Nightfall couldn't have taken any longer to arrive. She had packed all her necessities hours ago, and by now, her goodbye letter to Haru and Kisa was eight pages long. With the time she had, she had turned a simple letter, stating that she wasn't going to be home for an unknown amount of time and that she would be fine wherever she was, into a letter reminding them that she did love them, even though at the moment, she was choosing Yuki over the two of them. She just hoped they'd forgive her for doing this, but there wasn't much else she could do to be constantly around the one her heart ached to be with.
Tohru sighed as she slid the letter under her pillow. Kisa and Haru would find it soon enough. Hopefully, they'd locate it before they called the police.
She paced around her room, waiting impatiently for the green numbers on her digital clock to signal midnight, the time Yuki had instructed her to leave her room. After what seemed more like an eternity rather than a mere hour, it was time. Tohru grinned to herself, dancing over to her door to make sure it was locked before she grabbed her luggage out from under her bed. Quickly, she tied the end of her escape rope to the handle of her suitcase and carefully lowered it out her window and onto the bushes below.
After another quick scan outside, she lowered herself down the castle wall and onto the soft shrubs. Fumbling with excitement, it took her a minute to free her small duffle bag from the shackle of the rope. Once she had managed to liberate the case, she somehow was able to scurry over the next wall and get off the castle grounds without hurting herself.
Immediately, she began her search for where Yuki was waiting. She peered side to side, searching for a glimpse of his silver hair, but she saw nothing but trees and faint blurs of wildlife. It didn't take long for her to begin to worry, her mind conjuring up pessimistic images against her will. He could have forgotten, or he might have been kidding about running away with her, or even worse, he could have been caught and hurt. These thoughts were more overwhelming than she had thought possible. They were so realistic that she froze where she was standing, lost in her gloomy world until she felt someone take her hand.
Startled, she jumped.
"Tohru, are you all right?" Yuki asked her worriedly.
"Y-yes!" Tohru squeaked, distraught with relief.
He smiled before taking her suitcase from her. Tohru glanced at her luggage briefly, not wanting to force him to hold it for her, but she knew it would be useless to protest. Yuki held onto her fingers with his other hand, leading her down the path of the forest, careful to steer clear of direct moonlight where a nearby guard may easily spot them. When they had walked far enough that the castle was only a small dot in the distance, he no longer purposely avoided the streams of white light, and whenever he did wind up walking within the moon's range, she could swear her breath would catch in her throat as she gazed at the heavenly creature beside her.
The moonlight would glisten off his silver locks, and his pale skin seemed to glow against the black night surroundings. Tohru would have stared in amazement the rest of the way if he didn't somehow know whenever her eyes were glued on him. He would turn his face towards her and flash her a perfect smile that probably aroused the envy of every divinity. She couldn't believe he wanted her to live with him, but even so, his presence didn't relieve her of all her concerns. Tohru wanted to run away with him, but there were so many things she wasn't sure she was prepared for and many people she didn't think she was ready to part with. She gripped his hand uneasily, and she felt him squeeze her hand back in response.
"Do you want to go back?" he asked her.
She shook her head no. There was no doubt that she was terrified and nervous, but returning home now hadn't crossed her mind. The thought seemed unthinkable. After all of this, neither of them was going to turn back willingly. They had been through too much to be able to pretend their relationship had never happened. At this moment, that just seemed physically impossible. Too much pain had been endured, too much time spent with each other, too many feelings of love. When they were apart, they could only feel the empty space and the longing to be with the other. The sense of being incomplete without the other just seemed to magnify all the time, and that was just the surface of their relationship. Their love held so much depth that it was difficult not to drown in the pools of pure affection.
Yuki wasn't convinced that this was what she wanted. What he was leaving behind was easy. He was abandoning a cruel mother, a father he hardly knew, an annoying cousin, and a brother he wanted to strangle. Even though he knew her aunt and uncle weren't the most pleasant people around, he also was aware of the fondness she held for her two siblings. It was a selfish thing, taking her away from her family just so he could be with her, but she claimed she wanted this just as badly as he did. She smiled up at him, and he shook his head, clearing his head of his darker thoughts and changed the subject.
"We have to walk a bit, I'm afraid…" Yuki mused.
Tohru peered up at him with an untroubled smile, "I don't mind."
He laughed a bit. She was so easy to please and keep cheerful. Almost too easy. Half the time, he had to wonder whether she was really happy or if she was just pretending. Either she was a flawless actress, he was blind, or she really was what she insisted she was: content just to be with him. He beamed, tugging her to the nearest train station. He partially shuddered when he stepped inside the building. Public transportation. Yuki grimaced as he gripped her hand tightly, afraid of what this train station was contaminated with.
Tohru, on the other hand, was having an excellent time. Her eyes flew around the building with delight, taking note of each person sitting in a plastic chair, waiting for his train, every crack in the tiles they stepped upon, the once pink gum pressed against the wall, the plastic plants picking up dust in the corners, and the messy, ripped magazines loitering the tables. She would have darted around to explore if his hand hadn't restrained her from doing so.
Yuki shook his head wearily, avoiding the gaze of every onlooker, and pulled her along to purchase tickets. He set down more cash than necessary on the table before the crescent opening in the glass that separated him and the train ticket vender. Yuki lifted his hand, cautious not to make any contact with the countertop. The seller didn't bother to ask where they were headed for. There was only one trip available around this time today. He glanced down at the money, stuck in the cash register, and slid out the change and two tickets for Yuki. Yuki reluctantly took the tickets –still unsure of how sanitary these tickets could possibly be- but left the money. There was no way he was taking money that had gotten inside of that cash register via some random person who had purchased a ticket before him.
"Keep it."
With those two words said, Yuki spun around, dragging Tohru with him. Tohru waved to the vender, not wanting to leave him with Yuki's cold attitude.
Yuki led her down cold stairs to a dark area, barely lit by the lights dotting the cement ceiling. He remained quiet up until he had brought her through the doors of the train and opened the door to a little room with two bench-like structures to sit upon and a table in between. He stared at the uncomfortable seats with an almost tortured expression while Tohru smiled and sat down willingly, taking the seat by the window. He tossed their bags up in the rack above them and took the seat next to her stiffly. Tohru gazed at him for a moment before wrapping herself around his right arm and resting her head against his shoulder. He sighed and used his free arm to grasp her back, the closet he could come to hugging her back.
