As always,all standard disclaimers apply.
Chapter Three:Shootai
…invitation
Tohru smiled at Yuki. Walked some distance and then…
stopped. She had walked far enough to keep up the pretence that she lived in the area. Yuki would have probably got on the train by now.
Tohru walked back in the direction she came from. She too needed to take the train back home, but no way was she going to get on the train with Yuki. He was the last person Tohru had expected to find in London. And certainly not one that she would welcome with open arms either. Tohru had come to England to get away from Japan. Not to meet a reminder of everything she had left behind.
Tohru missed the Soumas terribly. After her mother, they were the only real family she had. She wondered how everyone was back home. She had left them a note of course. A vague one, but a note nonetheless.
She got on the train and thankfully, found a seat. As the scenery whizzed by, Tohru's only thought was of the Soumas.
Shigure had written a new novel recently and Tohru was supposed to proof-read it. Well, she couldn't do that now that she was in England, could she?
Momiji wanted to give her another English lesson. Tohru remembered politely declining Momiji's offer. In perfect English. I t was amazing what one could do with the correct incentive.
'No, don't think about that. He's nothing to you now. Nothing,' Tohru mentally berated herself.
Tohru forced herself to think of other things. She thought of Kyou. He had been so sad when she had announced her engagement to…Anyway, he had been sad. Tohru could sense it. So she had searched for him that night. She found him on the roof.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Kyou-kun had been sitting down, his body hunched up. His amber-red eyes were dulled and had a glazed look. Tohru remembered creeping up to him and sitting beside him on the roof. She watched the stars twinkling overhead for awhile, before she decided to speak.
"Kyou-kun, we'll still be friends. Not just friends, but the best of friends. The cat will always have a special place in my heart. Why? You might ask. And I will always answer, 'Because the cat, no matter how proud or stubborn, is always loyal to the very end.' Like Puss-in-Boots, ne?" Tohru had whispered.
Kyou's body had stiffened a bit, but still he said nothing. So Tohru continued,
"Sometimes Kyou-kun, you have to let go of old dreams and start making new ones. And that, Kyou-kun, is not something okaa-san told me."
She was about to say something else, when Kyou spoke up.
"Let's hope then that your dream becomes a reality. If not, I'll punch him so hard, that when he wakes up, you've made another new dream of your own."
It was at that point of time that Tohru knew Kyou would be fine. It would take some time for his heart to heal but he'd be fine. She hugged him then and they stayed on the roof until dawn. A young woman holding onto a purring marmalade cat.
Friends forever.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Tohru got off the train, still smiling.
As she walked to her home, Tohru kept thinking about the past year.
Yuki had left, and Tohru had been sad. But happiness for her upcoming wedding seemed to overwhelm all her sadness. She had made so many plans. With Kagura, Momiji, Kisa…everyone. There was going to be lilies everywhere. Ayame-san would make her wedding gown. Shigure wanted to give her away. ("Tohru, my Tohru! So grown-up!")
Tohru had noticed Kyou and Kagura getting closer. He didn't yell at Kagura all that much. It would have been a wonderful year. Would have been if not for th-…
'Stop it Tohru. You came here to get away. Remember that!'
For the second time that day, Tohru's mind had wandered off to an unfavourable train of thought. She was determined not to let it happen again.
Tohru finally reached the small apartment she called 'home'.
It was sparsely furnished. There was only a futon and a small table. All her clothes had been placed into a small cupboard. The kitchen was small, and the bathroom was even smaller. The only things that decorated the apartment were a vase of dusty, plastic flowers and a photo of her mother on the small table.
"Okaa-san…"
The words escaped her lips involuntarily.
Tohru sank into the futon suddenly feeling very tired. And very lonely. Before she drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep, Tohru whispered,
"Watashi wa ganbatteruyo, okaa-san…"
Tohru woke up the next morning, her body aching a little. She got ready for another day of work.
She arrived at the school, early. There was none about. Tohru liked it that way. She could then sit down on the swings, enjoying the fresh feeling that the morning sun and dew brought.
All too soon, the quiet moment that Tohru had been enjoying ended. Teachers and young children with parents in tow came into view. Tohru went into her classroom to greet her students as they entered. When all her students had settled down, Tohru in a clear voice wished them,
"Good Morning."
And the children replied,
"Good Morning Miss To-ru!"
Another day at the Brightin Private Nursery and Kindergarten began.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Tohru enjoyed working with the children. They had so much energy that sometimes it was difficult to keep up with them. First, Tohru taught them simple mathematics. And then, it was onto Art. Most of the time Tohru spent Art making sure the papers given out got covered in paint, and not the children. Later, it was show-and-tell. The day progressed. Soon, it was lunch and then naptime. Tohru was then able to take a short break in the teachers' lounge.
