EDITS - DAMN IT! messed up with the format. GOMEN-NE MINNA-SAN! they removed all the brackets (i have to write the word for it, since this damn thing won't show the symbols at all!!!)which indicates the character's thoughts. i had to replace it with "(( ))"... i just noticed it now, when i reread the story and realized how confusing it was!!!!!

A/N: OMG!!! I can't believe I finally updated this fic! It has been gathering digital dust inside my hard drive for about 4 years (last update, January 2003…. Eeep!)! LOL Mind you, I never really forgot about this fic, I just didn't know what to do with the story. I was literally on the longest SLUMP ever!!!! Heehee…

Arigatou minna! I was urged on by the reviews that I got over the years LOOONG after I've stopped updating. It was touching, and so for months I've been racking my brains on how to continue the fic. And finally, the new chappie is here! Enjoy!

Note: "spoken words", ((thoughts))

Ryu awoke at the awful ringing in his ear ((What the…??!!!)). A glance to his side revealed the source of his annoyance—his alarm clock. ((Damn! I really should get a new one. This one is annoying the hell out of me)) and with a casual flick of his wrist, the said clock went flying to the trashcan just beside the huge mahogany desk in his room. This is clearly normal to him, disposing of things just for the heck of it, without a care for the cost. But then, why should he care? a simple alarm clock, no matter how expensive, was nothing to him. It would hardly put a dent in his father's extensive bank account.

Getting up, he stretched and got ready to take a long hot shower. School's about to start in an hour, and he just can't wait to see his angel.

After his shower, Ryu went down to their grand, but empty, dining hall. A hot serving of his breakfast was already waiting for him. Trained servants who were drilled to come and go with quick efficiency but with utmost silence were abundant in this household. The things money can buy…

Curious enough as to what their chef might have prepared for him this morning, Ryu took a quick look at the table, revealing a bowl of salad, a sandwich (which he didn't bother to take a closer look at), and a mug of hot chocolate, with marshmallows on top. Wrinkling his nose in distaste at what he considered to be a mediocre meal, and certainly not worthy of his appetite, he let it be and went on outside and drove off to school.

"Oi! Tohru, hurry up will you?!" Kyou yelled, while waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Yuki had already gone to school, something about an early meeting with the school council. Kyou didn't really listen; he could care less what that damn mouse was doing. So as of this morning, it was just going to be him and Tohru walking to school. Normally, this wouldn't be even an advantage to Kyou, having Tohru all to himself without his rivals to bother or distract the girl, since it isn't really within the nature of the orange haired cat to openly show affection. But after the events within the past weeks, Kyou was forced to reevaluate his tactics.

"Gomen Kyou-kun! I was just getting my things ready. I had forgotten where I placed my homework" Tohru said, panting lightly after sprinting down the stairs this early in the morning. "Did Kyou-kun wait long for me? Gomen!" bowing her head again and again. "I'm just such a baka! forgetting where I placed my assignment and everything." Tohru was about to bow again when a warm hand to her forehead stopped the movement. "Its ok. You don't have to apologize that much. I didn't wait long" this was said so quietly, and in such a soft tone which is definitely uncharacteristic of our beloved cat, that for a moment, Tohru was caught off guard. The orange haired cat was staring off to the side, glaring at an invisible speck on the wall. But being the simple-minded person that she is, she just took it astride and beamed at the boy. "Arigatou Kyou-kun! Kyou-kun is so nice as to have waited for me."

"Hn." and with that he hurriedly walked out the door, leaving Tohru to happily follow him outside.

((Great Kyou! A mumble and then stalking out the door! What a great way to show that you care)) clearly the orange-haired boy was having an internal battle, but fortunately his companion was as oblivious as ever. This morning, Kyou had decided to push things to his advantage. Even if it might be out of character for him, he was determined to show Tohru that he cared. The events happening around him were enough to spur him into action, his eyes having been opened to the fact that his rivals for Tohru's affections were not merely limited to the males within the Sohma clan. The near misses they keep having with Akamatsu were proof of that.

