"And Then..." for "Fruits Basket"
Disclaimer: cue koto music Hot-Spring Lady (I mean, hostess…..): clears throat Good afternoon, everyone. On behalf of Ms. Mikazuki, I would just like to thank you all for not suing her pants off and throwing her in jail. She asked me to remind you all that the Fruits Basket concept and characters aren't hers but belong to thEIR RESPECTIVE AUTHOR AND ARTISTS AND ALL THE PRODUCERS OF wild screaming in the background THE ANIME! Ahem. Ohhh, please pardon me…..I'm just a bit excitable these days…..
Chapter 23: The Consequences of Friendship
Motoko wiped the sheen of perspiration from her forehead with the back of her hand, adjusted the backpack slung over her shoulders, feeling the uncomfortable damp between her back and the bag. It was nearing the end of September, but the weather was more like the middle of summer today. A few carefree students were out splashing in the pool still, and through the glass walls of the game room attached to the girls' building she could see a few couples playing ping pong and foosball. There were a few guys on the billiards table, too, shooting balls and passing around cash. Motoko envied her friends out enjoying the day. She could see Tash and Reiko arriving home just ahead of her, disappearing into their apartment with big shopping bags from the mall in hand. Motoko was coming home from a study session for her accounting class that had taken six whole hours of her day. And she still had hours yet to spend on homework for her physics and calculus classes. If she had time, she needed to practice for ballet class as well.
Hauling her mass—doubled by the weight of the bag on her back—up the cement stairs to her story, Motoko passed by a group of girls who lived in the complex. At the mention of a familiar name she slowed her walk a little to eavesdrop.
"Did you know her dad died when she was just a kid?"
"Yeah. And her mom was a gangster, or something."
"Maybe they were part of some crime ring."
"I heard that her mom was in all sorts of trouble with the police, and even her daughter's done some illegal stuff."
"What, like drugs?"
"I dunno, but I have heard she used to live with three guys, and she 'worked' for them. Get my drift?"
"Really? Yikes. You wouldn't think that, lookin' at her. She seems so plain and naïve."
"Bet it's just an act."
When Motoko passed by them, the girls noticed her and drew her into their conversation.
"Hey, Motoko, you're Tohru Honda's roommate, right? And you both went to Kawaia High. Is it really true she cheated on the entrance exam to get into Tokyo U.?"
"How should I know?" Motoko replied, agitated. She wasn't in a great mood to begin with, and the last thing she wanted to think about was her arch-enemy. She just wanted to sit down with a large bowl of soothing ice cream and get her homework over with. She brushed her neighbors off rudely, but hadn't taken a single step before one of the girls, a big-eyed freshman she knew to be a member of the new Prince Yuki Fan Club, giggled,
"You're really lucky to get to spend so much time with a guy as hot as Yuki."
"Yeah, he's always at your apartment," said a skinny girl with short black hair. Motoko didn't know whether or not she was a member of the club. "Say, you should invite me over more often."
'Not likely,' Motoko growled in her head.
"He's there right now," a girl with dark, reddish hair and a flat nose commented in a high, squeaky voice. "You'd better go rescue him from Tohru Honda before she eats him."
They all laughed at that, and Motoko couldn't help feeling they were laughing at her, too. Along with the rumors Rika and she had started about Tohru—they were spreading like wildfire throughout the complex and anywhere the Prince Yuki Fan Club made their presence known—was the shaming knowledge that Motoko had been Number One among the girls who had instigated the original cult. She was the foremost expert and admirer of Yuki Sohma, yet she had to live with the greatest threat to everything the Prince Yuki Fan Club stood for. Motoko wondered if things would be the way they were now had Tohru joined the fan club in the first place. That seemed highly unlikely, though—Tohru was hardly popular at school. She hung out with weird people, and she was just such a goody two-shoes.
With a toss of her long, auburn hair, she marched off, leaving the girls tittering like junior high students. She let herself in to her apartment and dropped off her heavy backpack on the floor by the kitchen table. The air was nice and air-conditioned inside, and Motoko heaved a sigh of relief. Tash and Reiko were in the living room, sorting out the day's catch.
"Hey, Motoko. Check it," Reiko sang, holding out a skimpy red tube top for her to see. "Isn't it totally hot?"
"Yeah," she replied half-heartedly, going into the kitchen to dig out her ice cream. She opened the freezer and peered inside. The empty cavity where just yesterday afternoon her favorite flavor, double-chocolate chip with brownie and cookie dough chunks, had been greeted her. As if reading her mind, Reiko called out from the other room,
"Oh yeah, I saw Tomi finishing off your ice cream for breakfast this morning."
Motoko stared at the interior of the freezer and ground her teeth. She looked at the marker board on the wall that indicated where each of the apartment's inhabitants was located during the day. Tomiko was out at a movie with some friends. When she came home, Motoko thought, there would be a reckoning……
She strode towards her bedroom, but changed her mind before even leaving the kitchen. Those girls outside said Yuki was still here, and Yuki's voice floating melodiously down the hall was proof. Motoko went stiff. She had every intention of barging in there and going about her own business; it was her room, too, after all! Though just the thought of Yuki and Tohru in the same room, or even just Yuki in the same room, was enough to drive her crazy, though in different ways. An abrupt idea suddenly paralyzed her. What if they chanced on Motoko's diary and read all the sappy, romantic dreams Motoko had written about him? She nearly passed out at the mere thought, but fortunately, her panicked brain managed to dredge up enough common sense to keep her on her feet. Yuki was a gentleman, after all, and he would never do such a low-life thing as read a girl's private diary. She felt a bit chagrined as she remembered Rika prying into Tohru's diary just days ago. She felt even more ashamed when she also recalled what Rika and the Collegiate League of the Prince Yuki Fan Club had done with that information. Tohru had to have heard some of those rumors by now. Rika and her gang hadn't exactly been discreet about them. Motoko had even begun to wish she hadn't had a part to play in the whole scheme. Much as she disliked Tohru Honda, some of the things being said about her were way worse than what she'd heard those girls outside gossiping about earlier.
Still standing in the kitchen facing the back, Motoko quit staring at the carpet when she realized it had gone quiet in the bedroom. Yuki's voice could no longer be heard. Motoko lowered a thin eyebrow suspiciously, and the potential of the situation immediately dawned on her.
'Oh, no!' she thought in what would have sounded like a high-pitched shriek if anyone had been able to hear it. "What if they're…..KISSING!'
Galvanized into action, Motoko sprang into the hall and reached the door of her bedroom in just a few bounds. She flung open the door with every intention of exposing the secret affair, all the while bracing herself unpleasantly for it.
"Aha!" she crowed, making a formidable figure in the doorway and pointing a shaking finger at them. Tohru and Yuki looked up at her, startled. Motoko felt tidal waves of relief to see they weren't locked in each other's arms, overcome with passion, but simply…..studying. Tohru was seated at her desk poring over a textbook, and Yuki was looking over her shoulder in a totally non-suggestive way. It all looked completely innocent, but the sight of such a hunky man anywhere near Tohru Honda was still infuriating!
"Are you all right, Miss Minagawa?" Yuki wondered politely, an expression of sincere concern overshadowing his delicate, gorgeous features. Motoko realized she probably looked like she was on the warpath, but just the lovely sight of Prince Yuki's soft, violet-colored eyes wiped the snarl off her face. Then, seeing both Yuki and Tohru regarding her strangely, she snapped out of her flowery dream and stammered,
"Uh…..yes. I'm…..fine." They continued gawking at her, however, as if they suspected she was lying. Growing increasingly flustered, Motoko drew herself up and hastily retreated, almost slamming the door on them.