Some teachers were inside the lounge when Tohru entered. The other teachers smiled in welcome at the new teacher who had joined the school a short time ago.
"Hello there, newcomer. Miss Honda To-ru, right? From Japan?" a pretty lady dressed in blue.
"Y-yes." Tohru answered her hesitantly. She was still unfamiliar with the other teachers
An older woman motioned for Tohru to sit beside her.
"Come have a seat. So, how do find working here?"
"The children are lovely. They make me tired sometimes, but it's still very fun working here."
The teachers nodded their heads. Like Tohru, they too loved working at the school.
Tohru's felt a little left out when the teachers resumed their conversation with each other.
"…And then he left me. Can you believe that?"
"Mine went ballistic…gob-smackingly ballistic."
"Honestly, you'd have thought…"
Tohru squirmed in her seat. She was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable and was about to leave, when the teacher who sat beside her turned to face Tohru.
"Oh, I'm so sorry my dear. We were just discussing our somewhat non-existent love lives. We shouldn't have ignored you like that…Umm, perhaps this might seem a tad too nosy, but what about you? Do you have a special someone in your life, my dear?"
"Y-ye-…No wait. Not anymore. He, I…"
Tohru let out a sigh, inadvertently making her the focus of everyone's attention.
"What happened Tohru?" Another teacher whose name Tohru did not know asked her.
'Yes indeed. What happened Tohru?' a little voice in Tohru's mind asked her.
"We were engaged. Going to get married. And then, somewhere along the way, it just—just didn't go as planned. So I came here. To start again…" Tohru answered softly.
Silence.
"That's the way! Love him, then Leave him!" one of the teachers suddenly said aloud.
There were choruses of agreement all around.
"Love him, then Leave him!"
It began as a whisper and ended in a shout. It was a strange form of support in Tohru's opinion, but she felt a sudden surge of happiness.
Noting the time, the teachers suddenly stood up to leave for their respective classes. The teacher sitting beside Tohru stood up and smiled at her.
"You should throw away old dreams, and start making new ones," she said before she left.
Tohru was left to wonder about what she meant.
* * * * * * * * * * *
She rushed back to the classroom. Fortunately, her students seemed to be in no hurry to wake up. Once they were all awake, Tohru announced that it was time for Music. The children cheered. Music happened to be their favourite lesson. They sang nursery rhymes and popular children songs. One of the boys suddenly asked Tohru,
"Miss Tohru, can you sing for us please?"
The classroom suddenly came alive with children asking Tohru to sing for them. Tohru obliged and sang them the song Momiji had sung with her at the onsen. It brought back many happy memories.
Yuu-hi no oo ya-ma~ nii...
Deru deru Mo-mi-ji~!
Sunset on the Mountain
Come out, come out Momiji~!
kaeru ya to-ka-ge~ ga...
Kon-ni~chi wa~!
Frogs and Lizards
[All Say] Good-day~!
Koi no ara ni mo~
ka-zu-no-ko uma~ nii...
Koi and herring roe looks like a horse
Yuu-hi no oo ya-ma~ nii...
Deru deru Mo-mi-ji~!
Sunset on the Mountain
Come out, come out Momiji~!
There was loud applause when Tohru finished singing.
"Miss To-ru is soooooo good at singing!"
"I wanna sing like Miss To-ru!"
"Me too!" "Me three!"
In the end, Tohru had to teach her class the song. She was patient and softly corrected the words her students mispronounced. And by the end of the day, everyone in Tohru's class knew the song by heart.
Tohru waved goodbye to the last child. She heaved a long sigh. It had been a tiring day.
"Tired already?"
Tohru whirled around to face the person who had spoken.
Yuki stood a little behind her.
"Souma-san!" she exclaimed.
"Hello Honda-san. I know you're tired and would probably like to go home. But may I take you out?"
Perhaps it was the feeling of great happiness that she had after singing the song, or maybe she had suddenly remembered the words of the older teacher. Whatever it was, Tohru was surprised to find herself saying,
"Yes Souma-san. I'd love it if you take me out."
* * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter Four~*Choo* ( Butterfly)
~a park*silence*laughter~
Glossary:
okaa-san: mother
watashi wa ganbatteruyo, okaa-san: I will persevere, mother
*Thank you to Lin-chan for the translation and romanized version of Momiji's onsen song. Full credit definitely goes to her. You can visit her Furuba website at: http://pyo.shiranai.org/onigiri/p/onigiri.html
It's just too cute! * wai! *
~* paper star *~
Reviews and constructive criticisms will always be met with open arms and an open mind.