He gazed out the window, impatiently wanting for the train to start moving already. What was taking them so long? He had specifically told Tohru to sneak out at midnight because he had timed the walk to the train station to be a few minutes short of half an hour, and the departure was supposed to be at twelve-thirty in the morning. He hated being within a couple mile radius of their homes. It would be too easy for someone from one of their palaces to find them here if he or she discovered them missing. Actually, he doubted even being halfway across the country would make it considerably more difficult to track them down.
"I should have driven… I didn't have to take my car… I could have bought a new one, then they wouldn't have been able to track that if I bought it under a fake name. Or I could have got a taxi. At least then we'd be leaving already... I'm sorry, Tohru…"
Tohru shook her head against his shoulder, "We've been waiting for a whole minute. Why are you acting so impatiently, Yuki-kun? We're in no hurry. It would have been ridiculous to buy a car-"
The door slid open and a man in a burgundy uniform appeared, holding his hand out towards them. Tohru jolted back, releasing Yuki in an embarrassed rush as if she had been caught doing something humiliating. She slid in her seat away from Yuki until she accidentally hit her head against the window. As she winced and covered the back of her head with her hands, she could have sworn the conductor laughed at her. Yuki glanced at Tohru to make sure she was alright before turning towards the train employee and giving him the tickets. After the man left, Yuki gave his full attention back to Tohru, who had, to his relief, removed her hands from her head, signaling to him that she hadn't injured herself seriously.
"Tohru, why don't you sleep? It's going to be a long ride…" Yuki suggested as he began to feel the train move.
Tohru didn't reply, pressing her face against the glass of the window, mesmerized by the lights flashing past her. She had never been on a train before, and this was a lot more interesting than sitting in a car. Yuki covered her shoulder with his hand quizzically, pulling her back from the window. Tohru let her fingers slid down the glass quietly as she faced Yuki, pointing out the glass at the bright stars in the sky whirling past them, "Isn't it pretty?"
"Not comparable to you… Now sleep before I end up having to carry you to our place."
Tohru froze at the sound of his last two words. They were going to a house, a house that would belong only to them. Yuki took this opportunity to pull her away from the window. He leaned against the corner of the seat and settled her against his chest. He surrounded her thin frame with his long legs and wrapped his arms around her abdomen. Tohru relaxed, letting him keep her there and rest his chin on her shoulder. The steady rise and fall of his chest was comforting but not enough to lull her to sleep. Besides, she didn't want to waste a minute of her time sleeping when Yuki was with her.
"I'm not sleepy…" she complained.
"Shall I tell you a story then?"
She grinned, peering up at him, unsure of how to respond to that. The last time she was told a story to get her to sleep she had been ten years old. Yuki smiled back at her, opening his mouth to begin some tale, but the sliding wooden door of the train opened with a loud thud before he said a word. Yuki and Tohru stared at the man with short, dark brown hair who had just entered. He waved excitedly at the two of them as if they had been friends forever while Yuki just simple raised his eyebrows in an annoyed manner. Tohru made an attempt to wiggle out of Yuki's embrace due to her embarrassment, but he didn't let her escape. All she managed to do was flip over and bury her face against his chest.
"Howdy there! It looks like I'm stuck with the love birds!"
"Why are you here?" Yuki demanded, irritated.
"Oh, you see, all the other seats are filled but these since I got on as the train started to leave!" he explained simply as he sat down in the bench across from Yuki and Tohru, "If you wanted privacy, you should have locked the doors."
"You can lock the door?"
"Yep! See?" he reached over and pulled down a small switch.
Yuki craned his neck back to stare at the lock in shock. His mouth slid open in wonder, but his expression quickly contorted with disappointment as he glanced back at the brunette man who would now be joining them in their ride. If only he had more experience with public transportation. Maybe then, he would have noticed the lock. Yuki peered up at their intruder with animosity. He hardly wanted to sit within hearing range of this guy. He could already tell his once quiet and peaceful trip would now be filled with pointless chitchat.
"Damn it… Could you step back outside so I can figure that out before you come in?" Yuki asked hopefully.
He laughed, "You're funny."
"I'm serious…" Yuki grumbled.
Yuki groaned, smacking the back of his head against the seat a couple of times before tightening his hold around Tohru as if he were afraid this new stranger would steal Tohru from him. She blushed, but she gave up trying to break out of the hold even though she found being held by Yuki in front of someone she didn't know downright embarrassing.
Tohru peered at the stranger though the gap between Yuki's arm and chest, listening to him introduce himself as Kakeru Manabe and prattle on about random facts. She could tell by the distant look in Yuki's eyes that he wasn't listening, but she, on the other hand, found this man to be very amusing. She found herself giggling and was embarrassed to learn that she had been heard. For the first time since Manabe set foot in the train, he was silent. He stared at her for a moment before holding his hand out to her. Tohru smiled as she poked her head out from under Yuki's arm and extended her hand out to his. He had shaken her hand already by the time Yuki shifted his attention to their locked hands. Tohru pulled her hand out immediately, but she kept her head protruded from his hold.
"What's your name?" he asked.
She glanced up at Yuki's face uneasily before answering, "Tohru…"
"Tohru, huh. That's a pretty odd name for a girl…"
Tohru flushed a light pink as she yanked her head back under Yuki's arm. Yuki ran his fingers down her back. He repeated this a couple of times before kissing her cheek, making her cheeks burn. She turned her head towards the seat, not wanting to see what kind of expression was on Manabe's face. She wasn't a person who handled public displays of affection rationally. Even something as simple as handholding made her temperature soar to unhealthy levels. To make matters more humiliating for her, Yuki's expression never seemed to change at things that made her flustered. The most she'd seen was a smile from him at the rapid color change of her skin. Nothing ever seemed to faze him although her reactions tended to amuse him.
"Sleep…" Yuki softly ordered her.
"Hey! That's rude! I was talking to her! Don't tell her to sleep!" Manabe whined.
"She was going to sleep before you started talking to her," Yuki pointed out with a shrug.
"Y-Yuki-kun, I don't want to… I don't need more sleep…" she whispered into his ear.
His hands caught her face between them, examining it and unintentionally making her blush. He released her after a second and pressed her head back down onto his chest, going back to stroking her back as he ignored further unintelligible words sprawling out of Manabe's mouth. Tohru wiggled around for a moment to break his hold and lift herself off of him. She cocked her head to the side, showing him her confusion. He smiled at her, running his thumbs under her eyes as a tacit explanation.
