Hiro was huddled in front of his desk reading and eating crackers. Beside
him rain poured in sheets behind an opened screen. The white noise drowned
out all sound from the outside world, so for him, nothing but the crunch of
crackers and rustle of pages seemed to exist. Unfortunately this peaceful
moment was soon shattered by the sound of a young girls scream.
As Hiro stood he knocked down his chair behind him. "Kisa!" he shouted, then he turned to run before the chair even hit the floor.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kisa rounded the corner humming, a plate of cookies in her hands. She wondered what Hiro would say when he received them. When she saw his back she stopped. A black kimono, bent forward. When he turned she noticed that his hands, sleeves were covered in blood.
"A...ki...to...san?" The sound of the rain added to the impression that time was slowing down.
"A...ki...to...san?" At his feet lay a crumbled figure with white skin and buttery brown hair, a pool of red growing beneath her. When Kisa woke up she was screaming.
------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tohru stepped cautiously through the pathway to Kisa's house. It frightened her to be at the Sohma compound but she needed to explain to Kisa the reason that she couldn't attend her birthday party, and she wanted to give her the gift she'd made. The muggy dark weather made the environment even less familiar but the thought of disappointing Kisa, well nothing scared her more. She drew in a deep breath to summon courage then quietly repeated a mantra of "fight-o, fight-o" before she passed through the next corridor. A moment later she felt a soft pressure against her shoulder and was knocked onto the ground. As she looked up she saw Akito standing up beside her.
"Oh, no. Gomen, Gomen" she called out frantically, standing quickly and bowing over and over again in his direction. He looked down at her with a grimace.
"That's the second time you've pushed me" his soft voice contrasted his appearance as his face contorted with anger.
Then things started to become hazy, time felt as though it moved haphazardly. She realized that Akito was screaming, but couldn't make out what he said. Something about hating her, something about being disgusted. She felt pressure on her body as punch after punch connected, but the pain didn't register. The world seemed gray, moving slowly in short segments. Is that my blood? she thought. Akitos face, Is he crying? Akitos fists, Akitos hair, his teeth. Then all at once everything went red, and the pain was incredible. Soon the world seemed to go black as she passed out to the sound of Kisa's screams.
"Honda-san, can you hear me? Honda-san!" A voice, it sounded as though she was under water.
"Hatori....san?" she whispered as she opened her eyed and recognized his bleary visage. Then she closed her eyes, again loosing consciousness.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Yuki couldn't remember much of what had happened since receiving that phone call. He didn't know how he'd gotten to the hospital or how many hours he'd spent in the cold, sterile waiting room. There were so many people around him crying, but he'd found himself unable to give way to any emotions. Nearly every Jinuyashi member was there, as well as Uotani and Hanajima, and the few of Tohru's relatives they had known how to contact.
A woman in a white coat gripping a clipboard entered through thick double doors. "Excuse me." she said stopping before the group. "Are you Honda-sans family?"
"How is she?" Hatori asked as he stepped forward. In a moment they were all beside him.
"Stable." she replied. "She's suffered a lot of damage, she has 2 fractured ribs, and a fractured arm. There is also some severe bruising on her chest and abdomen, but luckily none of her internal organs were damaged." luckily. "Who found her?"
Kisa flinched but kept her mouth shut. "I did." Hatori replied.
"Im going to need you to fill out some paperwork, and we'll need to contact the authorities. As for the rest of you, She's under sedation right now but you can see her." she stopped "only..." then quietly observing the crowd she said "Im going to have to limit the number of visitors to 5 at a time."
They all stood staring at each other for a moment unwilling to move.
"Well come back tomorrow." her aunt finally said. " Since we know that she's Ok, we really shouldn't have grandpa out this late anyway." And with that they began to leave accompanied by uotani's scowl. As Tohru's grandfather passed Uotani he stopped and turned to face her. "Will you please call me as soon as Kyoko wakes up?" he asked.
Uotani blinked and smiled sadly. "Sure, ill call you." Then Tohru's grandfather followed his relative out the door smiling, and patting Uotani on the shoulder.
After some discussion it was decided that Uotani, Hanajima, Yuki, Kyou, and Shigure would go first. Haru, Momiji, Kisa, and Hiro agreed to wait for news from Hatori about how he had fared with the police. Ayame and Ritsu offered to go get lunch for everyone, as well as a few things to brighten up poor Tohru's dreary hospital room.
Yuki followed Hanajima, looking at the floor as he walked. When they stopped he looked up and saw Hanajima's shoulders quiver.
Tohru looked as though she was made of paper. So white, so fragile. As he stared at her the shock melted away and he was flooded with all the emotions he had been holding at bay.