She blew through the kitchen, through the living room, and out the door. The gaggle of girls she encountered a few minutes ago had since broken up, and only another resident unlocking her door a few apartments down took any notice of her. Motoko felt all of the stress and frustration and jealousy stemming inside translate into tears that filled her eyes. She scrubbed them away with a sleeve. She was a crybaby at heart, and having to face the fact just made it even worse. No longer caring whether or not she got her homework done, she ran down the stairs, feeling like a leaf blown in the wind.
She picked up her bike at the rack in the parking lot and peddled as far and fast as she could make her legs go. There was a jogging path also great for bikers that ran along a canal through this part of town. It was almost like a park, with trees and grass growing all over it. Motoko followed the winding route for miles, throwing herself a one-woman pity party for the love that seemed to dance further and further out of reach with each passing day.
She almost didn't see the group of people hanging out on the grassy bank of the canal. She recognized a head of silvery hair and slammed on the brakes. They squealed in protest, and the tires smoked. She leaped off and trotted over to them, already feeling a bit lifted up. A couple faces in the group were familiar and greeted her with friendly smiles. Rika, too, turned and saw her.
"Motoko!" she laughed, waving her over. "You're just in time for the meeting."
Motoko came down the shallow slope and sat on the ground in the spot the girls made for her in their circle. They all had some kind of Prince Yuki paraphernalia on them—new, official club badges, diaries decorated with doodles and sporting Yuki's picture on the cover, or little plush Yuki dolls. Seeing them, Motoko could only shake her head inwardly. Had she really been that obsessed just a short time ago? The dolls were a little much.
"Meeting?" she echoed. "A fan club meeting?"
"You must have missed the memo," Rika said briskly, opening up a notebook that had all sorts of papers in it. The lithe, silver-haired girl took roll call and then made a couple announcements.
"Right," she intoned with a crisp voice. "I talked to Himeko in the audio/visual department of the library, and she can get us a camera by Tuesday so we can begin chronicling Prince Yuki's comings and goings here at Tokyo U. Who wants to be in charge of that?"
At least five hands of the sixteen or so girls present shot up vigorously, and a chorus of "Me! Me! Me!" ensued. Rika gave the assignment to a pale-skinned girl who looked a bit old to be a fan girl. Then she gave out the jobs of club secretary, treasurer, meeting coordinator, and so forth.
"And let's see….." Rika continued. "What about you, Motoko?" she inquired. "What would our fearless leader like to do?"
Motoko shrugged uncertainly. It seemed like Rika already had things running smoothly. Besides, a lot of the old club traditions seemed a bit ridiculous now. Like following Yuki everywhere with a video camera. That had been her old, coveted privilege.
"I know," Rika chirped brightly. "Motoko, you can be on the induction committee. We already have a pretty good following, but we can always use more members to increase our strength and help protect our beloved Prince. Sound okay to you?" She gazed at Motoko expectantly.
"I…..guess so," Motoko replied. Satisfied with the answer, Rika moved like a blur to the next order of business.
"Now, today I would like to discuss the new plan and our club's current top priority. As we all know—" She held up some crudely hand-drawn pictures and explained. "—the Prince Yuki Fan Club in Kawaia High failed to keep that sneaky little meddler, Tohru Honda, away from the Prince, and she has so far been successful in ensnaring the Prince's senses. We have this information thanks to our inside informer, Motoko."
Motoko noted that all the drawings of Tohru usually had horns or fangs or other ugly features adorning them, while the Prince was angelic and beautiful—as beautiful as Rika's artistic talent could make him, at least. He even had a golden halo.
"It is up to us, as members of the Collegiate League of the Prince Yuki Fan Club, to correct this gross error and get the little tramp away from him." Her grandiose manner of speech was quite impressive. All the girls present, even Motoko, listened, enraptured. "We will, I repeat, WILL have the Prince for ourselves. Prince Yuki is above mundane, base relationships. He sits on a throne on a silver pedestal where we all can worship and love him as he deserves. But if Tohru Honda's selfishness isn't stopped, then he will be lost to us forever, and we'll have to date….." She gulped visibly for emphasis. "…..Normal college guys!"
They all made faces but Motoko. She glances around at the girls there, puzzled by all their reactions.
"So what is this plan?" she asked. Rika looked slightly peeved at having her grand speech interrupted right at its climax, but she patiently replied,
"I was just getting to that. You've all done a great job spreading the truth about this evil witch to those who need to know. Keep at it. You can even exaggerate a bit more, if you think it will help our cause. But it's time to move on to Phase Two. Yasuko, did you get Tohru's class schedule?"
"Right here!" answered the named girl, holding up a slip of paper.
"Good. It's always wise to know the whereabouts of your enemy. We're going to get to the bottom of this, girls. We'll confront Tohru Honda when Prince Yuki isn't around. He's under her wicked spell, and in his superb kindness tries to defend her, even knowing what a horrible, undeserving girl she is. We're going to corner her and make her swear to stop associating with Prince Yuki. If she refuses, or breaks her word, well, we'll just have to punish her."
"What do you mean by that?" Motoko asked. "You're not planning on something that'll get us all in trouble, are you?"
Rika gave her a sideways, discerning look. "Just how important is Prince Yuki to you, Motoko? I should think that you, more than any of us here, would love him enough to take necessary action." Some of the girls smiled coldly, and a couple sniggered behind their hands. "Besides," Rika added, "it's not as if we're going to do anything illegal, per se."
Motoko decided to just shut her mouth and not argue any further, except to say,
"What are the girls in the Kawaia club going to do?"
Rika looked astounded. "Them! They're useless! All they've done so far is botch things to make it even harder for us to win Yuki back. They can all just drop dead so far as I'm concerned."
It seemed she'd forgotten that, not many years ago, she had been one of "them."
"Besides, they're so far away now they can't be of any help even if they want to. I'm more worried about us, about this club, at the moment."
Motoko frowned. This girl was a far cry from the witty, friendly Rika she used to know in high school. Being free from parents and a lot of the old rules had changed her drastically. And she was still desperate to hang on to the old vision of the Prince Yuki Fan Club, tooth and nail. Motoko didn't want to worship an ideal. She wanted the real Yuki's love. She wanted a so-called "mundane relationship" with him. She wanted to get to know him, not by following him around with cameras, but by talking to him. This whole idea was idiotic!
"I've gotta go," she said, standing up abruptly. "I just forgot I had a study group session." Rika saw right through the pretense and said sweetly,
"I know you're a bit reluctant to get your hands dirty, Motoko, but if you really love Prince Yuki, you'll do what it takes--"
'You mean what you tell me,' Motoko silently amended.
"—otherwise, you're just dead weight."
Motoko looked down at her and said firmly,
"I don't want to be the president of this club anymore, Rika."
The other girl merely showed her teeth in a chilly grin and responded smoothly, "You know, ever since I transferred here, I got the feeling you didn't have the guts for this. You're not dedicated enough, not strong enough, to be our leader." She addressed the circle of girls who were all glaring at Motoko with disgust plain on their mindless faces. "That's why I've decided to present a motion to the club. I hereby call for a vote to determine who should lead the Collegiate League of the Prince Yuki Fan Club to victory and glory. I nominate myself, Rika Ida, for this position and ask for your support. All in favor?"
Every hand there except Motoko's flew up, and Rika got to her feet, grinning smugly in Motoko's direction.
"I humbly accept," Rika proclaimed, a far cry from humility. "My first action as President will be to dismiss you, Motoko. Sorry, girl, but you can't be in this club. You've lost sight of our ideals. But don't worry. I hear there are still some spots open in the flower arranging club."