"Your face tells me otherwise. You have purple rings under your eyes," he told her.
Giving up on arguing and not wanting him to see bruise like marks on her face, she dropped her face, letting the side of her head lie against his chest again. She shut her eyes, listening to the faint purr of the train and his steady heartbeat. She didn't plan on falling asleep, she wanted to stay up with Yuki, but her eyes started to droop. Tohru couldn't hold back sleep any longer, despite how uncomfortable she was with the thought of a stranger watching her sleep. The next thing she knew Yuki was shaking her awake. Tohru opened her eyes, looking around with a bewildered look. Sunlight streamed through the large window in front of her eyes.
"Good morning, love. Sorry to wake you…" Yuki greeted her with a warm smile.
"Yuki-kun?" she rasped in a flustered, tired voice.
She peered at him through bemused eyes for a moment before she remembered what happened last night. Tohru sat up, still locked on his lap by his arms. Rubbing her eyes, she peeked up at him, wondering if he had slept at all. He looked energized enough to fool her if he hadn't. Tohru avoided looking towards the window, not wanting to risk the chance of catching her reflection in the glass and seeing what her hair looked like at the moment. By the way it felt as her fingers streamed through the tangled brown locks, she was sure she appeared to have just walked past a tornado. He laughed after she made an attempt to brush the knots out of her hair, and she didn't dare ask what he found so comical.
"Our stop is here," Yuki informed her.
He stood up, hoisting her up in his arms easily. She flushed, frantically looking around for Manabe, but he was nowhere in sight. She let out a breath of relief before wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Yuki, what are you doing?" she asked.
"Hold on," he replied seriously.
She glanced around, noting for the first time that he already had their luggage slung across his shoulder. Somehow, he opened the door while she wasn't looking and he was now weaving his way through the thick crowds of people trying to leave the train. Tohru gripped Yuki's neck tightly, still in a state of shock. She squirmed in his arms embarrassedly, avoiding all the eyes focused on them from the nearby passengers. He knew just how to draw everyone's attention to her. First, he had to carry her as if she were some child, but he was also parading her around with her hideous hair that she was positive was sticking up in various spots.
"Yuki! People are staring! Put me down!" she hissed into his ear.
"They're staring at how beautiful you are. If I set you down they'll just snatch you away," Yuki murmured back.
Tohru blushed, hiding her face in the crook of his arm. She buried her head deeper, trying to drone out the murmurs of the people around her. Yuki laughed gently, setting her back onto her feet after a few minutes, but by now, they were no longer on the train. Her shoes made contact with the cement paving of the train stop. She tensed at the darkness, taking a step closer to Yuki. He draped his arm around her small shoulders, making Tohru smile instantly. She leaned against him for unneeded support as he led her up some stairs and back under sunlight. She was delighted as she saw all the bustling people around her and the wide windows of shops displaying numerous items. She explored the city with her eyes as Yuki held up the map to his face, trying to decipher the directions to said house of theirs, but it didn't look like he was having much luck as they continued down the sidewalk.
"I think it should be around here somewhere…" Yuki muttered as the cityscape gave way to a smaller and much quieter town.
Tohru nodded, her face shining brightly. She inhaled a breath of fresh air hungrily. Neither of them had felt so free in their entire lives. There wasn't a single chain holding them down. Her whole body felt entirely weightless, like a feather being swept away in the wind. They continued walking for some time before a vibration in Yuki's pocket made Tohru jump. He chuckled at her reaction as he pulled out his cell phone, surprised to have a message from Ayame. He didn't remember ever giving Ayame his phone number. Actually, he recalled changing it a few times in the past because his brother had somehow gotten access to it. Yuki sighed as he read the note.
So sorry dearest brother.
It would seem that I have forgotten
to inform you that you are in search
of an apartment complex.
Don't worry. I have a room reserved for you.
It's under the names of Prince Charming
and Princess Cinderella.
Yuki gawked at the ridiculous names for sixty seconds before Tohru leaned across his arms to read the message for herself. She stared at it for a moment before she turned her head around and pointed to a large building that they had just passed.
"Is that it?" she asked.
"We'll see…" Yuki mumbled as he tugged her back to the building.
The two of them stepped through the tall wooden doors and onto the linoleum tiles. The orange and white flooring was covered with a large brown rug thrown before the dull gold counter top towards the back of the room. The walls were a dark brown with a bright gold trim, partially matching the floor and counter. The decorations, however, did not correlate with anything. There were random pictures dotting the walls, some paintings of flowers, others photographs of people, and the rest advertisements. Randomly placed about the room were small end tables with dying flowers on top. The faded orange cushioned chairs bordering the place were crooked and run down. A lot of them had holes all over.
Yuki cautiously eyed the blonde woman who was yelling at someone on the phone behind the counter. He seemed to regret even stepping inside, pressing Tohru closer against his body. He didn't like the looks of this place, but Tohru seemed at ease, as usual. Yuki stepped towards the front desk, scarcely missing a cockroach that had darted across the floor. The little bug made Tohru practically jump into his arms. He smiled slightly, continuing to tow her to their destination. The woman hung up upon seeing them, forcing an unnatural smile onto her face.
"Welcome! May I help you?"
Her words were friendly enough, but her tone was harsh. Her hair had been dyed blond, Yuki noted. He glanced at her crooked black name tag which announced her name was Arisa Uotani, but it looked like she had crossed that out with a permanent marker. She had written 'Uo' on the blank gold rim of the nametag. She flicked her long blond bangs from her face and stared at them, waiting for them to respond. Her expression no longer seemed relatively happy.
"By any chance, would a room be reserved under the name… Prince Charming and Cinderella?" Yuki questioned under his breath.
She stared unbelieving at him for a full minute, assuming he was playing a practical joke on her, but Yuki patiently waited for her to check. She scoffed at him but checked her book anyways. To her surprise, she actually found a room listed under the fairytale couple. It was the biggest room in the rundown hotel too. It even included furniture. She glanced back up at Yuki and Tohru suspiciously and took another peek at the names printed neatly on a sheet of paper, making sure she hadn't read it incorrectly, but the names hadn't changed. The room was still listed under the prince and princess. Who in the world had let someone register under those names?
"These aren't your real names, right?" she guessed.
"Thank god no. My stupid brother made reservations and whatnot," Yuki responded.
