Love Remains 7

~~~~~~~

by girl_starfish

The morning was grey and cloudy.

Tohru shivered as she brushed her hair. It was as though there were no escaping the chill that hung over the house. The reflection of her black jacket and skirt in the mirror was a constant reminder of the day's solemnity. The remembrance service would be held that afternoon at the Souma plot. The ceremony had gained meaning for Tohru as she'd learned about the lost ones it remembered, and identified their loss with her own. But since reading the journal—Tohru shivered. A sense of grimness seemed to hang over the event, a sense of unease that she could not quite dispel.

As if that wasn't enough to worry about, there was Hatori.

She hadn't spoken to Yuki since Hatori had interrupted their conference last night, and she was worried. If anything, Shigure's journal had shown just how well the Soumas kept their secrets. Hatori may have been Shigure's friend—but Tohru didn't doubt that he intended to see the secret kept as much as his father had. She'd never seen anyone look more stern or forbidding.

"Tohru, can I have a hand with breakfast?"

"Of course!" Tohru called, going to help her mother in the kitchen. It was a little strange seeing Kyoko dressed in black on some occasion other than the anniversary of her father's death.

"Get the toast started then carry the boiled eggs down," Kyoko said, intent on the eggs she was scrambling. "After that, I'll need you to bring the hot water for the coffee in, and I should be able to manage the rest on my own. Almost forgot, Kagura wanted trim milk with her cereal, so you'll have to carry that too."

Tohru kissed her mother as she passed her. "I'm sorry I'm so late. Is everyone already up?"

"No, only Kagura, Ritsu and Yuki are ready yet, but the others will be coming down soon."

Tohru, carefully balancing the milk in one hand and the plate of eggs in the other, walked down the long hallway. Black reflections moved with her, and Tohru was surprised at how relieved she felt to reach the dining room. Somehow, she didn't feel easy alone.

"Let me get that for you," Yuki said, holding the door open as Tohru struggled to enter. He smiled at her, and although the smile was rather slight, Tohru's heart jumped at the knowledge that he wasn't mad at her. She'd been agonising the previous night, wondering whether she should have refused to give the book to Hatori, or run away with it—losing her mother her job in the process.

Momiji and Momo entered then, effectively putting an end to Tohru's sober thoughts—it was impossible to be anything but cheerful with Momiji around. He greeted Tohru by hugging her good morning, much to Momo's amusement and Yuki's irritation. Kyoko arrived then with the scrambled eggs.

"Good morning, Momiji, Momo," she said, passing the scrambled eggs to Ritsu. "Your pancakes will be ready soon."

"You're eating pancakes today?" Kagura asked in disbelief. "Have you forgotten what day it is?"

"Just because it's the ceremony doesn't mean we're not allowed anything nice," Momiji replied. "Right, Ritsu?"

Ritsu looked as if he would like to hide under the table rather than reply. Luckily neither Kagura nor Momiji seemed to expect him to.

"Hatori will never allow it," Kagura said.

Momo was beginning to look rather worried.

"Well, how am I supposed to be good and serious at the ceremony if I don't have a good breakfast first?" Momiji said, putting a hand on Momo's shoulder to reassure her—despite the disparity in age between them, Momiji was a good older brother.

Tohru went to fetch the hot water jug. When she returned she found the conversation had shifted.

"It's not like him to be this late," Ritsu said anxiously.

"Hatori has a lot on his mind," Yuki said. "This time of year has always been hard for him. We should let him be."

"He might have just slept in," Kagura disagreed. "Someone ought to go and see what he's doing."

"Tohru, would you mind?" Kyoko asked.

Tohru took the main stairs slowly. Disturbing Hatori was about the last thing she wanted to do, especially after last night . . .