All Motoko could do was stare at her old friend, speechless. She could hardly believe she was doing this. Rika and the other girls weren't only kicking her out of the Prince Yuki Fan Club. The club was their life. They were kicking her out of their association. She had been exiled. Banished. Like someone with a contagious disease. With all their time and energy spent on pursuing Yuki, they wouldn't care one bit about her. They had renounced her completely.
"Oh, and one other thing," Rika added. "You are hereby forbidden from talking to or being seen with Prince Yuki. Someone as useless as you would only get in our way. If you mess with us, you'll regret it."
Motoko, hurt to the point of tears clouding her eyes, reeled from this further slap in the face. She wordlessly turned her back on them and climbed the bank back up to where her bike lay in the middle of the path. She numbly picked it up and got on. Would rumors start circulating about her as well now, she wondered? With this heavy, depressing thought in mind she pedaled off, tears leaking down her cheeks.
When she came home after roaming town on her bike for the rest of the day, she was somewhat surprised to find Yuki still there. With Tohru. It appeared they were taking a break from studying and were playing a game of mahjongg on the living room floor. Considering how quiet the place was, she supposed her other roommates were out having fun. Yuki and Tohru looked up from the tiles at her entrance.
"Hey, Motoko!" Tohu said cheerfully. "Welcome back."
Motoko returned her friendly words with a bitter glare and didn't say anything. She and Yuki looked so comfortable together, sitting there on the floor, turning over the mahjongg pieces. Her heart had been in anguish all that day because of them. Finding them here together, alone, was another stab. In a way, she saw her troubles as being Tohru's fault, too. If only Tohru had just listened to all the warnings before and backed off, then the Prince Yuki Fan Club could have enjoyed Yuki all to themselves. But no. Because she had to go be so pure and kind and wonderful, Yuki liked her more than he liked Motoko. Or anyone. Until Yuki gave up on her, Motoko would probably be tormented by Rika and the others all the days of her life.
"Are you okay, Motoko?" Tohru inquired. "You've been crying….."
Motoko realized her face was probably all red and puffy and ugly-looking still. Bawling always left her looking hideous, but even knowing the fact hadn't stopped her from sobbing for hours at her friends' betrayal. Tohru and now Yuki both looked at her with worried expressions. Why should they care, Motoko thought? They were having such a fun time together—they liked each other so much, why on earth should they expend any of their valuable time together worrying about her!
"Has something happened, Miss Minagawa?" asked Yuki.
Motoko hung her head, her shoulders limp and eyes cast to the floor.
"I've had a bad day is all," she surrendered weakly.
"Would you like to join us?" Tohru asked. "We've only just started playing. We can even play a different game if you don't like mahjongg. Maybe something a little more suited for multiple players. Hmm…..I have a deck of cards somewhere. How about a game of Rich Man, Poor, Man?"
"I've always liked that one," Yuki commented.
"No, thanks," Motoko replied. "I've…..got a lot to do."
"Are you sure?" Tohru said, those big blue eyes pleading. "We'd really love it if you'd play with us….."
"Yes," Yuki agreed breathily. "It would be fun."
Motoko's expression gradually softened. "How come they were being so nice to her? Didn't they hate her? Wasn't Yuki tired of her always hanging around him, snapping candid shots of him and always getting in his way? Didn't Tohru have a grudge against her for being so cold and unkind? She'd hate her if she only knew who had helped start those rumors about her and her family. But their faces showed no such thing. Motoko couldn't detect a hint of spite in them. They just honestly wanted to play a game with her. Spend some time with her. It seemed so ironic. Her archenemy and the boy who didn't love her, extending her a hand of friendship after she was ditched by all her old friends. They didn't want anything from her. They were just being…..nice. A complete one-eighty from how she had been treated by Rika and the fan club earlier. Their threats to her were still fresh in her mind. If they caught her hanging out with Yuki, they'd make her pay for it. How could they be so mean to her? With a pang of remorse she realized that this was exactly the position that she and the club had put Tohru in. The unfairness of it suddenly made a lot more sense to her. How did Tohru put up with it so well? Motoko had relied on her friends and the fan club so much during her teenaged years that without that support she was sure she'd crumble. She wasn't sure she wouldn't still. Maybe Tohru knew something she didn't. How else could she put up with all of Rika's and the fan club's crap so well? Was that the reason Yuki liked her so much? Sentimental girl that she was, she felt the tears coming again as her emotional mainframe crashed.
"Okay," she blubbered like a baby, going to join them on the floor while Tohru looked through the front closet for the deck of cards.
"Would you like some ice cream?" Yuki offered. "We went out and got a carton not too long ago. There's still a lot left."
Motoko sniffled and nodded.
"I think you'll like it," Yuki said, rising and heading for the kitchen. "Double chocolate chip with brownie and cookie dough chunks….."
The bell rang shrilly, signaling the end of Yuki's civics class. He leaned back in his seat, relieved. His hand was cramped from rapidly taking notes from the lecture. The teacher handed out take-home essay assignments as the students shuffled out, groaning. He spoke to Yuki when he passed by.
"I'll make an exception for your late homework this time, Mr. Sohma, but don't let it happen again. A student as outstanding as you are should be on top of his studies."
"Yes, Mr. Fujimoto," Yuki answered respectfully, walking out the door. His features were fixed in mild consternation, but he forced them back to a state of calm as he joined the rush of traffic in the hall, careful as always not to get too close to any girls. He was a bit behind in all his classes, and he'd had similar words spoken to him by the teachers in his other subjects. He was spending a good deal of his spare time with Tohru, helping her with her homework. She tried hard--she really did--but she still had a lot of difficulty with English grammar. The last several days of class with Mrs. Mikazuki left her feeling especially worn out at the end of the day. Yuki wasn't certain, but it almost seemed like the English teacher was calling on Tohru more than the other students, criticizing her a little more harshly. Yuki didn't know what she had against Tohru—was it because she had the worst grades in the class?—but he didn't like it. She bore it well, though, and did her best to keep up.
That day in English class was much like the previous three weeks—mostly they read aloud from the book Mrs. Mikazuki assigned and answered questions on the meaning of the passages. Essays were routine, and though Yuki was quite proficient in English, Tohru still struggled despite his tutelage. She apologized constantly, saying she was just wasting his time and that she was a dunce, but he wouldn't hear any of it. Still, while he was pulling A's in the class, Tohru was just barely scraping by with D's. Kyo fared a bit better than she did, but he complained loudly whenever he got a quiz or assignment back with red pen all over it.
Yuki was slowly growing accustomed to his new routine, but his classes and homework, plus soccer practice in the evenings three times a week, left him with little outside time to enjoy anything else, though towards the beginning of the week Tohru had suggested that they all go to the movies together and have some fun and take a break from studying. She invited Motoko along, too, and Yuki had to warn Kyo beforehand not to say anything nasty to the girl, who seemed to be slowly recovering from some kind of rough experience. Of course, during the evening Kyo couldn't help letting some rude comments slide, insensitive moron that he was, but Motoko surprised them both with some clever comebacks of her own. While the two bashed each other over a post-movie snack, Yuki got the feeling that, at the very least, they might eventually become friends. Tohru, too, seemed determined to let her roommate know she was included. Yuki knew her knack for coaxing people's problems out of them—apparently Motoko and a close friend had a falling out over something Motoko called "quite stupid, really."
Yuki was glad Tohru was making an effort to show the older girl that she was her friend. It wasn't any secret that back in high school, Motoko had labeled Tohru her No. 1 enemy for some reason neither Tohru nor Yuki understood. But that was all in the past.