Taking a deep breath and plunging straight in before he lost the courage, Kyou put his plan into action. Halting abruptly, he turned to a surprised Tohru. "Uh.. Let me carry your bag for you. It must be heavy" this was mumbled quickly, while staring at something past Tohru's shoulder. "Huh?" Tohru was in a daze, this never happened before. With a quick shake of her head, she replied "but its okay Kyou-kun. It really isn't heavy for me." her smile was met with a frown "I just want to carry it okay?!" Kyou barked out before he could stop himself. Old habits are hard to break, and this emotional thing was a bit new to him. Wincing at his lack of grace, he tried again "I mean, just let me do this okay? quit making a fuss about it." ((okay, that wasn't what I expected, but at least its better than my first attempt.))

Tohru was a bit startled at this new personality that her friend was displaying, but being the nice (and ditzy! lol) person that she is, she smiled and nodded and handed her bag to Kyou, and the two resumed their walk to school.

The quiet scenery provided a relaxing atmosphere for the two persons walking in amicable silence. And though nothing romantic or the like floated in the air, for the orange haired cat it was enough to just be able to spend time with the person he held most precious beyond all others, though he wasn't planning on telling her that anytime soon. At least not if he can help it.

Yuki tapped his pen absentmindedly on the table. Why he was being forced to endure this council meeting was beyond him. The things being discussed were trivial and petty. He could be out there with Honda-san right now, protecting her from whatever plans Akamatsu might have concocted. Knowing how trusting the girl can be, she just might fall for Akamatsu's trap. On second thought, Yuki was SURE Tohru would fall for it, which is all the more reason why he should be out there with her instead of being cooped up in here. But with a defeated sigh he knew that being a council member he was obligated to stay here. The urge to thump his head onto the desk in front of him was growing stronger and stronger by the minute. Sometimes he just wished he was like the cat who didn't have a single responsibility. But life isn't always what you wish it. With a groan, which fortunately wasn't noticed by the other council members, Yuki listened to the current speaker drone on.
The lunch bell rang, and the students hurriedly packed their things and checked if their lunches were still with them. Chatting with their friends and shouting meeting plans, students filed out of the classroom with their friends.

"Oi! Tohru!!! Over here!" Arisa shouted. Standing just beside her was Hanajima, who was as stoic as ever.

Tohru jogged over to her friends, her constant smile plastered on her face. "Hana-chan, Uo-chan, have you seen Sohma-kun and Kyou-kun around?" She peered around her friends, trying to look for the two Sohma males.

"Yeah, now that you mention it, where are those two? They've always had lunch with you." Arisa said, looking pointedly at Tohru at the last part of her statement.

"I saw Kyou dash off outside with Yuki just as the lunch bell rang." Hanajima said in her quiet (and mysterious?) voice.

"Oh? how come I didn't notice them?" Arisa demanded. Tohru just looked on blankly at her two friends.

"They had strange denpas today. They seemed anxious for some reason." Hanajima replied, offering no further explanation to the two boys' suspicious behavior.

"Oh well, who needs them anyway." With a shrug Arisa walked towards the door, intent on heading outside. "Let's go Tohru. Oi, Hanajima, that includes you too."

Lunch proved uneventful that day. Well, actually the whole day was pretty much normal. After the lunch period was over, they saw Yuki and Kyou return to the classroom, and class resumed as usual.

Tohru didn't think anything of it, but Arisa and Hanajima found the boys' action somewhat abnormal. Where did they disappear to during the lunch period? What's with all the hush-hush and sneaky actions? But when their sensei started her lecture, they were forced out of their thoughts and had to listen to the day's lesson.

At the back of the class however, a totally different pot was brewing. Ryu Akamatsu, being just a breath away from his angel was having totally different, but just as suspicious, thoughts. ((Today my Tohru-chan, I'm going to find out where you live, and I'll allow no interferences this time.)) He stared at the way the wind teased his angel's hair, with wisps of her brown locks blowing this way and that. Oh how he longed to touch those silky strands and tuck them behind her ear. But he was in class and such actions were inappropriate. However, if his plans prove to be successful today, he would be one step closer to making Tohru his, and then touching those auburn locks won't be such an impossible dream then.

At the end of the day, as the final bell rang, students rushed out of the room. But few people were still left though, including Honda Tohru, who was still packing up her things. Arisa and Hanajima waited patiently for their friend to finish. Yuki and Kyou had already bidden her goodbye earlier, saying something about having to do some stuff. Arisa had raised her brow at that, while Hanajima whispered "Strange denpa". Of course, the whole interaction went unnoticed by Tohru. When Tohru finished, the trio went home, on their separate ways.

