Love Remains 3.

~~~~~~~~

By girl_starfish

"Is something wrong, Tohru?"

Saki might be a lot quieter than Arisu, but Tohru doubted she ever had trouble being heard. Her quiet tones managed to wrest attention in a way even Kyou might envy. Her question, simply though it was, was enough for Arisu to let off strangling Kyou and peer at her anxiously. Even Kyou, standing aloof and massaging his neck, was giving her an appraising look.

Unused to receive so much attention, Tohru blushed. "Its nothing."

"Those idiot barbie-dolls giving you trouble?" Arisu flexed her wrists.

"Nothing like that!" Tohru said hastily before Arisu could send the school nurse a few more visitors. "Its just –something strange happened last night."

"Is it to do with the house?"

Tohru nodded. "Hatori-san explained it but I still can't help wondering—" she told them what had happened. "I don't know if the house is haunted but the way the furniture was smashed—it looks as though a person had to do it." She started suddenly realising how odd this would seem. "It probably sounds foolish to you—forget I said anything—"

"Tohru-kun," Saki said serenely. "None of us think your ideas are foolish. As a matter of fact, I have some small psychic powers of my own. Needless to say, I am not likely to laugh at you for believing in ghosts."

"None of us are," Arisu said. "I broke into the place a few years back on a dare—I'd never been so scared in my life. And tomato-head over there has actually met the ghost."

"Eh?" Tohru stared at Kyou. "You have?"

"I was just a kid," Kyou said. "It was when the Souma's still lived in the house. My Dad and I were staying with my grandparents who had the house across the river—you know, their garden backs onto ours. Anyway I had no one to play with and my father had forbidden me from playing with the Soumas."

"You never did tell us what your father has against the Soumas," Arisu commented.

"So what, you think its any of your business?" Kyou bristled.

"Answer the question, lame-brain!"

"Make me, hag-face!"

"I don't mind if you don't tell us that part of the story, Kyou," Tohru said hastily. "But . . . you really saw a ghost?"

Kyou looked as though he'd changed his mind about wanting to tell the story, but nodded. "Yeah, I did."

"Well, he never actually saw anything—"

"Shut up, you!"

Saki quickly cut that argument in the bud. "Uo-chan, this is Kyou's story. You can tell yours later."

Mollified Kyou continued. "So, as I was saying before some idiot interrupted, I wasn't allowed to play with the Soumas. My grandparents were pretty elderly, and my father was away on business so I was left to my own devices. With nothing better to do I spent most of my time climbing the trees by the river. From there I could see all over the Souma property. The house seemed to be full of people, coming and going—to me, all alone, it seemed like paradise. The garden was neater then than it is now, but even then it was a maze of hiding places, trees to climb, places to explore—but it was the Soumas themselves that attracted me most.

I'll admit, I was jealous. I wanted nothing more that to be on their side of the river," Kyou laughed harshly and bitterly. "I wanted to be part of their family. And then, for a while, I was."

"What happened?" Tohru was listening, rapt. Even Arisu had settled down to give Kyou her full attention.

"I came downstairs one morning to find Shigure and Ayame trying to fish a tennis ball out of the river—it had drifted over to our bank. I threw it back to them. Ayame was keen to get back to his game of tennis with Hatori but Shigure stayed behind to talk to me.

'He'd noticed me around—when I knew him better he said that he'd thought I was one of the house's ghosts at first. He invited me into the garden—there's a way you can go between them, through the trees, you see. From then on I was constantly at the Soumas'. I was in awe of Hatori and Ayame—I was very little of course. Kagura seemed to have some sort of fixation with me, when she wasn't dressing Momiji in girl's clothes, she was trying to convince me to play 'Weddings' with her. The one time I tried to play with Yuki the brat fell over and his mother yelled at me. And the way Momiji followed me around like some sort of pet was equalled only by the way I followed Shigure."

Arisu snorted. "I thought you were too cool to look up to anyone."

"I was seven," Kyou said defensively. "And even though he was older than me, Shigure never talked down to me. He even helped me to hide from Kagura."

"That was how it happened, wasn't it?" Saki said.

"Yeah," Kyou sighed. "It was a just another day. I'd waited for my grandparents to settle down to their after lunch nap then climbed across the river . . ."