Yuki spotted Tohru across the hall, being hauled along in the rush of students to their next classes. They both had English next. Out of the corner of his eye, Yuki saw Kyo coming up that way, too, a bit further behind. Yuki carefully picked his way through the masses to reach her.
"Miss Hon—I mean, Tohru," he said gently. She looked at him as thought startled out of her deep thoughts, whatever they were. She did seem awfully preoccupied lately.
"Huh? Oh, it's you, Yuki," she said, her pretty blue eyes lighting up with joy. He loved the way that happened whenever she looked at him. Like just seeing him made her whole day. "How are you?"
"I'm alright," he answered, though he didn't want to make idle chit-chat just at that moment. "Can I talk to you after class? In private?"
She cocked her head in a puzzled fashion. "Sure. Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine," he assured her. "Just meet me outside the building by the samurai statue after class. I won't take more than a minute, so you won't be late to catch the bus."
She nodded. "Okay. After class, then." They trickled into the classroom one by one, and she said over her shoulder to him, "I hope I pass today's quiz. I really need to get my grades up."
"You'll be fine," he said, smiling. "Just remember those memory tricks I showed you last night. Good luck."
"You, too," she responded, taking her seat.
The quiz turned out to be a piece of cake for Yuki, and Tohru said later she thought she did much better this time. Kyo got half the questions right and grumbled about it.
Tohru met him at the designated spot after class. As Kyo left to go his own way, he spied them and shot Yuki a scathing look that promised a fight later one. Neither of them gave any reasons, but their scuffles were beginning to get a little more frequent these days, though they had to take them away from campus or the dorms so as not to get in any more trouble. They both knew, essentially, why they seemed to tick each other off more and more these days.
Yuki would have returned the look with a withering expression of his own, but Tohru was there, and he had said he'd just take a minute, so there was no point to dwelling on Kyo's pathetic inferiority complex.
"Um, Tohru? I was just wondering. Would it be alright if—"
--Hot Spring Lady barges into the scene with the script in hand: koto music is replaced by drums and more wild screaming. Hot Spring Lady tosses script I'M SO SORRRRRYYYYYYYY! I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT THIS STORY IS THE ORIGINAL WORK OF MS. MIKAZUKI! AAAARRRGHHHHAAAHAHAHAAA! PLEASE DON'T PLAGIARIZE IT! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY, MS. MIKAZUKI! I HAVE FAILED IN MY DUTIES AS YOUR DISCLAIMER ANNOUNCER! I AM LOWER THAN THE DUST! AAAAGGGGGGHHH! exit Hot Spring Lady to stage left--
Yuki and Tohru blinked in surprise in the shower of falling paper.
"What was all that about?" Yuki wondered. He shook his head and turned his attention back to Tohru and the matter at hand. "Anyway, I wondered if it would be alright if…..if….." Why was it so difficult to say? Yuki had hordes of girls hounding him constantly for dates—it was even worse now that he was at college, but he turned them all down. There was only one girl he was interested in. It seemed that such a simple thing as asking a girl out—one girl in particular—on a date was more difficult than passing the college entrance exam. He spent time with her frequently. He tried to remind himself that this was no different. Just a nice dinner, the two of them together, alone, not worrying about school or roommates or anything…..
"Yes, Yuki?" Tohru said patiently, giving him the cute smile he'd grown to love.
"Would you like to have dinner this Friday?"
"Sure!" came her quick, ready answer. "I think that would be wonderful."
"Great. Um…..you're still coming over tonight, aren't you?"
"You bet. Tonight's spaghetti and meatballs. I still need to get some garlic bread from the store, though."
"Sounds terrific," Yuki said in anticipation. His stomach was a little cramped; he'd skipped breakfast to take more time studying for the English quiz.
"Okay, well, I'll see you and Kyo later tonight!" Tohru gave him a little wave then hurried off down the path through the green lawn in the direction of the bus stop, backpack and braided pigtails bobbing behind her as she ran. Yuki watched her go for a minute then reluctantly made his way towards his next class. It would be a very long, grueling week before Friday.
His prediction was not far off the mark. Each day seemed like years as he studied for classes and the upcoming midterm exams, as well as wrote papers due in two classes and helped with group projects in three others. He had to miss soccer practice all that week, much to his team's dismay, and even Tohru had to take a back seat on his to-do list, though he promised himself he'd make it up to her Friday, and he still called her on the phone every night or talked to her during dinner to see if she was having any problems with her English homework.
Kyo volunteered himself as a substitute in his stead and visited her a couple nights that week, much to Yuki's displeasure. However, he always came home, complaining when Yuki asked him how the tutoring went. It seemed Kyo didn't quite have the patience for it, and Tohru was still confused despite his efforts. Tohru's roommates, too, proved to be a hassle sometimes. Kyo went into his usual, childish swearing fits whenever they came up. Tomiko, apparently, was the most obnoxious in Kyo's opinion, always bugging him when he was trying to help Tohru and asking him questions about himself. She was quite a flirt, too, which annoyed Kyo even more.
As for Yuki, he found it best to meet with Tohru whenever her roommates weren't around, or have her come to his place when Kyo wasn't there to make a nuisance of himself. This week, though, the opportunities were limited. He sighed wearily and put the tip of his pen back on the page to continue his essay on the United States' judicial system.
Thursday crawled by, and Friday morning went at a snail's pace. Yuki finished his papers only by staying up till nearly dawn, and took care of most of his other homework during his breaks between classes. He was all set for the weekend, and he unconsciously counted down the hours till seven.
"Where are you goin'?" Kyo asked suspiciously from the kitchen table where he had his math homework spread all over the place. Yuki finished donning his jacket and replied coolly,
"Out."
He closed the door behind him, just as Abe's voice rang out, saying, "Hey, Yuki! Would you mind running by the store and picking up some more mil—"
The heavy click cut him off, and Yuki started for the stairs. A couple of his neighbors greeted him enthusiastically as he passed and wished him luck on an upcoming soccer match, but Yuki just mumbled indistinct acknowledgements back.
He showed up at her doorstep right on time and lifted a hand to knock, but to his surprise it opened even before he touched it, and a knot in his belly formed at the sight of the woman there in the doorway.
"Well, well. What have we here?" said Mina, hands on her almost completely exposed hips. She looked him over from head to toe as she did every single time she saw him. Her aggressive flirting was even worse than Tomiko's, especially in that she seemed to have a particular fascination for Yuki. He considered her the more dangerous of the two. She seemed to view him almost like a pet, and the way-too-sultry tone of her voice made Yuki squirm inside.
"All dressed up just to pay a visit?"
"I'm not dressed up," Yuki retorted, looking at her with threadbare patience. It wasn't as if he was decked out to go to a ball. The black pants, white polo shirt, and dark green corduroy jacket were things he might normally wear to school. She was just baiting him, like always. He was about to inquire after Tohru when the girl appeared behind Mina's shoulder.
"Oh, you're here already! I'll just get my sweater, and we'll go."
Yuki remained where he was, despite Mina's insistence that he come inside and make himself more "comfortable." Around her, Yuki would feel more comfortable suspended over a tank of man-eating sharks. To his relief, Tohru returned just seconds later, smiling happily and excited to go. Yuki's baleful gaze lingered on Mina a moment longer, then he offered Tohru the crook of his arm like a gentleman and escorted her away.
His plans involved them strolling to the university's botanical garden where students and researchers alike grew a wide variety of plants—from flowers to vegetables to evergreen shrubs and fruit trees and every kind of plant one could think of. It surpassed anything Yuki could have done with his plot of earth back home. Small, ornamental fountains pumped water over artificial waterfalls and statues, adding to the beauty of the place. It was almost the size of a park and looked like one, with tiered flowerbeds and bushes lining paved sidewalks. Yuki had made all the arrangements ahead of time, to leave him free to enjoy a night out with Tohru.