"Tadaima!" Tohru called out when she reached the Sohma household. Taking off her shoes and changing into her slippers, she noticed that hers were the only pair of shoes there, which meant that she was the only one home. With a smile, she headed up to her room to leave her things. She still had a lot of chores to do, and it would be better to get them all done by the time the others arrived.

A few hours later, when the rooms have been cleaned, the furniture dusted, and the windows washed, a loud "Tadaima" echoed throughout the house.

"Okaeri Shigure-san." Tohru greeted back happily from her place in the kitchen, glad that somebody finally got home.

A black haired head popped through the open door. "Tohru-kun, what are you cooking?" a sniff "It smells good. Of course whatever Tohru-kun cooks is always delicious!" Shigure cried out in his singsong voice. Tohru giggled, used to this banter by now. "Arigatou Shigure-san. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

"Tohru-kun, where are my beloved cousins?" Shigure inquired, actually curious as to where the cat and the mouse could be. They were usually here by this time to protect their beloved Tohru from what they termed as 'Shigure's lechery'.

"Kyou-kun and Yuki-kun told me that they had to do some things after class and that I should head on home" Tohru replied, stirring the pot of miso soup that she was making.

"That means I have Tohru-kun all to myself!" he was just about to lunge a hug to 'his beloved flower' when the thought that it might be disastrous to do that, what with Tohru cooking and everything, popped into his head. "Uh.. just call me when dinner's ready Tohru-kun. I'll be in my study." and with that the dog disappeared from the kitchen.

Adding some cubes of tofu to the simmering soup, Tohru hummed a song while waiting for the dish to finish. Then there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it Shigure-san!" Tohru cried out while making the necessary adjustments to the stove to ensure that the soup won't get spoiled while she answered the door.

"Alright Tohru-kun. But I think its just Mit-chan" a giggly voice replied from the study. Obviously the author was having delighted thoughts on how to torture his editor some more.

The girl just shook her head at that. Sometimes the things Shigure did confused her. Every time his editor came by, she always seemed to be crying. Leaving her confused thoughts for another day, Tohru opened the door, and almost let out a scream in shock.

Standing in the doorway with a devilish grin on his handsome face was Ryu Akamatsu. He loved the surprised look on his Tohru-chan's face. Of course, he just assumed that the girl was much too delighted to see him and thus the certain shocked look.

"So, this is where Honda-san lives. Finally, I tracked you down." He said casually, as if standing here was the most normal thing in the world.

Tohru's mind was going on overload. This was just too much, and her poor brain couldn't handle the shock. ((Akamatsu-san is here! What am I going to do? If he finds out that I'm living with Kyou-kun and Yuki-kun, I don't know how he'll react!!!))

"Uh… Akamatsu-san, how .. how.. how did you find me?" the poor girl stuttered, at a loss for what else to say.

"Well, I passed by and saw Honda-san walking down the road. So I got curious enough to follow you here" he said nonchalantly. But in reality, he really stalked (or in his own term "followed") Tohru from school. Many times he was tempted to come out and ask his angel to just let him give her a ride home, but he wanted to make sure that he got her address this time since every time he tries to take her home she always seemed to get panicky. ((my Tohru-chan is just too shy for her own good!)) he thought, thinking that embarrassment was the cause of the girl's panicked actions every time he offered to take her home.

"Oh.. I see." Tohru stammered. ((What now?!)) she looked around, as if hoping to find the solution to her problem.

"Tohru-kun! Who was at the door? Was it Mit-chan?" a voice cried out. And then the person to whom the voice belonged to appeared beside the girl, who stood rooted on the spot. Upon seeing the unknown male standing on his doorstep, Shigure immediately inquired "Oh, and who's this Tohru-kun?" Looking at their 'visitor' from head to foot, Shigure turned to Tohru "oh my! is this your boyfriend Tohru-kun? Has be come to take our beloved flower away?!" Shigure dramatically placed the back of his hand to his forehead as if he was about to swoon any minute.

"Iya Shigure-san! This is Akamatsu Ryu-san, my classmate. He was just in the neighborhood and decided to drop by" Tohru cried out, totally falling for the author's theatrics.