She shut the binder with pursed lips, "I can't rent a room to people who can't give me their real names."
Tohru's mouth dropped in horror. She quickly scurried up to the desk, unable to even think about having to return home after running away from there.
"Please let us rent it? We'll do anything," Tohru begged quickly.
Tohru didn't think much of her offer. She wouldn't mind doing anything to be able to stay here. There wasn't much in the world that mattered more to her than being able to be with Yuki, and this place seemed perfect to her. She found the apartment building cozy looking although most considered it more rundown and shabby. Regardless, she was sure Ayame had worked hard to find this place, and she didn't want to let his work go to waste. The blonde known as Uo stared at Tohru, trying to come to a decision, her mind wavering back and forth.
"Arisa, just let them have it. Kureno won't mind as long as we get paid."
A slender woman with long, dark, wavy hair stepped out from a small room with a sinister expression, making Tohru leap backwards into Yuki's arms. He dropped the suitcases he was holding to catch her. As soon as Tohru realized she had just jumped at the sight of a person, she immediately assumed she had offended her which made her begin apologizing while she climbed down from Yuki's hold, but the woman dressed in black waved off her apologies carelessly. Both girls laughed at her good-naturedly before the blond one nodded, giving in and agreeing.
"Oh all right… But you have to work here for it!"
"Yay!" Tohru exclaimed excitedly, "We get to stay here, Yuki-kun!"
Yuki smiled at her. She skipped over to him with a grin, taking his hands in hers and swinging them around as if she were conducting music. He laughed, lacing his fingers through hers. He pulled her closer, picking her up to keep her from tripping over the luggage he had left by his feet as he drew her into his arms. Momentarily, she forgot they were standing in the middle of the hotel foyer, where several people passing by froze to stare at them, and hugged him tightly. Chuckling, he put down the red-faced girl on the floor beside him when Uo cleared her throat.
"So you're name is Yuki… What's yours?" Uo inquired.
"Ah… Um… Tohru…" Tohru confessed quietly.
"My name is Arisa Uotani, and this is Saki Hanajima, but you can call us Uo and Hana," she told them with a hand directed towards the other woman dressed in all black.
Uo smiled at Tohru's worried expression, "Don't worry. I won't tell a soul your names so long as you help out around here a bit."
"Okay!" Tohru agreed without thinking through the deal.
Hana fished out a silver key from a small rack behind the counter and held it out to her, the confirmation of their arrangement. Tohru rushed forward to claim it before skipping back to Yuki, exuberant. She waved the key around in front of her with her hands excitedly. They were going to stay in this apartment after all. She couldn't wait to see what the inside of their room looked like. Yuki, unlike Tohru, was more fearful and worried than happy. He had partially hoped they'd have to find another place, but seeing Tohru this jubilant over the prospect of staying here, he reconsidered his wishes. He decided he didn't really care where they stayed as long as Tohru was with him.
"Your room is on the first floor, towards the back, next to the back exit," Uo instructed.
"Thank you!" Tohru chirped with a bow to them.
"Uh-huh. Just remember you work here as of now. Come out here around nine or so… You guys lucked out… Whoever reserved the room requested new furniture, but of course… You have to pay for that too."
Yuki tossed an unidentifiable amount of money onto the counter, "Would that cover it?"
Uo examined the first few bills with wide eyes before nodding, clearly bewildered by the amount thrust before her. She had never seen such a large amount of money at one time. Hana was equally surprised, yet neither Yuki nor Tohru saw any signs of her stupor. Either way, being from wealthy royal families, they didn't understand the reasoning behind Uo's blatant shock and Hana's subtle awe at the money. They left the two women staring at the riches on the counter. Yuki picked up their two suitcases and led Tohru down the dim hallway to room number 191 which lay at the end of the corridor. He paused outside of the door, taking the key from Tohru.
"Are you sure about this? I mean work? We could just buy some other place for ourselves," Yuki reminded her.
"No, I like this place," Tohru reassured him.
He shrugged, "Suit yourself."
Slowly, he unlocked and opened the door, partially dreading what it was hiding on the other side. He could only expect so much if the lobby of this apartment building looked like it hadn't been dusted in months. Tohru seemed more than eager though and immediately shoved in the door.
He wasn't sure how to react to the sight before him. It was a million times better than the entrance had been, but it was hardly as luxurious as he was used to. Seeing how pleased Tohru was by the simplicity of the room, he decided he liked it as well. He watched her run around the room excitedly, examining each piece of dark brown furniture. She weaved across the living room, past the two person, black couch before a twenty inch television, through the doorframe to the connected kitchen. He dropped their luggage on the floor before he followed her, staring at the kitchen appliances he didn't recognize. He could count on one hand the number of times he had walked into the kitchen back at his home.
"Please tell me you can cook…" Yuki whispered, being a tad too familiar with his own culinary expertise.
"Umm… I can cook a few things… Why?" she replied.
"Because I can't," he smiled at her.
She giggled, glad to find there was something he couldn't do after all. He could do just about anything else flawlessly. Tohru didn't stay to examine the kitchen for very long before skipping off to see the other rooms. She found a tiny bathroom about a fourth of the size of her bathroom back at her castle. It simply had a plain white toilet, sink, and a bathtub and shower combination. She shut the door, not bothering to explore such a tiny crevice before bounding for the last unopened door of the apartment. Swinging the wooden door open, Tohru froze at what she saw within. She didn't move from her position at the entrance with her hand glued to the doorknob until Yuki approached her.
"What's wrong, Tohru?" he inquired worriedly.
He peered over her head into the bedroom. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with what he saw. No insects were crawling across the carpet or on the walls. There was just a harmless looking king-sized bed with a navy comforter over it between two matching nightstands with similar lamps on top. There was a closet in the far end of the room and another television a few feet from the end of the bed as well, but those were hardly of the kind of quality that caused people to freeze and stare. It took him a minute to figure out why she was staring, and then it hit him. There was one bed and two of them.
He glanced at her pink face before saying, "Don't worry about it… You can have the bed. I'll sleep on the couch or whatever…"
She tilted her head upwards to look at him, "I-I can't make you d-do that…"
"You won't be making me do anything," he insisted.