"Close your eyes. It's a surprise," Yuki said, gently placing his hands over her face.
"Uh…..okay….." Tohru replied uncertainly, allowing him to guide her down the path and around the bend. He took her by the hand and tugged her up and over a short bridge that spanned a shallow stream that ran through the garden and around a bend formed by dark-leafed cherry trees that looked a deep crimson color in the waning sunlight.
There was a quaint little gazebo that he had in mind—a simple, domed wooden structure with a lattice-like roof and dark green ivy climbing up the posts. Students sometimes came out here to study or eat lunch on the cement benches within. It was here that Yuki led her, to a round table covered in a white tablecloth, set up with dishes and glowing candles. As they meandered towards it, Yuki extended his fingers and snatched at an autumn rosebush blooming on the side, plucking up a small pink flower just barely beginning to bloom. Breaking off a couple of unripe thorns from the stem with his thumbnail, he tucked it in her hair. She looked very pretty tonight with her hair hanging loose around her shoulders. Cute didn't even do her justice.
"We're just about there," he said. He'd asked a couple of his colleagues from the horticulture class he was taking to make sure everything was perfect when they arrived. The meal was all ready—delivery would have to do, under the circumstances, but he knew Tohru liked Italian.
"Something smells delicious," Tohru said appreciatively as he drew her into the gazebo. The setting sun filtered through the ivy leaves, creating a sort of hazy, gold-colored ambience. He had also asked the head groundskeeper for the university if he could pick a few flowers for a vase as a centerpiece. Among the handful of orange poppies and short, late-summer daisies were a few dandelions he'd found hiding not so well in the grass. He hadn't told her she could look yet, so he carefully guided her to a blanket-covered bench at the table.
"Take a seat," he invited, and she obeyed.
"Yuki," she said with a slight giggle, "what are you up to?"
"You'll see in just a minute," Yuki answered, checking to make sure the bottle of champagne was still on ice beside the table. He unstopped the cork and poured the crystal clear drink into the two glasses set up on the table.
"Okay, you can open your eyes now," Yuki instructed, taking a seat on the bench opposite her.
Tohru did so, and those bright blue orbs grew large at the sight that greeted them.
"Oh, Yuki! This is beautiful!" she cooed. "I can hardly believe it! I've never seen anything so wonderful in my life.
"You deserve it," he said. "You've done so much for me, and I've never really thanked you properly."
Tohru's smile was a trifle embarrassed. "I'm the one who should be saying that, Yuki. I don't know where I'd be if it wasn't for all your help with school and all. After all, I'm really only here because of you."
"Let's not talk about school right now," Yuki said, uncovering a dish of chicken parmesan pasta and calamari with lemon. "If you don't mind, I'd like to take a break from it."
"Me, too," Tohru agreed as he served her. "I'm already looking forward to the New Year's break." She caught his gaze and asked him, "Do you think you'll go to Sohma House this year for New Year's?"
The question caught him off guard. He distracted himself by twirling his fork around in his fettucini, balling it up.
"You know, I'm not really sure." He hadn't gone for the past couple of years, and he didn't really have any desire to. Just being around the main estate brought back unpleasant memories of what life used to be like there. Sure, it was nice to see the family—some less than others, considering how well he got along with his brother and some of the other zodiac members like the Ram and Monkey—but truth be told, he much rather preferred Tohru's company at New Year's. Especially knowing that she had no one else to spend that special time with. "Maybe I will," he said in a noncommittal way, "but I haven't really decided yet."
"It would be nice to see everyone again," Tohru said dreamily. "I know I'm not a member of the family, and I'm not invited—don't get me wrong! I don't want to sound presumptuous or anything!—but I think that it would be nice to get to spend time with friends you haven't seen for a while. I wonder how they're all doing, back home….."
"I'm sure everyone's okay," Yuki said. "We'd probably hear about it if they weren't. Say, have you gotten any more letters from Shigure in the past few days?" His older cousin wrote regularly to them, though the letters were usually sent to Tohru for all three of them. Cheapskate as he was, Shigure would hate to have to spend extra on postage.
"Mmmm…..just one. But it was really short. He just mentioned something about going up to the lake house with Ayame and Hatori for a day. Momiji is visiting with him, too, for a little while. He said it was great having someone in the house again."
Yuki nodded. "I guess it's awfully quiet without us around. Especially with Kyo gone. Things must not get broken as often as they used to."
Tohru chuckled. "Yeah. He says he misses my cooking a lot. And that he's considering hiring a new housekeeper."
"Really?"
"He didn't sound too serious," Tohru told him, pausing for a second to take a sip of champagne. "He talked about going to Kawaia High and interviewing some of the girls there."
Yuki rolled his eyes. "He couldn't just place an ad in the newspaper like a normal person, I suppose." They both laughed.
"Oh, and he said Hatsuharu's taken off again. No one's really sure where he's gone, but he hasn't been seen for a day or so. Shigure figures the main house will just wait a few days and see if he shows up like usual before they have to send out search and rescue teams."
"Knowing Haru," Yuki said, "he probably just got lost on the way to school."
They laughed and reminisced for a while about that, and some of their old friend's other quirks, as well as the other Sohmas they knew, and the time they'd spent with them. They shared memories of living together with Shigure in the house in the mountains, and Yuki retold the unforgettable experience of meeting Tohru for the first time, when she tried to live in a tent in the woods. Tohru went a bit pink, saying how much of a dummy she was back then, but she giggled about it all the same.
"No, you were no dummy," Yuki replied. "You just wanted to do what you thought was best for everyone." It certainly turned out to be the best thing to happen to him, for sure. He couldn't imagine living a life without Tohru in it. It was unthinkable. The girl had changed him, changed so many of them, in ways they'd never even believed possible. She really was something…..
click…..
Yuki's head swiveled in search of the source of that sound. It stood out, different from the chirping of the birds and the crickets singing their twilight melodies. Tohru was still laughing and talking about the time Ritsu and Kisa had attempted to throw her a surprise birthday party last year, and what a disaster it had turned out to be, yet she thought it was probably the best birthday she'd ever had, but Yuki was still keenly listening. He had the prickly sensation on the back of his neck, like they were being spied on.
click…..
It came from a different direction this time, and was a bit louder. He focused on the bushes just outside the gazebo. Had he only imagined seeing the leaves stir? The ivy vines crawling around the arching wooden frame were still in the windless evening.
"Yuki? Is something wrong?" Tohru inquired, eyeing him with a touch of concern in her deep, oval eyes.
click…..
Yuki stood up abruptly, jarring the table a bit. They were through with dinner anyway.
"Come with me," Yuki said, grabbing her hand. They burst out of the gazebo at a run, shoes making slapping noises on the cement path. Before they were away, he heard a chorus of more clicks, and the area brightened slightly with a sudden flash. He pursed his lips in vexation. Why now? Why did they have to try and ruin this for him?
"Where are we going?" Tohru yelled, running hard just to keep up with him.
"Just trust me," he said, not letting go of her hand. The cool air and sweet smell of flowers all around gave him energy, and Yuki felt like he could run forever, careless and free. He followed the path for a while then broke off across a grassy area, leaving the rigidly organized flower garden behind and heading straight for a large pond on the edge of the campus. It, too, was used mostly for research by biology and botany students, but it was a beautiful area with trees and grass and, in most seasons, ducks that had made the pond their home for generations. When they reached the water's edge, Yuki slowed to a walk to catch his breath. He didn't bother to tell Tohru the reason for their sudden flight. Let her just think it was all part of the night's surprises.