~~~~~~

Carefully, tongue stuck out in concentration, Kyou slid the door behind him shut. He'd been very quiet—Hatori's father seemed to take as dim a view of Kyou's presence within the house as Kyou's own father, and if he was found he might be sent home. But his entrance had not been noted. Kyou looked cautiously about him. He'd spent three hours playing tea parties with Kagura yesterday before Shigure had rescued him and he was in no hurry to repeat the experience.

But the only person in the library was Yuki, lying on the sofa with a duvet around him and a pile of books and glasses around him.

"You can't be sick again," Kyou said.

Yuki looked up from the book he was reading with a glare. "Oh. It's you."

They had tried being nice to each other, when they'd first met, but it hadn't worked.

"Where's Shigure?"

"Studying. Hatori's coaching him in Physics."

"How long will they be?"

"Who knows? Shigure's really bad at it. They could be ages." Yuki turned back to his book.

Kyou hesitated. He didn't want to go home—it was so boring. But he didn't know what he wanted to do instead—

"Hey, Yuki! You want to play croquet with me?" Ayame stuck his head round the library door. "Hey there, Kyou."

"No," said Yuki.

"Come on," Ayame coaxed. "Mother said you were allowed to get up today—and its nice outside."

"I don't want to."

"Suit yourself," Ayame said, heading off down the corridor. "Don't blame me for trying to make you do something fun."

Kyou ran after Ayame. "I'll play croquet with you."

"Thanks Kyou but I really just wanted to do something with my little brother," Ayame said, flicking his long silvery hair over his shoulder as he walked down the hallway. "Man, this house is so dull!"

Kyou trailed after Ayame uncertainly. He didn't dislike Yuki's older brother but Ayame was so lively that Kyou somehow felt inadequate next to him. And while Ayame could be funny and entertaining, Kyou could never quite rid himself of the suspicion that Ayame was laughing at him . . . He didn't always get Ayame's jokes, not like Shigure seemed to.

Ayame knocked on the door of the downstairs study. "There's a visitor here for Shigure."

Hatori opened the door suspiciously. "Ayame, we're trying to work here."

Kyou could see through the gap in the door behind Hatori that the study floor was littered with pages and mathematical textbooks. In the midst of this confusion was a glum looking Shigure. He waved to Kyou as he saw him but Hatori swiftly blocked the doorway.

"Sorry, Kyou, but Shigure really needs to be studying," Hatori said in a tone that brooked no arguments. "You can visit us tomorrow."

"Tomorrow!" Shigure whined. "But Ha-san—"

"Tomorrow," Hatori said firmly. "And Ayame, don't even think of suggesting a study break—"

Ayame pouted. "Lucky you're too darn cute to be mad at, Hatori. Otherwise—"

Hatori shut the door.

With a sigh, Ayame sat on the foot of the staircase. He stared moodily at the closed door. "I've never seen you offer to help with my homework—" He sighed again then noticed Kyou, who was watching him. "What do you want, squirt?"

"What's with you?" Kyou asked. "You're acting as though he's your boyfriend or something—"

Ayame stared at him. A faint pink brushed his cheeks. Then he stood up and yelled "Kagura! Kyou's here!"

There was an excited squeal from the kitchen.

Kyou ran.

He shot up the stairs as if his life depended on it. "Ayame, you jerk!" he yelled as he skidded down the hallway.

Ayame laughed. "She's on her way Kyou!"

Desperately Kyou looked about for a place to hide. The attic stairway was just ahead and he made for it—about to charge up the stairs he paused instead. There was a cupboard he'd never noticed standing ajar below the stairs—

"Kyou! Play weddings with me!"

That made up his mind. Kyou ducked into the cupboard, pulling it shut behind him. Just in time by the sounds of things, he heard the heavy thunk as Kagura ran up the stairs only a few moments later.

There were a few more thumps as Kagura pushed over various items of the attic furniture—"Kyou, come out and play with meeeeeeeee!"—and finally the thump of Kagura descending the staircase.

"Is Kyou here?" he heard Momiji ask.

"He's hiding somewhere. Come on, we'll have to find him."

Kyou felt rather bad about hiding from Momiji, but there was no way he was going to be subjected to one of Kagura's games again. He waited until the house was quiet and then pushed the door open.

Except it didn't open.