Tohru shook her head but didn't try to argue with him. Her feelings towards his idea were made clear by the small frown across her face, and her thoughts over sharing a bed with him were made apparent by the red tint to her face. She wasn't ready for that, but he didn't mind. He smiled, taking her hand in his and taking her away from the bedroom. There was no point in making her upset over such a trivial thing as where they would sleep. He'd convince her of his plan later when it was time for them to sleep, when there was no possibility of avoiding the conversation.
"Let's go unpack."
Her face brightened at that, and she willingly followed him back to the living room where their luggage was left. The journey there took shorter than they were accustomed to. The whole apartment was hardly bigger than one of their old bedrooms. Tohru had just plopped herself down in front of her suitcase when the door opened, nearly knocking her over. Yuki was at her side before she even noticed who had opened the door, and she had been checked for any sort of injury by the time she spotted Uo and Hana stepping inside.
"Tohru, come shopping with us," Uo told her with a grin.
"Eh? S-Shopping? B-But I haven't unpacked anything yet!" Tohru squeaked.
"Tell your husband to do that for you. You can come out with Hana and me!" Uo urged.
"Husband?" Yuki and Tohru repeated, both equally shocked.
Tohru went rigid at Uo's reference to Yuki. She could barely acknowledge his state as her boyfriend. It was beyond embarrassing to hear the mistake out loud. She grimaced slightly and peered over at Yuki to see his reaction. To her surprise, he was smiling, almost laughing. That baffled her. She didn't find anything humorous about the error. Marriage was serious business, not something to kid about. She'd be lying if she said she didn't wish what Uo had said was true, but she wasn't sure that was what Yuki desired. Yesterday, he had told her the only person he wanted to marry was her, but she hadn't thought much of it. She had brushed it aside as another one of those comments he often told her to soothe her fears.
"Husband… Boyfriend... What's the difference?" Uo muttered with a flick of her wrist.
She yanked Tohru off the floor quickly and was already leading her down the hallway before anyone could protest. Tohru stumbled behind Uo and Hana, finally tripping over a lump in the carpeting. Despite being yanked along by Uo, she was the only one who fell and hit her face. She sat up quickly, humiliated to have fallen. Uo got her back on her feet in a second, but that didn't wash away the pain of her bright red nose.
"Is your nose broken?"
"Um… No…" Tohru replied.
"Good. Now let's go before someone catches us, and I have to go back to work," Uo laughed as she dragged Tohru out the door.
Tohru's head was spinning by the time they arrived at the little city she and Yuki had been in just a couple of hours ago. Afraid to get lost, she dizzily followed the girls into a nearby clothing store. Too tired to be excited at the new experience, she collapsed down on a chair as Uo and Hana browsed through a metal rack close by. She had never been in a store that sold clothes before. Her tailor back at home had made all her clothes for her, and whatever else she needed was ordered and sent to her through the postal service. Of course, Tohru had passed several shops of this kind on her incursions to town with Yuki, but she had always been too preoccupied to bother to enter.
The soft ringing of her cell phone startled her. She hadn't known she had it with her. Flipping it open, she found a message from Yuki.
Are you okay? Should I come rescue you?
She grinned as she typed back a message, telling him that was unnecessary. His response was a warning to take care. She wasn't sure what he was more worried about, whether she'd hurt herself, get kidnapped by some strange man, or that she might just blow their covers on their first day here. He didn't specify, and she didn't get a chance to ask for clarification. Tohru found Uo and Hana eyeing the device in her hand when she was done.
"That looks pretty high-tech. Lemme see…" Uo reached forward and took the pink electronic from her before Tohru nodded.
She flipped through the phone for a few minutes before smiling.
"Cute," she stated, turning the screen back to Tohru to show her a picture of her and Yuki Tohru had to beg him to allow her to take. Tohru reached forward, taking the phone back from Uo immediately. Nobody was supposed to see that picture. She had promised Yuki that after he had agreed to let her take it, but that was back when everyone knew who they were. She assumed it would be okay to show Uo and Hana… They already knew Yuki was her boyfriend. A picture wouldn't hurt, right? The photo wasn't very explicit anyways, just a simple crooked shot of Yuki pressing his lips against her pink cheeks.
"What? Are there dirty pictures on there or what?" Uo teased.
Tohru shook her head, denying that statement vehemently. She slipped her phone back into the small pocket of her knee length, white skirt. At the moment, her cheeks were as dark as the red dress Uo was holding out to her. Tohru stared at the dress in front of her face in a baffled manner. Cocking her head to the side, she moved her gaze to Uo, displaying her loss at what to do. Unfortunately, this shopping stuff wasn't beginning to make more sense as she had anticipated it would.
"I was just kidding… How would you like this?" Uo asked.
"F-For me? N-No… I-I forgot money…" Tohru stammered embarrassedly.
"Don't worry. Your boyfriend gave us more than enough money earlier. That's why we decided to go shopping," Uo winked.
Uo put the dress back on the rack, deciding the color didn't suit Tohru's personality, and walked across the store, vanishing out of Tohru's eyesight as she skimmed through other sections. Tohru remained where she was, swinging her legs back and forth on the seat childishly while Hana dug through various black garments. Uo returned after a short minute and held out a different dress to Tohru. This one was much shorter than the red dress had been. Tohru honestly didn't think it'd even reach her knees, and the material was diaphanous. She could see Uo through the dress which made her blush. Uo dropped it onto Tohru's lap, "Why don't you get him a present?"
"Yuki-kun wouldn't wear this…" Tohru mumbled, handing the dress back to Uo.
Uo stared at the brunette in disbelief, "It's not for him to wear, silly."
"Then why would it be a gift for Yuki-kun?" Tohru asked obliviously.
Hana took the hanger from Tohru, placing the garment back in the rack Uo and gotten it from, "Not for them…"
Tohru didn't say anything else, somehow figuring out she didn't want to know why attire of that sort could be a gift for a guy. She did want to get him a present though, but she didn't think that dress would be something he'd enjoy. He deserved a reward of some sort, but she doubted this women's apparel store would have anything for Yuki. Finding something for herself was another story. Practically everything in the store caught her interest with its brightly colored skirts and frilly, spring dresses. Spotting a box filled with ribbons and other hair accessories, she hopped off her seat and wandered over to the counter where it laid. Uo watched her pick up a long white ribbon, giving her a strange expression.
"Tohru, you haven't done it with your boyfriend yet?" Uo questioned, honestly surprised.
"Arisa, that would be their personal life. You're intruding in it," Hana warned Uo.
"Do what?" Tohru asked back innocently.