"Hatori-san?" Tohru knocked softly on his bedroom door. "Hatori-san?"

Getting no response, she knocked again.

He might be in the study, or possibly taking a shower—she decided there could be no harm in taking a quick look to make sure the room was empty before looking for him elsewhere. Tohru pushed the door open.

Hatori was at the desk—but it didn't seem as though he were awake. "Hatori-san?"

Tohru approached nervously. The older man was bent over the desk, his head and arms resting on it in a wince that made Tohru's own neck ache in sympathy. Surely he couldn't have spent the night there? But a glance at the bed revealed that it was still unmade. Tohru placed her hand on Hatori's shoulder.

"Hatori-san? It's morning."

He sighed and stirred, blinking at her in confusion. "What are you doing in here?"

"It's breakfast time," Tohru said, stepping quickly away from him. "Mother was wondering if there was anything you wanted—"

Hatori blinked again, then looked at his watch. His hair stood out at odd angles, making him look oddly cute. Tohru hid a smile, this was the first time she'd seen him as human and approachable.

"So it is," he said, slipping back into his accustomed formality. "Please give my apologies to Honda-san and tell her I shall be down shortly."

His movement had revealed what he'd been doing when he'd fallen asleep. Shigure's journal lay open on the desk, scattered around it was a collection of colourful photographs. Ayame and Shigure sitting on a beach beside a Hatori who'd been buried to his neck in sand. Ayame, posing with overlarge sunglasses. Shigure and Ayame in the water, splashing each other. Hatori, so engrossed in the construction of a large sand castle that he didn't notice Shigure creeping up behind him with a crab dangling in one hand.

"The three of us were allowed to go to the beach for a week during the holidays," Hatori said, and Tohru blushed as she realised she'd been caught staring. "It was about three weeks before—"

"I'm sorry," Tohru said, as Hatori paused. "I know I'd miss my friends terribly if anything happened to them—"

"It doesn't matter," Hatori had put his glasses on and smoothed his hair down. "It was a long time ago. They're gone—nothing will change that."

Tohru longed to say he was wrong, say anything—but the cold finality that hung over Hatori prevented her.

"I'll be downstairs in quarter of an hour," Hatori said. "Please tell Kyoko I would like some toast and fruit, if she has any. And Tohru?"

"Yes?" Tohru already on the threshold, turned around. Hatori had his back to her, straightening his jacket in the mirror.

"Shigure was wrong," Hatori said. "What happened to me—it had nothing to do with any ghosts."

Tohru walked downstairs lost in thought. She barely remembered to give her mother Hatori's message.

"Is something wrong?" Yuki asked as she sat down at the table.

"Oh, nothing!" Tohru said brightly. "What gave you that idea?"

Yuki smirked. "Only that you're the first person I've met who cuts toast with a spoon."

Tohru looked at her plate and blushed. "I talked to Hatori."

"And what did he say?" Momiji leaned across the table.

Yuki glared at him. "We weren't talking to you."

"No fair! You always leave me out!" Momiji's whine was interrupted by Kyoko's entrance.

"Tohru—telephone call."

"Arisa?" Tohru said in surprise as she took the call in the hall. "Why are you calling so early?"

"Just remembered you were saying you were going to the Souma's ceremony instead of school today. You can't—we have that chemistry practical today, remember?"

"I'd totally forgotten!" Tohru wailed. "You think I'll be allowed to sit it tomorrow?"

"You shouldn't miss a test." Tohru jumped. She hadn't even realised Hatori was in the hallway. "We understand that you can't make it. Don't worry about it, Tohru."

"T-thank you, Hatori-san," Tohru said. She said goodbye to Arisa then returned to her room to change into her school uniform. If she wasn't going to be late for school, she would have to leave soon.