Kyou tried again, pushing harder against the door. Kicking it didn't work. He abandoned his attempt to hide from Kagura and beat his fists against the door.

"Let me out! Help! Someone! I'm stuck in the cupboard! Let me out!"

No one came.

Kyou's fists were raw from beating against the door, and his throat tired. He leaned against the door disconsolately. Someone would have to find him eventually, wouldn't they? Someone would come—

He choked, scrubbing a hand across his eyes. What if they didn't? What if they thought he'd gone home and he was stuck here? Maybe 50 years later some workmen doing renovations would find his skeleton like in the story Shigure had told him . . .

How long had he been there anyway? It felt like hours . . .

Kyou was tired and his head hurt.

He sniffled, and tried not to think about skeletons and cupboards. He missed his grandparents, he wished he was at home . . .

A cool hand brushed his forehead, but Kyou was too exhausted to care.

"It's all right, little one. I won't let anything happen to you—you'll be all right. Rest now."

The voice was gentle, concerned. Kyou trusted it completely. He slept.

"—telling you I heard something."

"It's late Shigure. Everyone is either asleep or downstairs—where we should be."

There was a cool pressure on his forehead. Kyou frowned, unwilling to leave his cosy nest of sleep.

"Come on little one—time to wake up."

"Don' wanna," Kyou muttered, sitting up sleepily. He was surprised to find himself in pitch-blackness—where was he?

"Kyou?" That sounded like Shigure. "Kyou, are you up here?"

The cupboard—He remembered. "Shigure! Shigure--I'm in here! I'm stuck in the cupboard!"

"Kyou!" He could hear Shigure's footsteps get closer, then a tug at the cupboard door. "You're in here?"

"Let me out! Please!"

"Ha-san, the door's locked. I can't open it—"

Kyou froze. Locked—it couldn't be—"Don't leave me here! Please, don't leave me!"

Hatori's voice, firm and authoritative. "There are keys downstairs. I'll bring them up. You talk to him—calm him down."

"It's okay, Kyou," Shigure told him. "Hatori is going to get the key. You're going to be fine."

Kyou nodded. He was going to be fine—just like the lady had told him.

"How on earth did you get in here anyway?"

Kyou explained. "So I had to hide from Kagura, and then I couldn't get out."

"You certainly picked a good hiding place—its eleven o'clock, Kyou. Everyone else has gone to bed."

"My grandparents—"

"—Will be worried sick," Shigure said. "I'll take you home, right away. Here's Ha-san with the keys—"

Hatori couldn't find the right key, but he had a screwdriver which he used to undo the lock. Kyou was never so relieved to see Hatori's stern expression. "Thanks so much for letting me out! I was sure I was going to be trapped in their like the man in the tower in the story—"

Hatori frowned at Shigure. "This is your fault, you know. You tell him all sorts of spooky stories, scare the poor kid half to death—"

"It'll take more than one of my stories to scare Kyou," Shigure said. "Come on, Kyou, I think that deserves a cup of hot chocolate before I take you home."

Sitting up in the Soumas' kitchen, drinking hot chocolate with Hatori and Shigure, Kyou felt very grown up. He was even slightly sorry when Shigure said they should get going although he didn't protest when Shigure carried him piggyback to his grandparent's house. His head lolling against Shigure's shoulder, it was all he could do to keep his eyes open.

"I've said it before," Shigure said as they walked down the moon lit street. "But I'll say it again—you are one tough kid, Kyou. That happened to me, I would be bawling my eyes out."

"She said it would be all right," Kyou said sleepily. "So I knew it would be."

"She?"

"She talked to me. I felt her . . ." Kyou frowned, as he realised he hadn't actually seen her. "She wasn't in the cupboard after I left though—"

"You talked to her—and she wasn't anyone you know from the house?" Shigure's voice was quick with interest.

"No—Shigure? How come she was in the cupboard with me, but not there when you let me out?" Kyou asked.

Shigure was quiet for a few moments as they turned into his grandparent's drive. "Somethings are hard to explain, Kyou . . ."

"You think she was a ghost?"

"Does that worry you?"

Kyou thought about it. "But ghosts are supposed to be scary."

"She wasn't?"

"She was nice," Kyou said firmly. "I liked her. She was trying to help me. If she hadn't woken me up when you came upstairs I wouldn't have been able to call out to you--"

"You mean you didn't make that noise?"

