In the shape of a three sided square, slivers of light were suddenly apparent. "I almost have it," she called to Hatori in an excited tone. She gave a last push, roughly flinging the door open to swing against the ground. Tohru shut her eyes and covered her head with her free hand as dirt and grass fell from the gaping hole, having sealed the hatch. "There!"

"Are you alright now, Honda-san?"

Tohru climbed out of the hole, blinking at the sunlight. She stood up and brushed her uniform off, frowning. There was dirt smudges, but nothing that couldn't be fixed with a quick brush off that lasted a few minutes… "Yes," she called. "I'll see Hatori-san later, thank you!"

"Have a good day, Honda-san. Be careful," came Hatori's voice from the other side of the tunnel. There was a faint sound of a thump, and then silence.

Tohru looked around. The back sides of houses were faced towards her, only a few windows were visible. Still, she had to be careful that no one saw her. She glanced around. The grass was unkempt behind the houses, and it tickled her legs. Tohru looked down at the hatch door she had come out of just now. She bent over to grab the hatch door and push it closed. It creaked on the rusted hinges, and the top of the hatch had a light coat of green moss over it. Tohru sighed and turned the flashlight off, returning it to her bag.

She blinked. Hatori had said there would be a path… there was none. She was beginning to panic. That had been years ago, of course there would be no path now! Tohru looked left and right before choosing the left. Surely she would find some clue that this was the right way. She walked quickly, making sure to keep as inconspicuous as possible. She found it surprisingly easy. Tohru was used to seeing the flawless, traditional look of the Sohma estate. This was a whole new look. Outside where the residents were, everything looked perfect. Yet where no Sohma stood, it was lonelier, dead and vacant.

Tohru stopped in her tracks. The rows of houses had ended. There was a grey wall past the empty space left, however, just like Hatori had said! Tohru looked both ways since anyone could see her now before darting across the mini-field. She reached the stone wall and looked up at it. It was taller than she was, and trees stood on the other side. She examined the wall. Indeed, there were grooves. With a determined huff she began climbing the wall, praying no one would see her. She reached the top and flung her legs over the side before jumping down. She landed with a yelp, biting her lip.

Tohru had landed on her feet in an odd way, having twisted her ankle some. "Oh, Mom," she said quietly to herself. She sat on the ground for a moment, rolling her ankle with a sigh. "I need to get to school. I can't let this stop me! I need to see Kyo-kun and Yuki-kun!" She stood up quickly, faltering slightly. This wasn't good. She pursued her lips and walked forward, ignoring the sharp pain in her ankle. At least she was out of the Sohma's home.

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The schoolgirl's limp eventually became a regular walk as she came closer and closer to school. She was getting her excitement back now; she would soon be with her friends again! She put on a bright smile as she set foot on the school grounds. She felt like it had been ages since she'd been here. Things seemed so unfamiliar, so foreign. Her emotions died down as she entered the school and made her way to her first class. She had to act normal and things would roll smoothly. If only she wasn't suddenly so worried about saying something she wasn't supposed to! What if, meeting Kyo for the first time again, he hated her? What if Yuki decided that he wouldn't talk to her, that he was too shy today? What if—

"NYAH!" Tohru yelped and spun around as a hand was placed on her shoulder.

"Hey, Tohru-chan! What's got you so stressed?" the owner of the hand asked her friend, pulling her into a hug. The known-Yankee gave a smile. "Are you nervous for the test today? You studied, right?" Arisa Uotani let go of the trembling Tohru.

"T-Test? Uhm, w-we had a test?" Tohru stammered.

"Is seems Tohru-chan wasn't aware," came a softened monotone voice. Saki Hanajima, of course she would suspect something. Tohru blinked at her other friend, watching her expressionless face. "Or rather, it seems that she had other things on her mind that out ruled the test in importance. That must have been something very disturbing to make Tohru-chan not study, or even remember. Were your memories perhaps erased like mine?"

Tohru's eyes went wide before she gave a smile, half-heartedly laughing. "W-Well, no, nothing like that! I, uh, must have been sleeping while we were being told! Hana-chan has nothing to worry about!" She gave another forced laugh. "Let's go to class," she urged them.

"Hey," Arisa said suddenly. "What's with the dirt on your clothes? Your family not washing your them?" she said, voice rising slightly as she pounded a fist into her hand. "Just say it, and it'll be done."

"No!" Tohru said quickly, hands up as she shook her head. "I fell on the way to school, um…" She hastily brushed herself off. "Clumsy me, oops!"

Saki stared at Tohru for a moment. "Things are different today," she said, words drawn out. "Your electric signals are strange. As are the Sohmas'. Did something happen?"

"Nope!" Tohru said. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

The two friends exchanged glances at each other as Tohru gave another laugh and turned to leave for class.