Shigure's eyebrows shot up ((Ryu Akamatsu?! he's the guy who's making the moves on Tohru. Hmm… This is getting interesting. Too bad Yuki and Kyou aren't here, if they were, all hell would break lose. But we can't let him know that Tohru is living with us..))

While Shigure was still thinking, Ryu stared at the crazy man standing before him. ((Who the hell is this guy?! Is he Tohru's older brother? He's insane!)) Since nobody seemed to be doing anything and he wasn't getting anywhere, he decided to break the odd mood that has fallen over the group. "Uh.. Honda-san, aren't you going to let me in?" he asked politely. He decided to keep his 'rascal persona' to himself until he finds out who this guy is. If he's a relative of Tohru, it would be best if he appeared to be the most polite of persons.

"Uh of course! Gomen Akamatsu-san!!! Come right in" when Akamatsu had suddenly spoken up, Tohru visibly jumped out in surprise. The poor girl was really at a loss, it was a good thing that the two Sohma boys haven't gotten home yet. She went inside and the two males followed suit.

"Why don't you have a seat Akamatsu-kun" Shigure gestured to the sofa, immediately sitting down at the chair just opposite it. Tohru bustled to the kitchen to get the cake that was just in the fridge and some tea for their guest.

While Tohru was out of earshot, the two persons left in the living room had gone into a staring contest of sorts. While laying back in his chair, assuming a somewhat lazy position, the author stared the boy opposite him, with such intensity that Ryu felt like a fly being scrutinized under a microscope. He was beginning to fidget, and believe me, he isn't used to fidgeting! When he couldn't take any of the staring, he decided to break the silence and speak up "Uh so, Shigure-san was it? How are you related to Honda-san? Are you her uncle?" Ryu asked, thinking that Shigure looked too young to be Tohru's dad, and they looked too different for him to be her older brother.

The sudden question startled the author (and he was kind of enjoying making the boy squirm), but right now a more immediate problem has arisen. ((What should I tell him… I couldn't very well admit the fact that Tohru-kun is living with us)) Shigure thought the matter over, though he was far from panicky. He was having too much fun to be having panic attacks, plus the author in him reveled at the raw material just waiting for him to weave it into a dramatic plot! Thinking to stall for time, he decided to play with the boy a bit. "I'm her danna (patron)" (1) he said casually, and inside laughing hysterically at the boy's reaction. Ryu looked like his eyeballs were going to pop out of their sockets and his eyebrows actually shot to his hairline. Shigure let out a laugh, then said "no, no. She's my…. Apprentice."

He grinned as he witnessed a flurry of emotions cross Ryu's face. From shock, to relief, then to puzzlement.

"Apprentice?" Ryu asked, not quite sure what the author meant. "Excuse me for asking Shigure-san, but an apprentice to what?"

"Didn't Tohru tell you? Oh my! I'm hurt!" Shigure dramatically placed a hand to his forehead "I'm surprised that she didn't even mention me! Why a man of my talent should be proclaimed throughout the world!!!! I'm an author!" he sighed and placed a hand to his heart, "to think that Tohru-kun hasn't even boasted of being my apprentice." Then, in a completely astounding switch of emotions, he turned puppy-dog-eyes to the young man in front of him, and wheedled "she didn't even mention me a single bit? Not even in reference?"

The huge, watery eyes in front of him, which should have made him sympathetic had it been on the face of a much, much younger person instead of the grown man in front of him, just freaked him out. ((this guy is freakin' weird! He must be insane!)) "uh… Honda-san never even told me that she was interested in literature. But … uh…" floundering for something to placate the man-child in front of him, Ryu was breaking out in sweats "but if she had, I'm sure she would have mentioned you Shigure-sensei! (2)" Having said this, Ryu almost heaved a sigh of relief.

Shigure was having a ball now. ((He should have come over sooner! If I knew it was going to be THIS fun I would have invited him over a long time ago!)). Feigning at being placated, he nodded benevolently, "Yes, yes. That must be it. Tohru-kun would never intentionally injure my feelings! She is such a kind, kind girl."

Ryu was given a moment's reprieve, for just then Tohru arrived, carrying a tray with two cups and a teapot. She placed the cups in front of Ryu and Shigure, and poured them some tea. Both males murmured quiet thanks and got a cup of tea each. Tohru then left the teapot in the middle, hastily getting up, "Gomen, I'll be back in a minute, I'll just get the cake" she explained, hurriedly making her way back to the kitchen.

When his little flower was gone, Shigure quickly warmed up to his new torture subject once more (Mit-chan was fun to torture and everything, but new victims were always more fun), Shigure continued his torment from where he left off, turning his most "hopeful" stare to the boy "How about you Akamatsu-kun, surely you've heard of my work? Maybe perhaps you're a fan?"

If Ryu could squirm, he would. He has never heard of this author before, much less read of his works. But he didn't want to show any signs of weakness at his beloved angel's mentor. After all, he needs to impress this person who seems to have a lot of influence over his Tohru-chan. ((Damn it! What was his name again??? Shigure….. Shigure what?!)) "Uh, gomen nasai Shigure-sensei. But you haven't told me your last name yet. I think I've read some of your work, but without knowing your last name, I can't be too sure." Inside, Ryu gave a sigh of relief. ((Good work Akamatsu!)) He gave himself a mental pat in the back, and took a sip of his tea.

"Oh, forgive me, its Soh-……" he caught himself just in time before he could blurt out his last name. Now it was Shigure's turn to get flustered (Shigure's too much of a maniac to actually panic), he couldn't very well tell the boy that his last name's Sohma, although the thought of the chaos that would ensue if he did seemed pretty delightful to him at the moment. ((Nah, we can't have that! Yuki and Kyou, not to mention Ha-san, would have my head if I did that)). He racked his brains for something, anything. Unfortunately, answers seem to elude even the best of us when we're in a state of unease, and the author isn't an exception to this. He caught something from the corner of his eye, the bowl of noodles that he had for lunch…

"Its Soba! Shigure Soba…!" he almost choked on that right after he blurted it out. ((Soba?! sigh oh well, at least its better than nothing.))

Ryu looked like he was drowning in his tea. He was sputtering and gasping for air, grasping his throat with one hand, while hastily putting his cup back on the table with the other with no small amount of difficulty.

"Akamatsu-kun, are you alright?" Shigure's sugary voice was laced with 'concern', although inside the author was a bit miffed. ((It wasn't really that bad, was it?)) then, glancing at his victim, his eyes lit up with glee, and he had to keep himself from laughing outright.

Ryu looked like a hooked fish, with his mouth gaping open while his eyes had taken on a wide-eyed blank look, not to mention that he was still a bit red from having his oxygen cut off a moment ago. ((Shigure Soba?! Who the hell would name their son that?!! Much less publish their work under that name!!! I've never seen a book by an author named Soba, and even if I did, I sure as hell wouldn't buy it! Damn, but what do I tell him?!)) Clearing his throat, Ryu did his best to wiggle himself out of the hole that he had apparently dug himself into. "Uh, gomen-nasai Shigure-sensei, I'm so embarrassed to admit that I've never read of your work," he racked his brains some more "although I recall seeing some of them in my father's personal library, among the other authors of your caliber that he holds in high esteem. I'll be sure to rectify my mistake post-haste and read some of them when I get home." Ryu heaved an inner sigh of relief at having quickly bought himself some time. He'll just have to get his servants to find him a copy of the lunatic's works.

Shigure cocked an eyebrow at that. ((Eh.. the boy's good. No wonder he constantly gets our gentle flower flustered, with that silver tongue of his, it would take a girl with much more experience than our beloved Tohru-kun to be able to withstand this smooth talker)) Turning back to his usual giddy persona, the dog gave a delighted squeal "I'm so glad to hear that Akamatsu-kun! I can't wait to hear all your comments the next time you come here!" Inside, the author was laughing his head off. The boy would be hard pressed to find any work of one 'Shigure Soba' no matter how hard he tried, considering that said author was nonexistent.

Ryu smiled weakly. But just then, Tohru came back with the cakes, saving her admirer from certain death by one sly author who was currently enjoying his victim's plight way too much for it to be considered sane.

Turning to his beloved angel in relief, Ryu inquired "so is this where Honda-san lives?"