"What noise?"

"I came upstairs because I could hear a thumping sound from the Attic—maybe she made the noise so that we could find you," Shigure slid Kyou off his back. They were at his grandparent's. "We can talk about it tomorrow. Try not to think about it too much, squirt."

His grandparents were so thrilled to have him back that they didn't ask too many questions. His father was less impressed. Shigure managed to make the whole thing sound as though it wasn't Kyou's fault, and he was sent upstairs with his grandmother to get ready for bed.

Once in pyjamas he was allowed downstairs again to say goodnight and thank you to Shigure. Happily taking the stairs two at a time he was brought to an abrupt halt by the sounds of an argument. Cautious, Kyou crept close to the open door.

"—thought I'd made it clear there was to be no intercourse between my family and that household."

"He's lonely," Shigure said determinedly. "And of all people, I would have thought you would understand us--"

"I understand only too well," his father said, the tone in his voice one of anger? Sorrow? Kyou wished he had stayed upstairs, but was unable to tear himself away. "Kisa was right about you all—you're a danger, the lot of you—"

"Kisa?" Shigure sounded puzzled. "What does she have to do with—oh." There was a pause before Shigure spoke again. "You know, he does look an awful lot like one of us—"

"Get out." Kyou had never heard his father sound so angry. "And if you dare say a word of this to anyone—"

Kyou ducked behind the grandfather clock in the hallway as his father and Shigure came into the hallway. Neither of them spoke as Shigure pulled on coat and shoes, but that silence was almost worse than his father's anger.

"You will not have any further contact with my son," his father said, holding the door open.

"Why not?" Shigure said. "After all, we're—"

"You have no claim on him," Kyou's father insisted. "None at all."

Shigure hesitated, then shrugged. "You're making a mistake. Sooner or later you'll have to tell him—"

"Maybe so, but the time is not yet," his father didn't sound angry any more. Just sad and tired. "Leave us, please."

"I won't tell anyone," Shigure said. "If that's what you're worried about." He turned to leave. "Goodnight, Takeshi."

He knew his father's first name? Kyou frowned. Now would not be a good time to ask. His father was clearly lost in thought—the seven-year-old took the opportunity to slip back up the stairs to bed.

~~~~~~~

"And?"

"That's it," Kyou snapped, glaring at Arisu.

"But Shigure said you could talk about it the next day—what happened then?" Tohru asked.

"My father decided to take me on a week's holiday to visit one of his college friends that had kids my age," Kyou shrugged. "I didn't get a chance to talk to Shigure before we left. And when I got back—" He paused. "I knew something was wrong. As soon as we got back, my grandparents pulled my father into the lounge for a private conversation. I took that opportunity to go down to the garden. There were two men there, building a fence blocking off the garden from the river. I asked them what they were doing."

Kyou paused. "They said they were putting up the fence to stop children from playing in the river—that a boy had been drowned there just two days before."

Tohru gasped. "Kyou—"

"You can imagine how upset I was," Kyou said. "Despite my father's disapproval, I insisted on going over to the Soumas' straight away. I was so relieved when Shigure answered the door. He told me everything. Ayame had gone out one night—there'd been an argument or something—and hadn't come back. Shigure was understandably upset—they'd been best friends after all. My father apologised, said he regretted what he'd said that night. Then Shigure—he said "You might be right. Maybe it is best to keep him out of this—to at least try."

"Keep you out of what?" Saki asked and Tohru guessed that this aspect of Kyou's story was new to her as well.

Kyou shrugged. "Shigure told me that I shouldn't come and see them again—that it was better for me. I don't know what he meant—I haven't seen him since. My Father took a new job in a different city and we were there for a few years. By the time we moved back to take care of my grandparents the Soumas had left."

The bell rang then for the end of lunch break.

~~~~~~

Tohru wandered home more slowly than usual. She had so much to think about—could Kyou's story be true? Was the house actually haunted? And what could be bad enough to make someone as tough as Arisu scared?

"There you are!" her mother greeted her as she entered the kitchen. "I've been waiting for you—we have a lot of work to do, Tohru!"

"We do?" Tohru said.

"I got a phonecall from Hatori this morning," Kyoko explained. "We need to prepare 6 bedrooms and get this house tidied up for next week—the Souma family is coming to stay."