~~~~~~

Tohru stared at the classroom clock.

The Souma remembrance ceremony would have been going for an hour now. She wondered how they all were . . . Ritsu with his seeming frailty, little Momo, usually cheerful Momiji who looked all wrong in black, Kagura, Hatori, looking grimmer than ever this morning, and Yuki—

"Oi," Arisa nudged her, startling her out of her thoughts. "What's the matter? Somebody died?"

"Actually, yes," Tohru said. "Yuki and I found Shigure's journal and—"

"That damn Yuki!" Kyou snapped. "Is he there?"

Saki looked around the crowded classroom. The wet weather had forced the class to spend lunchtime inside, and there was barely enough room for the four of them to sit down together, let alone talk with any semblance of privacy. "Let's go somewhere else."

The reference section of the library provided a quiet place to talk.

"So Shigure thought that it all stems back to Akito and Rin?" Arisa said. "That makes kind of sense—"

Tohru nodded. She'd given them the outline of what the journal contained, with two exceptions. She hadn't said that it was Ritsu who had been in the asylum—or mentioned Shigure's suspicions about the relation of Kisa to Kyou. She was sure that Saki suspected she was holding something back, but she would not ask.

"How reliable is Shigure likely to be?"

"Yuki says he'd spent his entire life in the Souma house," Tohru explained. "He thinks he would have been around thirteen when he started the journal."

"And what's this Yuki like?"

"He's very kind," Tohru said, blushing. "And very intelligent—and so polite—"

Kyou stood up, suddenly, slamming his hands down on the table. "That idiot Yuki! I'm not going to sit around here and talk about him—"

"Kyou?"

Oblivious of the evil look the librarian was giving him, Kyou stormed out of the library.

Tohru, Saki and Arisa looked at each other.

"Well, that was unnecessary," Arisa said. "Honestly, that boy has a shorter fuse than most fireworks."