While Tohru was reaching near anxiety searching for a safe answer to that, Shigure smoothly stepped in "No, this is my house. Tohru-kun here lives with her grandfather, but since I'm currently on the brink of finishing my next work, I need all the help I can get, so I've asked her to stay here with me for the time being." Shigure was in his element, cooking up stories and stirring up the 'drama' as he likes to call it.

Ryu gaped at that, "live with you? Uh… alone?" he was almost afraid to hear the insane man's reply. "Oh no no! My assistant is here too, but she's currently doing some errands for me." Then he couldn't help adding "Tohru-kun here takes care of me while Mit-chan is away. She's so sweet isn't she? My little flower!" the dog replied in his singsong voice.

The boy winced at the last statement, but still he was greatly relieved that apparently his beloved angel wasn't duped into living in a state of impropriety by this childlike madman in front of them.

Meanwhile, Tohru was willing to hand the reins to Shigure, ((Shigure-san is so great. He's so smart to be able to think up of all these things at a moment's notice. I really have a lot to thank them for, and yet here I am giving them more trouble)) she cast her eyes down and gave a little sigh.

This didn't go unnoticed by her ardent admirer, he always takes note of anything that his Tohru-chan does. "Are you alright Honda-san?" he asked.

Apparently, the action didn't miss the shrewd pervert's eyes either. Quickly grabbing the opportunity that the girl unwittingly provided him, the author immediately exclaimed "Oh no! it seems my beloved flower has gotten tired! I have been having her run a lot of errands lately, and she had to prepare everything for us when you arrived" the author knew he hit a nerve there, which was proven a moment later when the boy immediately launched into a string of profuse apologies. "Gomen-nasai Honda-san! I didn't know that you were in the midst of your apprenticeship. I didn't mean to trouble you with my presence."

"Oh no Akamatsu-san! It was no trouble at all, I wasn't really bothered" As much as the situation stressed the girl out, it distressed her to see people worrying over her. It was just in her nature.

"No Honda-san, I shall take my leave now. Perhaps I will come at another time when you aren't so busy. I shouldn't have barged in on you like this without prior notice." With this, he stood up and faced Tohru's 'mentor' "Shigure-sensei, I must take my leave. Thank you for your hospitality."

Shigure chuckled to himself, he really wanted the boy to stay. It was too much fun baiting him and seeing him squirm, and he really couldn't wait to see what would happen when Yuki and Kyou arrived from school. But it can't be helped, as much fun as the idea might be, he knew that those two would never forgive him. Not to mention what Ha-san might do to him when he finds out. ((sigh those two don't know how much I'm giving up for them. I'm just too generous!)).

"It was my pleasure Akamatsu-kun. I'm always glad to meet Tohru-kun's friends. After all, any little tidbit about my little flower is always worth knowing!" He couldn't resist adding this last bit, knowing how much it'll rile the boy.

Ryu flushed at hearing his beloved angel being called 'little flower' by that lecherous old man. But he really couldn't do anything about it.

"Tohru-kun, why don't you see our guest to the door. I need to finish up some things in my study."

"Hai Shigure-san" with that, Tohru walked Ryu out the door and bid him goodbye. As she watched his car speed away, she gave a sigh of relief and slumped into the wall. ((Thank goodness Kyou-kun and Yuki-kun haven't come home yet!))

Another day, Another disaster avoided…

(1): when Shigure told Ryu that he was Tohru's "Danna" (patron) he was implying that Tohru was his 'mistress'…. Hence Ryu's shocked reaction. For those of you who've read memoirs of a geisha you might have noticed that geishas call the clients who've purchased exclusive rights to their services as "danna". It was in this context that Shigure was using the word when he mentioned it to Ryu.

(2): when Akamatsu found out that Shigure's an author, he changed the honorific to "sensei" which is more appropriate for an author.

A/N: was it alright? The ending was a bit abrupt, I think. I haven't watched furuba for so long, and I haven't read any furuba fics for so long that I don't know if I quite got into the mindset of the characters. sigh my furuba is a bit rusty. So if the characters are a bit OOC in this chapter, I humbly apologize…I'll try my best to get into furuba mode once again.

But still, I need all the help I can get on this fic. So minna-san, if you have any ideas or suggestions for this fic (most especially its plot), it would be more than welcome!

Also, if you have any constructive criticism for this fic, please feel free to post them or send them to me.

Jan e!

Mayorie '