"Gee, Yuki," Tohru said, breathing heavily. "That sure was…..exciting."
Yuki grinned and bowed, waving his free hand over their surroundings.
"Welcome, Miss Tohru Honda, to the prettiest spot in all of Tokyo!"
Tohru turned around, taking in the trees and bushes grass. Pale street lamps ringed the place, throwing pools of light and shadow everywhere. The lake was a dark color, with white birds floating serenely on it like toy boats. Overhead the moon was brightening, a fat quarter in the sky. The first star was appearing just beyond it. Yuki looked up at it and made a wish.
"It's absolutely beautiful!" Tohru said wondrously. "It must have taken you a while to find it."
Yuki folded his hands behind his back. He'd had the idea for a while and wanted to bring her here. "I had to make sure it was perfect," he told her softly. "Come over here!" He sought out her hand again. "That weeping willow over there is really neat. You have to see inside."
She followed him away from the pond to where the enormous, almost hairy tree was planted on a low rise. Its drooping green branches shimmered like a curtain in the rising breeze. He wasn't hurrying, but Tohru's foot caught on a rock, and she stumbled and fell, a surprised gasp escaping her mouth. Before Yuki could even think to help her, he was dragged down as well. They rolled over the grass a couple of times, and Yuki found himself on his back, gazing up into Tohru's startled-looking features. She was on her hands and knees directly over him, but close enough he could feel her hair tickling his face.
"That was close," he said, feeling his cheeks grow warm. It was all he could think to say.
She returned his words with a shaky smile. "Yeah, I might have accidentally transformed you. Leave it to me to trip over my own two feet. Sorry. I'm such a klutz."
Yuki smiled up at her. "It's…..quite all right."
"I'm afraid you've got a grass stain on your shirt, though," Tohru pointed out, hastily moving off to the side. Yuki sat up and pinched the fabric of his shirt near the shoulder. He couldn't see it well, but there was a darkish smudge on it. He laughed gently.
"So it would seem."
He picked himself up and helped Tohru to her feet, too. A bit more carefully this time, he brought her to the thick wall of the weeping willow and parted the branches to allow her in. It was dark inside without even the light of the street lamps to reach within.
"Wait for just a second," Yuki whispered to her. Choosing his footing carefully, he walked around just inside the veil of branches, running his hand along them. They stirred and undulated with a faint rustling, and by the time he was back to the spot he'd started from, a dim glow was coming to life inside. "Look up," he said, and Tohru tilted her head back. Tiny pinpoints of light were floating up higher in the tree, winking out occasionally. A few drifted down like snowflakes over their heads.
"Fireflies!" Tohru cried, clasping her hands in delight.
"Probably the last for the year," Yuki said. "They like it here by the pond, and they're safe from the animals that like to eat them in here. It's our own starry sky."
Tohru spread out her arms and twirled around slowly, gazing up at the canopy of the willow, mouth open in a huge grin.
"This is so wonderful, Yuki! Thank you!" she said. After a moment she looked to him and asked, "Is it the same to wish on a firefly?"
Yuki chuckled. "Why not?" He stood before her and gazed tenderly into her eyes. "This is a very special place," he said. "It may not be the same as the secret base, but I still think of it as ours."
Tohru's beaming smile was brighter than the light of the fireflies. "Thank you so much for showing me this, Yuki! And for dinner, too. You put a lot of effort into everything. It's perfect!"
Yuki shook pale-haired had modestly. "It's nothing, really. Without you, it's just a tree and some bugs." He lifted a hand to cup the side of her face. There was so much he was feeling right then. So much he wanted to say to her. But, afraid of spoiling this beautiful moment, he locked those words inside.
"Really. Thank you, Tohru."
Tohru looked at the clock on the living room wall when she got back in. It was already half past ten. She couldn't believe how quickly the time had flown. She'd had such a great time with Yuki. She was more than a little sad that it had to end, and not just because of the looming mountain of homework and studying that awaited her this weekend. Tomiko was watching a romantic movie with Tash on the sofa. The lights were off. Both of them had a box of tissues on hand and were allowing tears to roam freely over their faces.
"I love this part!" Tomiko blubbered.
"Hi, Tohru!" Tash said with a wobbly voice when she noticed her. "How was your date?"
"Date?" Tohru repeated. She supposed that she was so used to spending time with Yuki, especially over the past couple of weeks, that she hardly thought of it as a date. But considering how special it was and how nice Yuki had been to her, it almost certainly counted. Tohru was still fairly new to the whole experience. The only dates she'd ever been on had been with Yuki and Kyo. And Momiji, she thought, remembering the time he treated her like a princess, quite literally, and took her costume shopping and to dinner. There had also been another time, back home in Kawaia before she met the Sohmas. A boy in her homeroom class named Eiji Yamashima had asked her to a school dance one year because he didn't have anyone else to go with. Tohru had fun, but Eiji hardly ever spoke to her again. Things just basically went back to the way they were before the dance. Tohru was too busy nowadays to really go out on many dates. And she knew she wasn't all that popular, so it didn't bother her much. Her time spent with Yuki and Kyo, though, was very special to her.
"Yeah. You were out with Yuki, weren't you?" asked Tash.
"You went out with Yuki Sohma?" Tomiko exclaimed, breaking her attention away from the film. "Oooh, you'd better stay away from Motoko for a while….."
"Oh, give over, Tomi," said Tash. She smiled warmly at Tohru. "No worries, Tohru. I'm sure everything is fine. Oh, and you had a call from a girl in your cooking class while you were out. She just wants you to get in touch with her when you have a moment. Something about needing help preparing for the midterm. I left the information on the marker board."
"Uh…..okay….." Tohru responded, shuffling into the kitchen. In her absence the sink somehow managed to fill itself with dishes, and there were paper plates and half-eaten slices of pizza littering the kitchen table. She took a few minutes to straighten everything up before going back to her and Motoko's bedroom. She expected Motoko was out at the library studying—she said so on the message board. So Tohru was more than a little surprised to find her tall roommate already home and standing in the middle of the room, arms folded and glaring at her as if she had a bone to pick and had psychically detected her presence.
"So you're back," Motoko said flatly.
"Um……yes….." Tohru replied.
"So how was it?"
"My date with Yuki?" Tohru questioned. "It was really nice. We had pasta for dinner, and we went on a walk through the botanical gardens."
"I see. That must be why you have a rosebud in your hair."
"Hm?" Tohru touched her hair and found the flower Yuki had slipped in it earlier. It was a fair pink rosebud, petals just beginning to unfold, with a couple of tiny leaves still attached. It looked like an adorable hair ornament. She dug out her heavy world history textbook and deposited the flower within, pressing it flat between the pages to dry out. Tohru then began rummaging through her dresser for some pajamas to change into. Motoko still hadn't changed her stance.
"You're totally clueless, aren't you?" her roommate said in an accusing tone.
Tohru met her eyes and frowned slightly. "What do you mean, Motoko?"
Motoko's harsh glare was just barely short of angry. She was as straight and rigid as a soldier at attention, arms folded across her chest tightly, like she was trying to ward off the cold.
"Do you have any idea just how much Yuki cares for you? Do you, Tohru?" She did seem angry now. Angry on the verge of crying. "You're such a dimwit."
Tohru felt stunned, but not just because of Motoko's tone.
"You'd better just keep that flower in that book, 'cuz I don't wanna see it! It's just one more reminder that Yuki loves you and not me. This is for real, Tohru." Tears were beginning to brim in her flashing eyes. "I loved him. I loved Yuki. And I still do. Almost every girl I've ever known does. But we may as well not even exist as far as he's concerned, because you're the only one he ever wants to be with." She managed a bitter smile. "And you're such a spaced-out dope I don't think you'd ever realize it, not in a million years."
Tohru's thoughts were flying chaotically through her head, and she found herself unable to latch onto any particular one. All of them though were centered on Yuki—on the kind and gentle young man she'd come to know over the years, the "prince" of her high school, and one of her best friends.
"Sorry," said Motoko, scrubbing at her red and bleary eyes. "I need to go out for a while." Without further adieu, she sailed out of their bedroom, only a hair's breadth short of running. She didn't even bother shut the door after her. Tohru could only stare after her in bewildered silence.
She went about her nightly routine in a daze. She hardly responded to Reiko's wishing her a good night, and brushed her teeth and washed her face in the bathroom mechanically. She crawled under her bedcovers without really realizing what she was doing. In the darkness, she stared up at the glow-in-the-dark stars and moons that Motoko had stuck all over the ceiling. A beam of true moonlight came through the window and rested right on the framed photo of her mom. The unchanging, sassy-faced woman looked down from the shelf over the foot of her bed at her, like a guardian angel watching Tohru in her sleep. Tohru gazed at it for over an hour, not even tired.
In her brain, events from her past kept popping up and playing themselves like old home movies. Yuki, bringing her things to Shigure's house right after her tent was crushed in the landslide, having stayed up all night to do it. Yuki reluctantly volunteering to wear a dress for the senior girls at the school festival to make them happy. Yuki, sick and in bed, transforming into the Rat when she called him "Prince." She could hear his serene, gentle voice, too.
"You can do things your own way here….."
"It's a secret….."
"Ahhh, it was a good laugh….."
"Well I, for one, am tired of running!"
"I'm sorry. I was supposed to help you carry your things….."
"Then why don't you come home?"
Why was everything so confusing all of a sudden? Everyone hated her because she spent time with Yuki. She'd been thinking that she and Motoko were finally getting to be friends. But Motoko's reaction almost made her change her mind. Why couldn't she be friends with both Yuki and Motoko? Why did her relationship with Yuki have to cause so much stress?
"Mom?" she called out quietly in the darkness. "What am I supposed to do?" She wanted to be Motoko's friend. She really did. But she wanted Yuki's friendship even more. She wouldn't give it up for anything. She really liked him. And Kyo, too.
'Do you have any idea just how much Yuki cares for you?' cried Motoko's heartbroken voice.
The picture of her mother had no answer for her.
Hatsuharu Sohma checked the number he had written in black ink on the scrap of paper under the street lamp and matched it with the one on the door. Falling raindrops blurred it a bit. It had taken him weeks just to find the number, and days of searching to locate the door it was emblazoned on. At first he had traveled through three cities just to discover in the end (thanks to the directions of a local ice cream vendor) that the place he was looking for was actually in his own hometown. Not that that knowledge really helped him much. Haru's memory for direction wasn't the best. All the same, here he was. The place looked like a seedy apartment complex, in a part of town that was a bit run down. The white-painted steel stairs capping each story were heavily stained with rust, and the pathetic patch of lawn in front was more weeds than grass. The numbers on most of the doors were barely recognizable, but Haru counted them down till he found the one that had to be hers.
Taking off his goggles, he stared up at the third floor through the heavy rain and darkness. It was almost eleven o'clock, and it was quite cool and wet out, but he didn't really care. Leaving his bike leaning against the side of the building, he scaled the flights of stairs and made his way towards number 370, at the very end of the level. He noticed the mailbox just outside was crammed full of ads and envelopes. He took a peek at the labels on one offer for a credit card and confirmed it was indeed her place.
He knocked on the black, chipped door with a gloved hand. The blinds were pulled over the windows and it looked dark inside, but there was always the chance she was still home. If not, then he'd just wait there till she showed up, even if he had to sit on the cold concrete landing all night. As expected, there was no reply, no sound of anybody home.
"Rin?" he called through the door. He tried knocking again. When there was still no reply, he tried the doorknob, just out of curiosity. It turned easily in his grip. Staring down at it grimly, Haru figured that being inside was better than being out in the rain.
The hinges squeaked a little when he pushed open the door. It was pitch black inside. Haru's foot came into contact with a big box not more than three steps in. He shut the door behind him softly and felt around for a light switch. He eventually located it and flipped it on. The place looked like it had been ransacked. There were papers and magazines everywhere. Half as many dishes were in boxes as were in the glass-covered cabinets. Laundry lay in piles here and there, some of it ironed and on hangers, most of it just lying disorganized. There wasn't any sign of Rin around. Shucking off his gloves, he dropped them on a taped-up box and went through the living room and kitchen to a back area that housed a closet, a bathroom, and a bedroom. Haru moved towards the bedroom. The door was closed, but light was shining through the cracks.
Not even bothering to knock, Haru let himself in. The room was small, most of it taken up by the bed and a couple of dressers. There was a single window; it too had the blinds down. On the small space of floor left over, in the corner, he found the person he was searching for.
"Rin," he said carefully to the woman kneeling on the floor. She was dressed in a short, silky, cream-colored robe, black hair hanging in waves around her slender frame. What caught his attention though was the transparent bottle, full to the brim with pills she had in her hand. And a tall glass of water next to her on the floor. She didn't give any sign of having even heard him or seen him standing there in front of her.
"Are you sick, Rin?" he asked in a mild voice, taking a step closer. She was just gazing at the bottle of pills between her fingers, face devoid of expression. He knelt down and took her shoulders and gave her a light shake. "Hey, are you listening, Rin? Come on. Say something."
"Go away, Hatsuharu," she responded at last. She didn't look at him. "Leave me alone."
"I'm not gonna do that," Haru said. "I came a long way looking for you, and I'm not going to leave until I'm satisfied."
"You're wasting your time then," she said despondently. "I've already told you half a dozen times. I don't want to see you anymore, Hatsuharu."
"I just wanted to make sure of a couple things. Ask a couple questions," he insisted steadily, acting like he was completely unaffected by her unwelcoming attitude. "Where have you been, and why has no one heard from you for so long? Your parents came back to the main house actin' like you'd died or something."
"Or something," Rin echoed. "Nothing to talk about there."
Haru quirked an eyebrow. "All right, fine," he replied. "Next question. Why did you call it off?"
"Call what off?"
"You know what I'm talking about," Haru replied calmly. "Us. One minute it's fun and games and the next I'm blocked from your cell phone. What happened? Was it because I went Black on that moron who was hitting on you at the malt shop?"
"That would be a pretty worthless reason to break up, now wouldn't it?" Rin said.
"He was bein' a punk!" Haru protested. "Someone had to kick his trash and teach him not to mess with—"
"At any rate, that's not why I broke it off," Rin interrupted.
"Why then?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
Haru rubbed the bridge of his nose and hung his head. This was getting him nowhere fast. He spent days tracking Rin down to get some answers and this was all she was dishing out?
"Well, what have you been doing with yourself lately?" Maybe a topic a bit more conversational would soften her up so he could find out the real reasons she'd been avoiding him for months.
"Nothing of any consequence."
Haru stood up, battling to overcome his frustration. She was being so uncooperative. And on purpose, he was pretty sure. Well, at least—at the very least—she wasn't lashing out at him with her infamous temper. That time at the malt shop wasn't the only occasion where he'd been on the receiving end of it.
"Nothing, huh? Well isn't that just swell. So you've just been doing nothing, you say? You planning on just doing nothing for the rest of your life?"
"No."
"Well, what then? Give me some kind of straight answer."
Rin raised a slender white arm to point to the top of her dresser. A bit perplexed, Haru looked in that direction. There was a folded piece of paper lying on it and nothing else. He gave Rin a considering look before going over to read it. Just an ordinary piece of notebook paper folded up in a square. He unfolded it and read the two or three lines on it. Before his eyes even finished scanning it, he heard Rin pop off the cap to the medicine bottle.
In an instant Haru dashed back to the corner and swatted the bottle out of her hand just as she was tipping its contents into her mouth. Round white pills sprayed all over the carpet.
"What on earth do you think you're doing?" he yelled in her face. "Are you totally insane?"
"Why should you care, Hatsuharu? It isn't any of your business."
"You mean too much to me for me to just let you sit there and kill yourself! That's why I care!"
"Whatever," Rin said, reaching out to pick up some of the scattered pills. Haru grabbed her wrist and had to stop himself from throwing her against the wall. He wasn't even Black, and he was already mad as a wasp whose hive had been stepped on.
"Don't even think of touching those," he ordered her. "Or I'll stay here and make sure you cough each and every one of them up again."
"You're a real pain, you know that?" Rin shot back. "Did it ever cross your mind that maybe that's why I didn't want to see you anymore?"
"If I actually believed that was the reason then I wouldn't be here now."
"Why are you butting into my business?" she demanded. "Why can't you just leave me alone and forget I ever existed?"
"I've already told you," Haru said. "I care about you, Rin. Even though you're the one who dumped me, I still do."
"Hah. Aren't you just a wonder? My own parents weren't so persistent."
"Well, they don't know you as well as I do."
That made Rin hesitate. Her deep, black eyes bore into Haru's, and her full lips uttered,
"And just how well do you think you know me, Hatsuharu?"
Hatsuharu didn't even have to think about his answer. "I know that you are a good person. You're not perfect. You've got temper that could give Black Haru's a run for his money. You can be a bit selfish at times, but almost always you're really kind and loving. And you're the most beautiful girl I've ever met."
Contrary to his expectations, her expression was more like a thundercloud than a softer, mellower Rin. She looked more like she was offended by what he'd just said.
"You're no different from all the others," she spat. "I was just a trophy girlfriend to you. Someone you showed off to all your friends. You only liked me for my looks, just like everyone else. That's all anyone ever sees in me! My parents, the photographers, the Sohmas, and you! That's all my life is anymore—my face and my body. I'm just a doll. An object. There is no real 'me' inside!"
"Yes, there is!" Haru insisted forcefully. "I've seen her. She's the Rin who smiles when I tell jokes. The Rin who went out to the lake with me on weekends to go water skiing. The Rin who gives big tips to waiters because she knows their job sucks. The Rin who called on the phone every night to talk with me for hours. She's a real person. She's you."
Rin's breath came out in a shudder. The image of a hurt, frightened child suddenly came to Haru's mind. The Rin who hid behind a shell of self-confidence and pretended to be indifferent when really she was lost inside.
"But it can't be, Hatsuharu. Kureno says so, and so does Akito. We are cursed to be miserable. Even if things had turned out differently, we'd be punished in the end. This is the only way I'll ever be at peace. I'm just going to end it all."
Still clenching her arms in his fists, Haru studied her with tender feelings. So that was it. She was giving up. She had no fight left in her.
"I'd rather be miserable with you than miserable without you," he stated calmly. "And since when have you ever cared what Kureno and Akito think? Just look at what you've done since you left Sohma House! You've become independent. You have dreams of your own, don't you?"
"Yes….." Rin replied timidly.
"Are you really so willing to abandon them just like that?" he asked her, snapping his fingers. "I promise you, Rin. I'll help you fulfill your dreams. I'll do whatever it takes. I just want you to be happy. Even though we're both cursed, we can help each other, can't we?"
Rin was silent for several moments, pondering. When she looked up into Haru's eyes again, she murmured,
"Why? Why don't you just give up on me? Everyone else has. What makes you different?"
Haru scratched his head. "I dunno," he answered honestly. "Maybe it's because I know what it's like, and I sympathize. But I think it has more to do with the fact that I care about you. I've gotten to know the real you. I've seen your true worth, and I accept you the way you are. Inside, and out." He snaked his arms around her and pulled her to his body in a tight hug. It was a blessing that neither of them would transform in the other's arms. Rin buried her face in his shoulder, and he stroked her shiny black hair soothingly.
"I can't promise you it'll be easy," he said softly into her ear. He pressed his cheek to her neck and held her even tighter. "But I do promise you that it will be all right in the end. I can't see the future, but I have faith that somehow…..it will."
Rin backed away to look him in the eye. Her face was damp and her eyes sparkled with wetness. Haru stroked her cheekbone with his thumb tenderly as she whispered,
"Please forgive me, Hatsuharu. You're the only one who's been good to me, and I've treated you like dirt. I've been such an idiot. For months."
"Hey, it's okay," he said, the corners of his mouth turning up in a small smile. "We can always start over." He tipped up her chin and leaned in to lightly kiss her forehead. She responded by tangling her long fingers in his hair and bringing his head down to kiss him on the lips.
"To tell you the truth," she breathed against them, "I really did miss you."
Inhaling this close he could pick up the weak scent of some kind of perfume on her skin. Eyes closed, he couldn't see her face, but his fingertips traced the outline of her cheeks, her jaw, her neck, her shoulders…..
Her hands, too, were traveling down, peeling off his fur-trimmed coat. He was rather grateful; it was hot with it on indoors. Her cool palms followed the contours of his arms. He was just beginning to explore her mouth when she pushed back his vest as well. Then she idly dragged a painted, manicured fingernail across his bare chest.
"Rin….." he said, breaking their contact without opening his eyes, "you know, you don't have to—"
She seized him roughly by his beaded necklaces like he was a dog on a leash and put an end to all further protest.
Author's Notes: Another chapter out. Figured I'd do some more writing over the Thanksgiving break instead of my homework. And until I find my misplaced notes for "Mononoke-hime" I may as well continue with Fruits Basket. And since I'm sick as a dog and not going anywhere, I might as well spend quality time with my computer. cough, cough, sniffle……unnnggghhh….. Sorry if some things are misquoted. I've been pining for my Furuba DVD's for weeks since my sister in another town borrowed them to make music videos. Give me back my sweet Shigure! wails I'll just have to watch my FB music videos over and over again…..Thank you everyone for so many reviews! I love to read them (the good ones more than the bad, but I appreciate the bad ones, too, so long as they're not too mean.) Jaaaaaa ne to all of you, and please continue reading!
Hot Spring Lady jumps in and glues her face to the screen
Hot Spring Lady: THANK YOU, THAAAAANK YOOOOU, MS. MIKAZUKI FOR GIVING ME ANOTHER CHANCE! I SWEAR I SHALL NOT DISHONOR YOU AGAAAAAIN! Ahem. cue koto music Next time on "And Then….." for "Fruits Basket"…..Kureno vs. Kyo—who would win? Is Tohru going to get kicked out of college? Will Shigure's editor consider a modeling career? Will Tohru survive her next visit with Akito? Will Akito finally reveal the origins of the zodiac curse? Find out in "And Then….." for "Fruits Basket" Chapter 24: Cursed………….AAAAAAAGGGHHHHH! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME! WHO IS TOHRU GOING TO END UP WITH! WHEN IS MY SON GOING TO GET A BIGGER PART? WHY AM I NOT IN THIS STORY! AAAGGGGHHHHH—Jimbo the Wonder Squirrel leaps in and jabs the Hot Spring Lady in the ribs, and she swoons
Yuriko screwing pinky in her ear to regain her hearing: Thanks. Hmm…..maybe we should get a different announcer for the disclaimer. You up for it?
Jimbo the Wonder Squirrel: thumbs up