Akito had done this. Akito who he was suppose to protect her from. Akito who he had introduced into her life. Some time passed before he again became aware of the other people in the room. Kyou stood beside her bed looking like a ghost. Uotani fumbled about with the gifts, and few belongings they had brought with them, talking with the unconscious Tohru as she arranged them. Shigure sat in a chair across from the bed his hands in his hair, elbows on his knees, eyes closed. Hanajima hadn't moved, and still stood in front of him. Just as he observed her she turned and catching his eyes she said. " We have to talk" coolly, emotionless, he nodded his head silently and followed her out of the room.
Moments later then where in an empty room. She stood at the foot of the bed and pivoted to face him. "Who did this to her?" she asked, and then when he didn't answer. "Why are you covering for them?!" her voice began to shake. Slowly her normally calm exterior began to give way as all the anger, grief and fear rose to the surface. "TELL ME!" She was practically screaming. Her hair and dress also began to rise a bit flickering with thin bolts of electricity that circled her body beginning at her feet. He looked into her face, contorted with anguish, and he felt himself crack, he knew that he couldn't hide anymore, he had lost his defenses. When she he looked into his face he could feel it as she perceived all of the self loathing and helplessness he felt. She softened and her hair and dress settled back into place.
"Im going to look into your mind, and take your memories." she sad calmly, almost whispering. Then before he could figure out how to react she grabbed his face with her right hand. A flash of light originated from his eyes and spread out into the room before quickly imploding. "Hana...." he began once she had removed her hand.
"I see....." she said. "Is alright, don't blame yourself anymore Soama-kun. Stop blaming yourself, for everything."
Had she really read his memories? Did she really know, everything? He stared at her unable to speak. Wanting to reach out, wanting to scream. Something inside him seemed to snap catapulting him back into the psyche of the small boy in the woods looking up at his mother through a curtain of tears, and dirt, and blood. He opened his mouth but before he could speak he saw her face change flush with impassioned rage. "Akito." she whispered as her hair and dress again began to rise. She became encircled in electricity laced currents of air and slowly rose slightly above the ground. Yuki lifted his arms to brace himself against the force she originated. He heard a loud bang across the room, then as the pressure receded he looked up to find her gone, and the curtains billowing next to an open window.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Across the city a large old book falls to the ground before a pair of childs socked feet. "Hana-chan." he whispers before turning and running down the stairs and ot of his home.
"Megumi-chan?" An older woman calls out behind him.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --
As Hiro stood he knocked down his chair behind him. "Kisa!" he shouted, then he turned to run before the chair even hit the floor.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kisa rounded the corner humming, a plate of cookies in her hands. She wondered what Hiro would say when he received them. When she saw his back she stopped. A black kimono, bent forward. When he turned she noticed that his hands, sleeves were covered in blood.
"A...ki...to...san?" The sound of the rain added to the impression that time was slowing down.
"A...ki...to...san?" At his feet lay a crumbled figure with white skin and buttery brown hair, a pool of red growing beneath her. When Kisa woke up she was screaming.
------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tohru stepped cautiously through the pathway to Kisa's house. It frightened her to be at the Sohma compound but she needed to explain to Kisa the reason that she couldn't attend her birthday party, and she wanted to give her the gift she'd made. The muggy dark weather made the environment even less familiar but the thought of disappointing Kisa, well nothing scared her more. She drew in a deep breath to summon courage then quietly repeated a mantra of "fight-o, fight-o" before she passed through the next corridor. A moment later she felt a soft pressure against her shoulder and was knocked onto the ground. As she looked up she saw Akito standing up beside her.
"Oh, no. Gomen, Gomen" she called out frantically, standing quickly and bowing over and over again in his direction. He looked down at her with a grimace.
"That's the second time you've pushed me" his soft voice contrasted his appearance as his face contorted with anger.
Then things started to become hazy, time felt as though it moved haphazardly. She realized that Akito was screaming, but couldn't make out what he said. Something about hating her, something about being disgusted. She felt pressure on her body as punch after punch connected, but the pain didn't register. The world seemed gray, moving slowly in short segments. Is that my blood? she thought. Akitos face, Is he crying? Akitos fists, Akitos hair, his teeth. Then all at once everything went red, and the pain was incredible. Soon the world seemed to go black as she passed out to the sound of Kisa's screams.
"Honda-san, can you hear me? Honda-san!" A voice, it sounded as though she was under water.