"That would be a denial…." Hana translated for the astonished blonde.
Uo stared at Tohru, extremely bemused. She shook her head with a nearly exasperated expression and went back to flipping through the clothing hanging on the brackets. Periodically, she glanced up at Tohru, checking to see if her face held any hints of a lie, but Tohru seemed as innocent as ever as she held a ribbon against her dark brown hair, examining herself in a nearby mirror. She smiled and mumbled something to herself that Uo didn't catch, but she was positive she had heard Yuki's name drift out of Tohru's mouth. Tohru dropped the hair accessory back, not finding the contrast against her hair to her liking.
Hana walked over to Tohru with a pink dress in her hands, holding it out towards her, "This suits you, doesn't it?"
"I-I don't need a dress, really!" Tohru responded, waving her hands in front of her as a refusal.
"Try it on!" Uo ordered, shoving the dress at Tohru before ushering her into a changing room. Tohru obliged, quickly stripping and slipping into the silky pink dress. It had a white ribbon across the middle, and there was a simple white floral print trimming the short sleeves, neckline, and bottom of the dress. With a smile, she stepped out of the tiny stall to show her two, new friends. They didn't have to look long before they were convinced to buy it for her. Uo twirled her around a couple of times before something glimmering from the fluorescent light from above caught her eye. Uo's hand shot out and grabbed Tohru's wrist, bringing the gold bracelet close to her face.
"Are those real diamonds?" Uo exclaimed with wide eyes.
Tohru blinked, too shocked to respond. Nobody had ever questioned her about her jewelry before. She nodded simply before she realized everyone who was in the store was now staring at her and her present from Yuki. Catching her reflection in one of the numerous shiny surfaces of the store, she noticed how dark her cheeks had grown. She had never been a person who enjoyed being the center of attention and subconsciously slid her hand out of Uo's, covering the bracelet with her hand. To her dismay, this didn't keep the onlookers from gawking at her.
Hana gestured to Tohru's necklace without changing her expression, "She has one around her neck too."
Tohru looked down embarrassedly, not liking all the eyes that were focused upon her. She was supposed to be blending in with everyone else, not sticking out. Bouncing on one foot to another, she shut her eyes and counted to ten, hoping the rubbernecks had lost interest, but they hadn't when she looked up again. Her little dance seemed to have attracted more spectators. Tohru wrinkled her nose with discomfort, stepping closer to Uo and Hana in attempt to hide herself a bit, but everyone just craned her neck a bit and could see Tohru perfectly fine.
"Was it from Yuki?" Uo inquired, gesturing to the bracelet.
Tohru nodded shyly.
"It's quite lovely, Tohru-kun. Nothing to be ashamed of," Hana comforted her.
"Quite lovely? I'd kill for someone to give me this!" Uo cried, making Tohru blush some more.
Tohru faced the floor timidly as Uo patted her head.
"He must love you a lot…" she told Tohru.
Tohru could only flash her a smile. She couldn't wait to return home to Yuki. She'd finally be able to do something for him, cook, which reminded her she needed to pick up some groceries, or she'd have nothing to cook with. She made a mental note to herself not to forget as she was thrust with another dress from Uo. They repeated this process a few more times, so by the time they were ready to leave, Tohru had several dresses stuffed into her arms. She had more than Uo and Hana did combined, and she felt guilty about that, but Uo wouldn't let her put a single one back nor would they listen to her offers to pay them back. Neither of the women would even let Tohru see the receipt to see how much had been spent on her.
Carrying her two shopping bags of clothing, she was led to the nearest grocery store, where she filled another two bags with food necessities, cooking utensils, silverware, and dishes to fill the empty refrigerator and cabinets at her new home. By the time they started wandering back to the apartment complex, the sun was setting and all of their arms were filled with heavy bags.
"So Tohru, where did you come from?" Uo asked curiously.
"Oh… Yuki-kun and I came from a town quite a distance away," Tohru answered carefully.
"By yourselves? How old are you?"
"Yep. I'm seventeen… and Yuki-kun turned eighteen a couple of months ago," Tohru replied.
"That's about how old Hana and me are. We'll be good friends. I'm sure about that… That is if your boyfriend ever forgives me for kidnapping you," Uo snickered at her own joke before continuing, "Sorry I had to pull you along like that. I just didn't want to be forced into only gothic stores today…"
Tohru strained to catch the last few words Uo had said. She was dragging behind the two of them, stumbling along the sidewalk with difficulty. Tohru barely dodged tripping over a broken bottle on the ground. She wasn't used to carrying this many things at once. Yuki had always insisted upon carrying her things for her whenever they were out, and any other time she found herself holding anything, regardless of how light or heavy, a servant would come along and assist her. Still, Tohru didn't bother to utter a complaint or ask for help since Uo and Hana were carrying the larger bags, but unlike the short brunette, they seemed to be used to this.
"Oh… Um… I'm sure Yuki-kun was fine by himself. Besides, you two bought me a lot of things," Tohru reassured them with a genuine smile as she shuffled forward to catch up with them.
"If you say so… But tell that to him if he tries to kill me," Uo winked at her.
"Yuki-kun w-wouldn't do that! H-He's a very k-kind person!" Tohru exclaimed, defending Yuki but missing the joke.
Uo grinned but made no attempt to correct Tohru's thinking. She didn't honestly believe Yuki would kill her, but she hardly thought the guy would welcome her inside and serve her tea after she had taken his girlfriend out for the day without really telling him. These thoughts kept her anxious during the walk home. It didn't take them more than ten minutes to arrive back at the apartment, and just another mere sixty seconds to get to the door towards the back that would open to Tohru and Yuki's place. The three women stopped at the entrance and Tohru thanked them both, hugging them before she entered her new home.
She discarded her bags on the floor by the door before scanning the place for Yuki. She had expected him to greet her immediately, but only silence rung in her ears. Tohru called his name a few times before finding him on the couch, fast asleep. She grinned, darting over to him excitedly. Hopping onto him, she wondered why she hadn't noticed his sleeping figure before. After all, the front door did bring her to the living room. His body lurched upwards when she landed, and she began to fret over injuring him, but seeing as he slept through her pounce, she doubted he had been harmed.
"Yuki-kun!" she sang, sitting up on his stomach.
Tohru had to call his name a few more times before his eyes finally opened. It actually shocked her to see that her leap onto him hadn't disrupted his slumber, but he was a deep sleeper after all. He stared at her for a few seconds before his arms shot out and yanked her down into an embrace. Yuki smiled at her yelp as he kissed her cheek. She said something to him, but he couldn't understand her with her face against his shirt, her voice muffled by the fabric, so he released her, letting her go back to sitting on his chest.
"I've missed you… You've been gone for hours…." he mumbled, glancing at his watch.
She flushed, "You've gone days without seeing me before."
"Not recently…" he muttered.
"I'm sorry…"
"Never mind… Did you have fun being kidnapped?"
"Yes… Uo-chan and Hana-chan bought me many new dresses! But they also saw my bracelet… and they said you must love me a lot…" she added meekly, hoping he wouldn't get mad at her for accidentally revealing the bracelet. She was well aware that the average girl didn't walk around town flaunting diamond jewelry. Commoners didn't usually even own anything embedded with diamonds other than a wedding ring. Neither Uo nor Hana even wore a piece of jewelry, but they just seemed to assume Yuki was wealthy, ridiculously so. She was ready to reassure him that Uo and Hana didn't appear to have connected the adornments to the possibility of royalty, but luckily, he didn't seemed bothered by her news. He seemed more entertained.
"Is that so? But I bet you like being my hostage more…" he mused, teasing her.
"You couldn't have me as your captive!" she exclaimed.
"Oh really? And why is that?"
"Because it would never be against my will," she admitted bluntly.
Yuki laughed, "That's nice to know."
Reaching for her face, the back of his hand brushed against her cheek before locking a few stray strands back into place. Tohru beamed at him, covering his hand with hers, keeping it in place over her cheek. He pushed himself up until he was sitting cross-legged, making her slide down from her spot on his chest to his lap. She didn't manage to keep his hand on her cheek due to all the movement, but she settled for wrapping her arms around his thin waist and snuggling against his chest. It was as comfortable as the previous stance, if not more so.
"So what else did you do?" he asked curiously.
"I bought groceries- I haven't cooked you anything yet! Y-You must be starving!" she squealed, suddenly realizing the last time they had eaten was this morning.
"I can wait-"
"Go back to sleep! I want it to be a surprise!" she cried before kissing his cheek and pushing him back down on the couch.
She scrambled off to pick up her groceries and start preparing one of the few food dishes she had made before. Yuki sat up, shooting her a bewildered expression. He watched her pour the contents out of one of the paper bags onto the countertop table. She gathered half of the things sprawled across the counter and ran to the refrigerator to toss them in. Half of the round vegetables and fruit had rolled off the countertop and landed on the floor, where Tohru was currently scurrying around to pick up the now slightly bruised plants. She stood up with a frown across her face, still carrying the produce in her arms.
"Do you need any help?" Yuki offered.
Startled by his voice, Tohru jolted up and dropped the products back onto the counter where they almost rolled off again.
She shook her head fervently, "No, no, no… Just go back to sleep!"
"Are you sure?"
Her head bobbed up and down in affirmation as she tore open packages of new kitchen utensils. He observed her as she located a vegetable peeler and began to skin the crops before her. Vegetable peels flew across the kitchen in a dangerously fast pace. Yuki, afraid he'd see one of her fingers joining the colorful pile of scraps, was tempted to run over there and tear the plastic tool from her fingers. He gripped the top of the couch tensely. Knowing perfectly well how badly she wanted him to surprise him, he stayed put, but he couldn't help but express his concern through words.
"Tohru, be careful before you lop off one of your fingers!" Yuki warned her worriedly.
She threw him a shocked look before she dropped the peeler and waved her arms around frantically. Her whole face was contorted with frustration as she tried to convince him to lie back down by flapping her hands up and down. If she could glare and be angry, he was positive her frustration would have been expressed through anger rather than sadness, but it was the tears about to trickle down her face that made him feel obligated to listen to her requests. How could he possibly deny her something if it was going to keep a frown across her face?
"You're supposed to be s-sleeping! Close your eyes, Yuki-kun!" Tohru wailed.
"I can't do that when you're rushing around with sharp objects."
"P-Please?" she pled.
"Only if you promise to relax and to take your time so I don't find you with nine fingers instead of ten later," he bargained.
"I promise! Now lie down, please!" she begged.
He reluctantly dropped back down onto the sofa, but he didn't shut his eyes, doubting her ability to uphold her end of the bargain. He prayed that she had bought a first aid kit along with those potentially dangerous objects. Knowing her, her hands would be covered with bandages within a few minutes if not worse. To his surprise and relief, he heard the splash of food bits being dropped into boiling water without any yelps of pain. This could only mean she hadn't cut her skin while peeling and chopping the vegetables nor had she burnt herself while cooking them. Yuki could only take so much more of this anxiety. He hoped she was almost done.
Tohru let the soup she was making simmer as she wandered over to set the table with her newly acquired dishes. A small scream left her mouth as she heard her precious soup start to boil over. Yuki sat up instantly, assuming the worst had happened, but fortunately, all he saw was Tohru run over to the stove and turn the fire off. He laid back down before Tohru noticed he wasn't sleeping. He was more than relieved when Tohru woke him up a few minutes later, leading him excitedly to the table where two bowls were filled with a delicious smelling soup, separated by a barricade of white candles.
He smiled at her, "It looks delicious. Are you sure you weren't secretly a chef before?"
She blushed, "You haven't tried it yet…"
Yuki shook his head at her as he sat down, picking up the spoon beside his steaming bowl and taking a scoop despite how hot it was. She watched him, lacing her hands together in front of her chest as if she were praying that he'd like it. He politely chewed the vegetable pieces and fish and swallowed before he spoke.
"It's delectable."
Her cheeks darkened as she sat down across from him, watching him devour the soup for a minute before she had some herself. It wasn't until now that she realized how hungry she was. Shopping and cooking had drained bundles of her energy. When they finished, they both helped each other clean up with her washing the dishes and him drying them like a real husband and wife would. Tohru blushed at the thought of being married to him, but it made her happy nonetheless. To her relief, Yuki didn't question her for the reason of her embarrassment. Instead, he simply smiled.
"What do we do now?" Tohru asked curiously as Yuki dried the last bowl and placed it into a now partially filled cabinet.
"Hmm… You know… I never had so much free time in my life," Yuki commented.
"I don't know what to do either," Tohru mumbled.
"Hey, I never said I didn't know what to do," Yuki smirked at her.