Tohru came into the classroom and seated herself as usual. She looked around, chewing at her lip as she set her books on the desk. Where were Yuki and Kyo? They were usually at school by now. Had something happened? Were they alright? Had Akito done something else to them? Her worries were soon soothed as she watched the two boys enter. Instead of being overwhelmed with happiness, she paled and felt a rock drop in her stomach.

It was like a switch had been flipped.

Yuki was walking in front of Kyo, a clearly angry expression on his face. Tohru was used to seeing him as calm, collected and casually happy. Today was very different. His purple eyes were dulled; their shine had been diminished completely. Replaced was an unfocused look, as well as rage towards the one behind him. The books in his arms were held firmly against his chest as if they were a barrier between him and the world. She had never seen Yuki act so strange.

Kyo had a look alike Yuki's, but it worried her more. He looked completely outraged and high-strung. His hands at his sides were balled into fists. He didn't carry any books with him. His own red-orange hued eyes were burning with complete rage, fury and something else she couldn't place. His jaw was clenched as he glared at the one in front of him. They each took their seats at opposite ends of the classroom.

Tohru sunk into her seat. Now wasn't the time to say hello and re-introduce herself; Shigure was right. They seemed more violent than she had thought! Tohru felt her shoulders droop, body curving inwardly slightly as they both took their seats at opposite ends of the room, yet in the front row. Tohru kept her eyes on her desk as Arisa and Saki entered the classroom now, both equally calm looking. She waited until the teacher was present and at the board before she looked up, praying the lesson wouldn't be difficult. She wanted to watch Kyo and Yuki. Hopefully they didn't find it creepy of her, she thought suddenly. Maybe she could say she was looking out the window when she was really looking at Yuki. When she would look at Kyo, she could be thinking into space.

Tohru was surprised with the fact she didn't need an excuse. She watched as the teacher stepped closer to Kyo, hands on her hips. She had an almost bored expression. "Sohma Kyo-san, where are your books today?"

Kyo slunk into his seat, body rigid. "I don't have them," he muttered, avoiding eye contact. He crossed his arms.

A few people in the class were talking in hushed whispers now. The teacher gave a sigh. "For this lesson you need your books. I'm sorry, but—"

"Well, I'm sorry too!" Kyo interrupted. "There was a stupid dog that came into the house and took my stuff! When I went after it, my books were all muddy and chewed up! I can't even read them!"

There was a moment of silence before the entire class broke out in laughter. Tohru looked around, feeling sympathy for Kyo. Everyone was either pointing or snapping mocking comments. It seemed Yuki was laughing as well, almost in a rude way. It wasn't normal, she thought to herself again. She watched as Kyo stood up, hands back into fists.

"Shut up! It's true!" The laughter continued before he gave a kick to his desk. "I'm going to beat the crap out of damn Shigure once he's out of his room; who knows what the bastard's doing!"

"Language," the teacher said harshly. "This is more than five times I've heard an inappropriate word come out of your mouth this class. By your age you should know that it is unacceptable, as well as speaking so rudely about your caretaker, I presume."

"It's not my fault that mutts come flocking into the house when he's in a bad mood!" he spat back. "I can call him whatever the hell I want! It's not like he does anything, anyway!"

Tohru couldn't help but visibly wince. From the sound of things, nothing was considered alright anymore. Kyo was never usually this violent towards any teacher, and he (usually) watched when he swore. What bothered her was the fact that he mentioned Shigure was in a bad mood. No one ever knew about Shigure's moods or feelings to say the least. It was interesting that anyone could tell his mood apart for Hatori or Ayame in the first place.

"Out of my classroom," the teacher said sternly, one hand on her hip. Her other arm was stretched out, finger pointing to the door. "To the office at once!"

Kyo glared at her. "I'll leave, but no way in the goddamn world I'm going there!" he spat, racing out the door before she could utter a word. Tohru's jaw had gone slack, apart from her body that held itself rigid.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Tohru slipped quietly out of the class, the last person to leave. She clutched her books tightly to her chest, arms wrapping around herself. Indeed there had been a test in that class, and after Kyo had gone, she'd written it as best she could without being distracted on how he was doing. Was he alright? Where had he gone? As for the test, how foolish she was not to have remembered about it! Of course, so much had happened, but she should have focused on school to some extent! What would her mom think? She couldn't even imagine! What if she got a bad mark on the test? What if she failed it?

She shook her head as she rushed through the hall of students. She couldn't let that worry her too much. Mom always told me to remember what's important, she reminded herself sternly. Right now, she promised she would get the Sohmas back. That was very important to her, even if school was also just as significant. Although it was only morning, she felt like she wasn't doing enough to work her way towards the goal of befriending the Sohmas once again. She needed something to get Yuki and Kyo's attention, something she could do to talk with them more first. She'd know them so well just recently, but now she felt as if she knew absolutely nothing. Right now, if she wanted to talk to anyone, it would have to be Yuki since Kyo didn't seem to be around…

She stopped her mental babble, a bright smile on her face. She had thought of something; finally! She could remember the many days that Yuki and she would head out to the secret base. They would begin harvesting what was needed, pick weeds, and water the garden if need be. She could clearly remember all their conversations, everything that they had done there together. She had always felt so at peace there. If only they could do it again, one last time, she would be alright. Coming back to her point, she knew Yuki grew vegetables. She found her excuse to talk to him!

Without another thought Tohru went on her way, quickly brushing past everyone to reach up to where Yuki was. She felt her smile widen as she saw his back, and it stayed that way as she came up behind him and touched her hand on his shoulder. "Yuki-kun!"

Yuki spun around, jumping. He looked terrified, as if someone had touched him with a knife instead of a hand. He looked at her with a squint of confusion, looking her over. He couldn't help the feeling of calmness and reassurance that radiated inside of him as he saw her, stood near her. It was strange, something he was contemplating on thinking about, but he pushed it aside. His face turned back the pleasant one he had been wearing prior. It was the face he wore out of habit, the forced smile that Tohru knew so well. "Hello… Honda-san, is it?" He stepped back a pace from her. "Is there something you need?"

Tohru opened her mouth to speak, but stopped. No, she couldn't hold back now! The idea that she was asking him something so personal (in her opinion) seemed almost rude. She knew him, yet she didn't. "Eh," she stammered. "I-I heard Yuki-kun has a garden!" she said quickly.

Yuki blinked at her, unsure of why she was calling him by his first name. "Well," he began before a pause, "I certainly do. Where did you hear that thought?" His smile was slowly dwindling into a line.

She felt herself blush. How could she have not known he would ask that! "Nyeh! I heard— uh, I—Can I have some fruit?" she forced out before looking away from him. She felt so terribly, terribly rude!

Yuki's smile faltered completely now. He'd never been asked about this before, and no one knew about his garden. How did she know? He couldn't help the feeling of calmness and reassurance that he had gotten by standing beside her. It was strange, the way he was feeling. He tried disregarding it, but it continued probing at him from every angle. "I don't usually give anything to anyone, unfortunately. It's a small garden, and I usually take everything I grow back to the house." He stopped talking for a moment, thinking. This girl… "Actually," he muttered before giving a fuller smile, "We don't really cook too often. I think I can spare some."

"That's amazing! Thank you so much!" Tohru exclaimed, bowing. Her miniature plan had gone accordingly!

"Is there anything specific you need?"

Tohru's feelings of accomplishment suddenly died. What did she need after all? She couldn't just take whatever he had, and definitely not something of each. She thought to herself for a moment. What was she going to make for dinner from now on? And lunch, and breakfast, as well as snacks? Tohru's mind flickered back to the idea of the cake she planned to make tonight. "Strawberries?" she asked him, now standing upright.

Yuki's smile left once again, and his mouth was open in a small o shape. "S-Strawberries…?" he stammered, looking at her up and down; had he heard her right? There was something that triggered inside of him, something he couldn't place. What was it? He waited for her reply, receiving only a nod. That fruit suits her, Yuki decided inwardly. That strange feeling was nagging at him; still, he refused to pay attention to it. "A-Alright. I can bring you some strawberries. Do you need them any time soon?"

Tohru was back to a glowing smile. Things were moving along nicely, she decided. "If Yuki-kun isn't busy after school, could we get them from his house? I'm baking a cake," she admitted. Would he agree to them being together? She could accomplish so much, if only he opened up, just a bit!

"A cake." Yuki blinked at her, head tilted to the side, still shocked slightly. "Uh... I, um... sure," he told her slowly. That feeling seemed to tell him once more that she was alright, that nothing would happen, that she could be trusted… almost.

---

[1] Tamagoyaki is a popular Japanese breakfast dish, a folded omelette with sugar added. I'm tempted to try it… It sounds strange, sugar in an omelette. Then again, people say poutines sound gross, but I like them! *cough* (Canadian here!) ^_^
[2] 25,000¥ is equal to roughly $322.20 CAD, $314.30 USD…

A/N: Woo! An update before the 1st of the month! I'm quite surprised, only because my motivation for this story has been dwindling lately ;-; However I'll try not to abandon it, since there are some good parts I've had bumping around in my head for a while and I'm eager to write THOSE at least! School is slowly coming to and end, and when it does, I'll definetly have more time to write, as well as less of those dang distractions! I apologize if you noticed my style had changed slightly throughout the chapter. It took a few tries before I could get going after taking a life-break xD
I've had a certain idea rolling around for a while, and it's the idea that this could be a TohruXHatori pairing... what are your thoughts on that? Should I keep it focused on Kyo, Yuki and Tohru? or sneak some Hatori moments in there? I would also appreciate any other input towards the story. Thank you so much for reading, following, reviewing, whatever! Please continue! :)

-Makitog