"All the same," Saki said, looking speculatively at Tohru. "There is something . . . different about Kyou's anger this time."

~~~~~~~

When Tohru returned home it was to find her mother busy preparing dinner. "I've got everything under control, sweetest," Kyoko said. "You go and relax. How was the test?"

"Difficult. I think I did okay though," Tohru said. "Are the Soumas back yet?"

"Oh, the ceremony ended ages ago," her mother said. "Ritsu and the girls have gone shopping, I think Momiji went with them, Hatori is doing some paperwork, and Yuki's around somewhere."

Yuki was in the library. He was reading one of the ghost books that Saki had left at Tohru's house.

"I've come up with a theory," he said. "But I need to test it." He waved the book he was reading at Tohru. "Davis believes that multiple hauntings occur when the original haunting acts like a node point, which skews the natural order of things in favour of the supernatural. If we can find and change that point, then the natural order will reassert itself."

Tohru understood none of that. "So we can stop it from repeating?"

"If we can identify the node point. I think it's safe to assume that it's one of the three original ghosts—Hatsuharu, Akito or Rin. Of all the three, Hatsuharu is the most obvious contender. Shigure said he was trying to get in—obviously his unfulfilled desire to get into the house is holding him back—and he is holding Rin and Akito here as well."

"That does make sense," Tohru admitted slowly. "In that case, wouldn't we have to let Hatsuharu in?"

"I don't think so," Yuki said. "I think we're supposed to keep him out. He killed Rin and Akito after all—and he was at the gate the night before Ayame died."

"But they didn't let him in," Tohru said.

"We don't know that. Ayame stormed off at night—we don't know what he did. And Shigure finishes his journal by saying he thinks he knows what he has to do."

"But Shigure didn't die at night."

Both Tohru and Yuki jumped.

Momiji was standing in the doorway, his usually cheerful face solemn. He'd obviously been listening a while.

"Aren't you supposed to be shopping?" Yuki asked, tone cool.

"I changed my mind," Momiji shrugged. "Aren't you going to ask me how I know that?"

"You were a child at the time," Yuki said loftily. "You probably don't remember—"

"I'm only a year younger than you!" Momiji protested. "You only think I'm younger because I look little."

Sensing an argument, Tohru put her hand on Momiji's arm. "I'd like to hear what you know."

Momiji brightened instantly. With a look in Yuki's direction that clearly said 'See?' he turned to Tohru.

"It was the day after Hatori went into hospital. Shigure had gone with him and his parents, and had spent the night there. I was waiting on the doorstep for him to get back. The adults had said there was nothing wrong with him, but I didn't believe them. Shi-chan got out of the car and I ran up to hug him. 'It's okay,' he said. 'Ha-san going to be okay.' I didn't even realise I was crying until then. Kagura and I pretty much trailed after him for the rest of the day. The adults didn't have time for us, not with everything that had happened. They were talking of electing a new family head, of leaving the house. Shi-chan—" Momiji frowned. "Shi-chan wasn't his usual self. He was quiet, withdrawn. He still talked to us, but I got the feeling he wasn't paying that much attention. Lunchtime his mother decided he should get some rest, and he went to his room. Kagura and I were sent outside because we were being too noisy but really because they didn't want us to hear what they were saying. Maybe an hour or so later I went back inside to get a glass of water. Shi-chan was just going into the library. I asked him why he wasn't resting and he said there was something he had to do. He hesitated then said 'Tell Ha-san I'm sorry I couldn't wait for him.'" Momiji shrugged. "And that's it."

"That's it?" Yuki asked.

"Yeah. He went into the library and I got my drink. Then Hatori came home that evening, his eye all bandaged up and everyone was fussing over him, and someone noticed Shi-chan wasn't there so I gave Hatori the message. Hatori went to look for him and he was dead."

"Dead?" Tohru echoed. The library felt suddenly cold for some reason.

"How?" Yuki asked.

"No one knows. He just was." Momiji shrugged. "So now that I helped you, can I be a part of what you're doing?"

"Most definitely not," Yuki said.

"Whhhyyyyyyyyyyy?" Momiji wailed, throwing himself at Yuki's ankles. "You never let me do stuff with you!"

"This is serious," Yuki said, trying to pry his younger cousin loose. "This is not stuff you would understand."

"Um, maybe—" Tohru started.

"You're so meeean!"

There was a crash from upstairs, followed immediately by the sound of something shattering.

"Hiro," Tohru and Yuki said in unison.

"This is too good an opportunity to lose," Yuki said, running for the door. "Come on!"

"But Yuki—" Tohru found herself protesting to empty air. With trepidation she followed Yuki upstairs. She did not want to meet a ghost. Momiji trailed her stubbornly.

The upper drawing room was just as she had last seen it, except for the vase that now lay in pieces on the floor. Yuki stood in the centre of the room, looking keenly about. He held up a hand for Tohru to remain in the doorway.

"Hiro," he said. "Can you hear me?"

A breeze rustled the curtain, but apart from that there was no movement, no response.

"My name is Souma Yuki. I'd like to help you."

Tohru looked around the room. Every little sound made her jump. The wind moving the dried flowers on the mantelpiece, the slight swinging of the window, the swish of the curtains.

Yuki waited, his purple eyes alert. Did he see something she didn't?

Maybe it was her imagination, but the drawing room felt hostile, cold—

A movement in the mantelpiece caught her eye. Reflected in the polished wood was a pair of brown eyes, set with a mutinous expression. She looked across the room—only to be met with empty wall.

Her gasp pulled Yuki's attention to that side of that room. "Hiro," he said. "I have some questions I want to ask you."

There was no answer, but Yuki continued confidently.

"You're trapped here, aren't you? You can't leave this house."

The chair in the corner was thrust over violently. Tohru cried out.

Yuki didn't bat an eyelid. "You are trapped—and you don't like it one bit, do you?" he said. "Is someone keeping you here?"

Another chair joined the first.

Tohru winced. "Yuki—maybe you shouldn't annoy him."

"This is important, Tohru. We may be about to find out something vital." Yuki said, not taking his eyes off the spot where he thought Hiro was. "Who is keeping you here?"

No response.

"Is it Rin?"

"Yuki I have a really bad feeling about this," Tohru said, as the air seemed to grow perceptively chiller.

"Is it Haru?" Yuki asked.

"Yuki, please—"

"Its Haru, isn't it?" the grey-haired boy continued. Tohru wondered that he didn't flinch at the coldness emanating from the room. "Is it—"

The next chair went flying straight at Yuki.

~~~~~~~

"I don't know how you managed to do this," Hatori said dryly, dabbing at Yuki's forehead. "I'm not sure I want to know." Yuki was sitting on the window seat in the library so that Hatori could use the extra light to examine the gash on his forehead.

"I could tell you," Momiji said, perched on what was usually Shigure's chair. The glare he received from Yuki and Hatori was enough to shut him up.

"Will he be okay?" Tohru asked tearfully.

"I'm fine, Tohru, really," Yuki said, with a soft smile. "Thank-you for fetching Hatori so quickly."

"Pass me the bandages please, Tohru." Hatori continued in the same tone. "And the ice-pack."

"It's really lucky, having a doctor in the family," Tohru said as she did as she was told.

To her surprise, the remark was met with a frown by Hatori, and silence from Momiji and Yuki.

Hatori tied the bandage off. "Two aspirin every four hours, if your vision is blurry, you feel dizzy or nauseous, tell someone at once, and lie down."

"I'm fine," Yuki repeated.

"You're lucky you weren't concussed," Hatori told him curtly, packing up the first aid kit. "Take it quietly for the rest of the evening." He looked at Tohru. "Make sure he does."

"I will!" Tohru promised. "I'll take really good care of Yuki."

A faint trace of a smile crossed Hatori's face. "I see. I'll be in my room packing, if you need me."

He nodded to them and left.

"I don't want to go home tomorrow," Momiji protested, as Tohru asked, "Did I say something wrong before?"

"It's not your fault," Yuki said, leaning against the window with a sigh. "There was no way you could have known."

"Hatori used to be really bad at biology and that. He didn't like it at all. Then suddenly, after Ayame and Shigure died, it became his best subject," Momiji chirped, quickly regaining his good mood. "We think he became a doctor because he thought that there could have been a way to save them."

Poor Hatori. Tohru looked at the door that he'd left through. It seemed he was also trapped by the house's past.

A sharp rap at the patio door made them all jump. "Yo."

"Kyou?" Tohru ran over to let him in. "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't allowed—"

"I had to apologise," Kyou said, uncomfortably. "So I came over."

"Kyou! Look Yuki, its Kyoukichi!" Momiji excitedly danced around the library. "Kyoukichi!"

"Momiji," Kyou sighed. "You haven't changed a bit."

"How can you say that?" the blond boy wailed. "Can't you see how tall I've grown?"

Kyou laughed, putting the younger boy in a headlock and tickling him. "You're still a little shrimp, Momiji."

"Waaaaaaaaaah! Kyoukichi is picking on me!" Momiji cried, but the piteous effect was ruined by the giggles that kept escaping him.

"You brat! Don't call me that!"

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Kyoukichi!"

"You two." Tohru was surprised to see Yuki was smiling indulgently from the window seat. The white bandage around his head made him look paler than usual, but the smile transformed him entirely.

Kyou was so surprised he let go of Momiji. "Yuki?"

"It's been a long time, Kyou," Yuki said. "Many things have happened."

"No kidding," Kyou was still eyeing Yuki warily, as if he didn't trust his eyes. "You look different than I expected. You're not so . . . sick. Except for the bandage," he added as an afterthought.

"A new treatment was found five years ago. I have to take care of myself during winter, but apart from that, I'm cured," Yuki said. "The bandage—well, I had a slight mishap this afternoon."

"A ghost threw a chair at him," Momiji said.

"Momiji!" Yuki hushed him.

Kyou laughed. "You really have changed!" he crowed. "The Yuki I knew would have gone to bed for a week if something like that had happened."

"I'm no longer that person," Yuki said with a smile. "What about you, Kyou? Do you still live with your father?"

"Do you like sports?" Momiji asked. "Do you have a girlfriend? What's your favourite subject? Do you still hate leeks? Does—"

"I'm going to go make us some snacks," Tohru said. "I'll let you guys get reacquainted."

When she came back it was to find, Kyou sitting on the floor with Momiji in a stranglehold, talking to Yuki. "I want to be a martial arts teacher," he said.

"That would suit you," Yuki said. "I haven't decided exactly what I want to do yet. I'll probably go on to University."

"You guys are like complete opposites," Momiji said, wriggling out of Kyou's chokehold. "It's almost scary to see you two together and not fighting."

"Here we go," Tohru put the tray down. "Yuki, I brought more ice for your pack."

"Oh—thank-you," Yuki smiled as Tohru applied the ice-pack to his forehead. "I'm fine Tohru—you don't need to trouble yourself about me."

"Are you sure?"

Kyou laughed, though to Tohru's ears there was a trace of . . . something in it. Bitterness? "That's the first time I've ever heard him turn down the opportunity to be fussed over—he must be sure."

"Okay, if you're certain then, Yuki-kun," Tohru said, looking anxiously at Yuki.

"It's about time I have to go," Kyou said. As Momiji wailed a protest, he looked at Tohru. "Can I talk to you a moment? In the garden?"

"Of course!" Tohru agreed immediately. "Help yourselves to the snacks, Momiji and Yuki."

They were halfway to the river before Kyou said anything, stopping so suddenly that Tohru almost walked into his back.

"I'm not very good at saying how I feel," he said. "And often I get upset over things that aren't important at all. Like this morning."

"It's okay," Tohru started, but Kyou continued.

"I am sorry I got mad like that. It wasn't your fault I was mad, but I took it out on you . . . and I regret that."

"I understand," Tohru said. "I don't mind. Really."

"I know I don't act like it but—but—" Kyou's face was growing steadily pinker, and his gaze was firmly fixed on his shoes.

"Kyou?" Tohru asked. "Are you all right?"

"Of course I am!" Kyou snapped. "I'm really glad you're my friend, okay? You got that?"

Tohru blinked. That hadn't been what she'd expected. "Thank-you Kyou."

"For what?"

"For being my friend too."

Kyou stared at her. Then went pink again. "Whatever," he said. "If I don't go home now my Dad'll get mad."

~~~~~~~

Yuki watched from the window seat as Kyou and Tohru continued towards the river. It was silly—Kyou and Tohru were in the same class, so of course he would know her better—but still—

"We're back!"

The library door banged open to admit Kagura and Momo laden with shopping bags. "Wait till you see what we bought!"

"Wait till you hear our news!" Momiji said. "You'll never guess who's come to visit! Look!" He pointed out the window to where Kyou and Tohru stood in conversation.

"Kyou?" Kagura joined Yuki at window, frowning as she saw that Kyou was pulling himself up into a tree, obviously intending to cross the river. "He didn't wait to talk to me?"

"He only came to see Tohru," Momiji continued. "Momo, want something to eat?"

For a moment, Kagura and Yuki looked over the garden, wore identical expressions of coolness.

In the hall, beyond the open doorway, a pale boy smiled.

~~~~~~

The next morning was bright and sunny.

"Perfect weather for flying," Kyoko said, putting a plate of pancakes on the table in front of Momiji. "You'll have a good flight home."

"I wish we didn't have to leave so early," Momiji grumbled. "Hatori, why can't we stay longer?"

"You know perfectly well why," Hatori said. "You've already missed two days of school."

"It's stupid," Kagura said. "Why do we have this house if we can't live here?"

Ritsu fidgeted nervously with his breakfast. "This house has a dark history. We can't stay here."

"Ritsu," Hatori said warningly.

The following silence seemed awkward. "The house will seem quiet without you," Tohru said quickly. "I'm going to miss you."

"We can write," Yuki said with a charming smile. "You'll have to keep me up to date on what happens."

"Of course!" Tohru promised, blushing.

"Write to me too!" Momiji chirped.

"Where's Momo?" Kyoko said, placing the scrambled eggs on the table. "If she doesn't come downstairs soon, she's going to miss out on breakfast."

"Is she awake yet?" Hatori asked. "Momiji, I thought I told you to wake her."

"She is awake," Momiji said. "I went to get her out of bed, she wasn't in her room."

"Well she hasn't been downstairs," Kyoko said.

"I don't like this," Hatori said. "Momiji, come with me. We'd better find her quickly."

But they didn't find her at all.

Momo had vanished.

~~~~~~~