Tohru raised her eyebrows at him innocently, wordlessly asking him to go on, but he just looked back at her mischievously. She took a step back when he started walking over to her calmly. She wasn't sure how, but he had somehow managed to herd her into the bedroom without her knowing because the next thing she knew the backs of her legs hit the edge of the bed, and she had fallen onto the soft mattress. His lips were soon pressed against the side of her neck, making her heart beat uncontrollably. Her hands were pinned above her head under his larger ones.
"Y-Yuki-kun!" Tohru squeaked in a weak voice.
He smiled, but she couldn't see. He moved away from her neck, his mouth now hovering by her ear as he whispered to her, "We've got a lot to do tomorrow so go to sleep."
"Eh?" she sputtered in a shocked voice.
Yuki pushed himself up, patting her on the head until he could no longer hide the large grin forming across his face. He dropped down on the spot next to her, cracking up at her red, baffled face. She sat up beside him for a short moment before it occurred to her that he had been teasing her the whole time. Suddenly, she understood everything Uo had been hinting at earlier in the store. Her face turned the darkest red he had ever seen, fueling his laughter.
"Yuki!" she shrieked embarrassedly.
"I was kidding… What did you think I was going to do?" he chuckled.
She gently gave him a shove, burying her face in his shirt. He continued to laugh, patting her back a couple of times in attempt to get her to lift her face. When she didn't start giggling with him as he had expected her to, he sat up, his laughs fading away. She didn't seem very pleased, making him regret even thinking about the joke. Yuki shook her shoulders, trying to get her to say something, but he failed. Tohru's hands enclosed the hem of his shirt in tight fists, and she dug her face down deeper.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry… Forgive me?" he murmured into her ear.
Tohru flipped over, smiling at him. She placed her hand on his cheek, seeming to think over his words as if the decision whether to forgive him or not was difficult for her. She caved in and nodded after he yanked her up onto his lap, embracing her tightly. He turned her face towards his and brushed his lips against hers. Tohru beamed, moving around until she was kneeling and intertwined her hands around his neck. Yuki wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her against him carefully as he leaned backwards, falling back onto the bed as he caressed her mouth with quick kisses. Her scream was muffled by his mouth when she fell on top of him. He flipped over so he was on top, gave her one last quick kiss before he tugged the blanket out from under them and tossed it over her thin body.
"Good night," he told her as he hopped off the bed.
She gazed at Yuki as he took a few steps away from her after turning off a lamp she hadn't seen him even turn on. His hand was on the door before she realized he wasn't intending to come back and climb into bed with her. He wanted her to stay in this foreign, dark room all by herself. She didn't like that idea. Already, the small room seemed foreboding. The walls seemed to cave in, crawling closer towards her and leaving her slightly claustrophobic. Suddenly, the once soft comforter and comfy bed didn't seem very inviting anymore. Tohru bit her lip, not wanting to stay here without the security of his arms.
"Where are you going?" Tohru asked, confused.
"The couch. There's only one bed and two people, silly," he answered.
"I'll sleep on the couch then!"
She jumped down and quickly scurried after him, locking her arms around his, stopping him in his tracks. Yuki turned around and gingerly slid his arm out of her trap and scooped her back into his arms. He carried her back over to the bed and set her back down gently. Kneeling on the floor before her, his fingers raked through her dark hair for a moment. He kissed her forehead and sighed, seeming to want to prolong the silence before he responded to her proposition.
"No, no you won't. How could I let my princess rest on a couch?"
Tohru glanced up at him with her mouth dropped open, trying to think of a valid reason for him. It wasn't fair for him to have to sleep on some couch when she got a bed that was clearly big enough for two people. Yuki, on the other hand, wasn't up for reasoning. He drew her into his arms for a quick embrace and gave her a sweet peck on the top of her head before he tucked her back into the cocoon of a blanket. Tohru wasn't about to let him escape without giving him something in return for being able to stay in the bed tonight though.
"Then tomorrow you get the bed?" Tohru suggested determinedly.
"No. Tohru, you're a princess and should be treated with great care," Yuki refused.
"Then sleep on the bed with me," she offered, a blush creeping across her face.
"I can't do that," he sighed.
"And why not?"
"Because if I did, I'm not sure I can keep my hands off of you long enough to fall asleep. I'm sure that would bother you," he replied thoughtfully.
A blush was fully blooming on her cheeks now, but what he said was true. Even now, he still held her hand in his securely. She dropped her gaze down to their interlocked hands, embarrassedly fiddling with his fingers and hers, rearranging them as she struggled to come up with something to respond with. Despite his claims, she was sure she'd sleep even less if he left her here alone. She didn't quite grasp how he thought he could possibly be a nuisance to her. Anyways, Tohru would rather spend time with him and be exhausted tomorrow rather than be well rested and alone.
"I don't mind," she insisted.
"You aren't going to let this drop, are you?"
She shook her head, making him groan softly. Yuki rolled his eyes as he climbed into bed with her, keeping about a foot distance between the two of them. He laid himself down flat on his back, staring at the ceiling and keeping his eyes off of her. Nevertheless, this made Tohru smile. For once, she had won a disagreement between them. Tohru squeezed his hand cheerfully, glad to see that he wouldn't be sleeping on the couch. He had already done so once, and she didn't think he looked very comfortable. How much sleep could he get with his legs dangling over the armrest and the edge of the couch centimeters from where he laid?
"Yay…" she murmured to herself.
He glanced at her before smiling, "You know… Uotani-san was wrong… I don't love you a lot… I love you so much more than that…" he murmured to her, rubbing her hand.
"How much is that?" Tohru asked.
"I don't know what to tell you… I don't think there's anything comparable to the depth of my love for you. Nope, I doubt there is… The oceans are too shallow, the mountains too short, and the universe hardly massive enough...."
Her red cheeks were the only response she gave him before a yawn escaped her mouth. She covered her mouth quickly, trying to keep him from noticing, but his soft grey eyes had flickered towards her as soon as her mouth had opened. He missed nothing. Tohru lowered her fingers with a frown, knowing he'd take her yawn as a sign that it was time to sleep even though she wanted to continue their chat. This argument, however, she knew she wouldn't be able to win, which made her decide to let him send her off to her dreams willingly.
"Sweet dreams…"
Those were the last two words she recalled after she shut her eyes. She was more tired than she was aware of and had fallen into a deep slumber instantly, dreaming of a certain someone.
