All standard disclaimers apply.

It might be useful for people who don't understand Japanese to read the glossary at the bottom of the page.

Chapter Two:Hisashiburi

…long time no see

* * * * * * * * * *

Yuki was looking forward to his visit to the art gallery.

The lectures bored him to death because it was just a repeat of what he already knew. It had been somewhat difficult for Yuki to keep from answering the lecturers every question.

He came out from the underpass, hoping for a quiet walk to the gallery. However, it was not meant to be. It was lunch hour and people thronged the streets. Yuki kept a safe distance from the crowd, preferring to walk closer to the buildings. Unfortunately, the safety of his current position came at a price.

His delicate Asian features and the violet-coloured hair caused many a head to turn. Sometimes, he caught he caught snatches of conversation. 'Gay', 'faggot' were some of the things he was used to hearing and he paid them no heed. He was very heterosexual, thank you very much.

The art gallery was considerably empty. It would be a while before it would be filled with the bigwigs of 'artistic society'. Yuki was thankful for the peace the gallery offered. He started visiting art galleries in London after he found that looking at paintings and contemplating their meaning, made him feel relaxed. Strange but true.

As he slowly scanned his surroundings, something caught his eye. It was a small painting, not well framed and hidden in a dark corner of the gallery. Nevertheless, Yuki felt himself drawn to it.

He stood in front of the painting, taking it in.

The artist was a name he did not recognise.

'Perhaps, it's his first work,' Yuki thought.

The painting was done in oil paints. There were swirls of blue and purple, with sudden daubs of red. As if the painter had been experiencing pain, sadness, regret and anger at the same time. The feelings that appeared to be portrayed in the painting reminded Yuki of the way he felt when Tohru announced her engagement.

Sadness and pain at the fact that it was not him that she was marrying. Regret because he had not done anything, had just congratulated Tohru. And he felt anger directed at himself for being, as Kyou might have put it, a 'baka nezumi'.

Suddenly, a soft voice,

"Kirei,ne?"

Automatically, Yuki answered even though he had not realised there was someone beside him,

"Hai. Hontou ni kirei des..."

And then he stopped. Perhaps it was his imagination, but had he just heard someone, in a city with a Caucasian majority, speak Japanese?

He turned to the person he had just spoken to.

Startled violet eyes met the eyes of brown, open wide in surprise.

* ~Hisashiburi,ne.~ *

* * * * * * * * * * *

" I would have never thought that I would meet Souma-san in an art gallery! In England!"

The voice was the same: feminine, soft and friendly. Yet lacked a little of the sincerity that he recognised. There was something different.

"Yes, I received a scholarship to study Plant Sciences in one of the universities in England."

"Sugoi!"

She smiled.

He smiled.

And somehow, the conversation lacked something.

Yuki looked at the woman in front of him. Same long, brown hair. Same brown eyes. Same very kissable lips. Yet something missing.

"So Honda-san, what brings you here to England?"

The smile on Tohru's face faltered almost imperceptibly.

"I decided that I needed a refreshing change from Japan! I found a job here through one of my friends."

Yuki noticed Tohru's slightly strained smile, and decided to change the subject.

"Shigure and Kyou? How are they? I trust they are well."

"Oh, they are very well Souma-san. Shigure-san is still busy writing wonderful novels. Kyou holds classes at the dojo. He and Kagura seem to be getting along very well."

Yuki gave a small smile at the thought of Kyou and Kagura together. He knew that somehow Kyou would end up happy. Lucky Kyou.

As Yuki and Tohru walked out of the gallery, Tohru suddenly turned to Yuki.

"Aah, Souma-san. Before I forget. Hatori-san is very worried about your health. I believe that it would be a good idea to give a call and tell him that you are alright."

Yuki had nearly forgotten about the Souma family. He had left without telling anyone, not even bothering to ask for permission from Akito. At that point of time, Yuki's top priority had just been to leave.

It was months before he contacted anyone from the Honke. Even then, he had made Haru promise not to tell anyone where he was. Yuki had only allowed Haru to tell Ayame that he was fine. He did not need to have a hysterical brother worrying about him.

He tried to remove all thoughts of the Soumas (and Tohru) by burying himself in studies and other activities. Yuki did not make another call to Haru for a long time. Thus, he only found out about Akito's death two months after it happened.

"Died of hysteria. Went completely insane that the rat would leave him," Haru had told him over the phone.

Yuki was so lost in his thoughts that it took him some time to realise that Tohru had been trying to get his attention.

"I'm so sorry, Honda-san. I almost forgot you were there."

"Oh, it's alright Souma-san. I just wanted to let you know that we will soon be passing the train station. I wanted to know if Souma-san would be needing to take the train to get back home."

"I do need to take the train home. Thank you for telling me Honda-san. I live quite a distance from here. Wait, let me write down my address for Honda-san."

They exchanged addresses, and made promises to look each other up.

Tohru turned to leave, but not before giving Yuki a smile. A polite smile.

And that was when it struck Yuki about what had been nagging at the back of his mind. Tohru had given him polite smiles. Nothing more than that. And she had referred to him as 'Souma-san' and not 'Souma-kun'.

Yuki recognised it as the language of strangers.

* * * * * * * * * *

Chapter Three~*Shootai* …invitation

~Tohru's POV*lodgings*relationships*Yuusuke & resentment*having fun~

Glossary

baka nezumi: stupid mouse

kirei, ne?: It's beautiful, isn't it?

hai. hontou ni kirei desu: Ys. It's ver beautiful.

hisashiburi,ne: used as a greeting when you've not met someone for a long time, think along the lines of 'Long time no see…'

*notes: the '-san' suffix to a name is a formal way of addressing a person. '-kun' suffix is more informal, & indicates a degree of familiarity with the adddressed person.

That's why Yuki felt that Tohru was being overly-polite and formal with him.

Reviews and constructive criticism is very much appreciated. Arigatou!

~* paper star *~