"Hatori....san?" she whispered as she opened her eyed and recognized his bleary visage. Then she closed her eyes, again loosing consciousness.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Yuki couldn't remember much of what had happened since receiving that phone call. He didn't know how he'd gotten to the hospital or how many hours he'd spent in the cold, sterile waiting room. There were so many people around him crying, but he'd found himself unable to give way to any emotions. Nearly every Jinuyashi member was there, as well as Uotani and Hanajima, and the few of Tohru's relatives they had known how to contact.
A woman in a white coat gripping a clipboard entered through thick double doors. "Excuse me." she said stopping before the group. "Are you Honda-sans family?"
"How is she?" Hatori asked as he stepped forward. In a moment they were all beside him.
"Stable." she replied. "She's suffered a lot of damage, she has 2 fractured ribs, and a fractured arm. There is also some severe bruising on her chest and abdomen, but luckily none of her internal organs were damaged." luckily. "Who found her?"
Kisa flinched but kept her mouth shut. "I did." Hatori replied.
"Im going to need you to fill out some paperwork, and we'll need to contact the authorities. As for the rest of you, She's under sedation right now but you can see her." she stopped "only..." then quietly observing the crowd she said "Im going to have to limit the number of visitors to 5 at a time."
They all stood staring at each other for a moment unwilling to move.
"Well come back tomorrow." her aunt finally said. " Since we know that she's Ok, we really shouldn't have grandpa out this late anyway." And with that they began to leave accompanied by uotani's scowl. As Tohru's grandfather passed Uotani he stopped and turned to face her. "Will you please call me as soon as Kyoko wakes up?" he asked.
Uotani blinked and smiled sadly. "Sure, ill call you." Then Tohru's grandfather followed his relative out the door smiling, and patting Uotani on the shoulder.
After some discussion it was decided that Uotani, Hanajima, Yuki, Kyou, and Shigure would go first. Haru, Momiji, Kisa, and Hiro agreed to wait for news from Hatori about how he had fared with the police. Ayame and Ritsu offered to go get lunch for everyone, as well as a few things to brighten up poor Tohru's dreary hospital room.
Yuki followed Hanajima, looking at the floor as he walked. When they stopped he looked up and saw Hanajima's shoulders quiver.
Tohru looked as though she was made of paper. So white, so fragile. As he stared at her the shock melted away and he was flooded with all the emotions he had been holding at bay.
Akito had done this. Akito who he was suppose to protect her from. Akito who he had introduced into her life. Some time passed before he again became aware of the other people in the room. Kyou stood beside her bed looking like a ghost. Uotani fumbled about with the gifts, and few belongings they had brought with them, talking with the unconscious Tohru as she arranged them. Shigure sat in a chair across from the bed his hands in his hair, elbows on his knees, eyes closed. Hanajima hadn't moved, and still stood in front of him. Just as he observed her she turned and catching his eyes she said. " We have to talk" coolly, emotionless, he nodded his head silently and followed her out of the room.
Moments later then where in an empty room. She stood at the foot of the bed and pivoted to face him. "Who did this to her?" she asked, and then when he didn't answer. "Why are you covering for them?!" her voice began to shake. Slowly her normally calm exterior began to give way as all the anger, grief and fear rose to the surface. "TELL ME!" She was practically screaming. Her hair and dress also began to rise a bit flickering with thin bolts of electricity that circled her body beginning at her feet. He looked into her face, contorted with anguish, and he felt himself crack, he knew that he couldn't hide anymore, he had lost his defenses. When she he looked into his face he could feel it as she perceived all of the self loathing and helplessness he felt. She softened and her hair and dress settled back into place.
"Im going to look into your mind, and take your memories." she sad calmly, almost whispering. Then before he could figure out how to react she grabbed his face with her right hand. A flash of light originated from his eyes and spread out into the room before quickly imploding. "Hana...." he began once she had removed her hand.
"I see....." she said. "Is alright, don't blame yourself anymore Soama-kun. Stop blaming yourself, for everything."
Had she really read his memories? Did she really know, everything? He stared at her unable to speak. Wanting to reach out, wanting to scream. Something inside him seemed to snap catapulting him back into the psyche of the small boy in the woods looking up at his mother through a curtain of tears, and dirt, and blood. He opened his mouth but before he could speak he saw her face change flush with impassioned rage. "Akito." she whispered as her hair and dress again began to rise. She became encircled in electricity laced currents of air and slowly rose slightly above the ground. Yuki lifted his arms to brace himself against the force she originated. He heard a loud bang across the room, then as the pressure receded he looked up to find her gone, and the curtains billowing next to an open window.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Across the city a large old book falls to the ground before a pair of childs socked feet. "Hana-chan." he whispers before turning and running down the stairs and ot of his home.
"Megumi-chan?" An older woman calls out behind him.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --