Enigma

The next day, Tohru got up early to start making breakfast for the Sohma princes. It was one of the duties she assumed when she took Hanajima's place as a maid in the Sohma places. She just began yesterday, but so many things had already happened to her.

The Juunishi clan secret. The different personalities she met in the Sohma clan. The encounter with the Ice Prince.

She got another taste of his notorious hostility after he caught her chatting with the other Sohmas while on the job. It had been 10 hours after that incident, but she still didn't know how to face him after what happened. Fortunately, she didn't meet him in the hallway, but she knew she would have to see him when she delivers the food to the rooms of the princes.

She fixed her maid outfit and knocked on Shigure's door. No reply came, so she tried the door knob. Locked.

"I'll try his room later." She decided to go to Kyo's next.

She opened the door, but discovered that the bed in the middle of the room wasn't slept in. The bed sheet was hardly creased! She then noticed the open window and the billowing curtains. She looked out at the window and was struck by the beauty before her. The sun was just beginning to rise, and its soft golden rays bathed the whole kingdom of Kaibara lovingly.

"You can see the whole kingdom from here," said a voice. Tohru looked up and found Kyo seated at the roof of the castle, looking out at the panoramic view.

"It's breathtaking!" she agreed heartily. "But Prince Kyo, why are you up there?"

"I'm not used to soft, luxurious beds. In the jungle, I sleep on treetops and caves," he explained. "In here, I can be closer to nature. Feel the fresh breeze and hear the music of nature."

"Ah!" She looked at him admiringly. "That's cool!"

He looked away. "Whatever," he grumbled.

"I brought you breakfast," she said.

"I'm coming down in a sec," he said, lying on his back again. "I'll just finish watching the sunrise. This is the best place in the whole kingdom to watch it."

"Really?" She climbed up the pane and made her way to the roof.

"W-What the hell are you doing?" he barked when he saw her balancing her way to him.

"You told me that this is a great place to view the sunrise. I'm just checking it out for myself." She sat down beside him.

He turned to her, stunned. He was used to seeing only two females: those who act too femininely and those who act like amazons.

But this girl…

She's a mix of those women. Just right.

She turned to him smilingly, and he suddenly thought that the wind loved her, for it blew her long tresses beautfifully, as if made for a pose in front of the canvas.

"You're right! It's beautiful!" she gushed.

Yeah, beautiful.

She rushed into Yuki's room and was just about to knock when the door swung open. Her knuckles that were posed to knock landed on his nose.

"Oops," she said, sweatdropping.

"Where were you?" he hissed. "You were late for almost half an hour. Didn't Hanajima give you the timetable of the delivery of our food?"

"She did, Your Highness."

"So what took you so long?" he barked.

"Um…"

He looked at her icily. "Never mind. I'm sure that whatever your reason is, it's not valid. You might just annoy me and destroy my day already, so just give me the damn breakfast and go."

Trembling, Tohru placed the tray on his table and set the silverware down one by one. "So what time did you wake up?"

"I don't remember interrogation as part of your duties," he said arrogantly.

"Ah, but I just want to know if you wake up early enough to watch the sunrise. It's breathtakingly beautiful!" She opened the windows of his room. "The soft, golden rays filtered by the feathery cirrus clouds. The sky that glows in glorious hues of purple, orange, and fiery red that will eventually melt in the ocean blue color."

Yuki watched her silently, not commenting.

Tohru, at last, looked at him. "You should try doing that once."

"I do, in fact, I do that everyday," he said. "I'm a gardener, and I wake up even eariler than any of you does."

"Ah!" She was embarrassed. "Sorry."

"So that took your time," he guessed. "You were watching that?"

She nodded shyly. "It's my first time to see it rise without roofs of other houses hindering my sight."

"I see. I'll let it pass this time, but tomorrow, I shall hear no excuse about that, understand?" he said firmly.

"Yes, Your Highness!" she said quickly, bowing.

"You may go," he dismissed.

The Ice Prince is in a good mood. He wasn't too angry.

Today is starting to look like a good day!

Momiji was happy to see her. "Tohru! Tohru, I'm glad to see you! We didn't have the chance to talk because of that snobbish Yuki, so come in with me and let's chat!" He pulled her into his room.

"I'm about to go to my fencing class with Kazuma-sensei, so do you want to come?" he invited her.

"No problem!" she said cheerfully.

"Great! Now give me a bath, Tohru-chan!" he said.

"Eh?!!"

"Please?"

"Ah, well, ok." He's just a child anyway.

Yuki was walking in the hallway when something caught his attention. He could hear delighted laughter coming from his cousin Momiji's room. He decided to sneak a peek, and saw Tohru dressing Momiji up. He hid behind the door and watched them.

Tohru dried Momiji's golden hair with a towel. "There! You're all set!" She knelt before him and powdered his face with powder, then combed his hair onto one side. She cupped his face and beamed. "You look dashing! Exactly like a prince!"

"Really?" He was thrilled by her words. "And you are my princess, Tohru!"

"Wow, that would be cool if I become one!" she gushed. She twirled around the room, hair flying behind her shoulders like a fan. "Me, dressed in a flowing silk gown, dancing with a prince." She started to hum a ballroom waltz as she shut her eyes. She held out her arm and pretended that she was dancing with a dashing prince.

She started to dance gracefully as Momiji cheered her on. She waltzed around the room, but was stunned to bump on a solid body that felt too warm for a wall. She opened her eyes and found herself right in front of Yuki.

Yuki didn't know whether he should get mad at the flustered maid for entering the royal sleeping chamber of a prince without asking the permission of Hatori, or be amused at the dreamy way she danced around the room, as if she was really dancing in the middle of the grand ballroom of the palace.

"Ah, Your Highness!" She bowed. "W-What…"

He decided to frown. "What were you just doing?"

"M-Making a fool out of myself?" she said meekly.

He paused.

"I-I was just about to leave anyway," she said. She turned to Momiji. "See you later, Prince Momiji."

"Yeah!" said the young prince enthusiastically.

"Honda Tohru-san," called Yuki.

"Y-Yes, Your Highness?" she said nervously.

"Your dancing skills…are not too bad," he said.

Did he really mean that?

Or was that said sarcastically?

The Ice Prince is an enigma!

Soon, Momiji ushered Tohru into the palace' training hall.

"Sensei is going to be late. Is it ok for you to wait?" he asked.

"Of course-" Her words were interrupted when the wall directly beside her got smashed, with Kyo penetrating the wall. He landed on the floor, face down.

"Here they go again, destroying properties again," groaned Momiji. "They are confident to do that because they know they can always count on people's taxes to reconstruct the places they destroy."

Yuki came from the hole in the wall, looking at his fallen cousin disdainfully. "That was pathetic, baka neko. Truly disgusting. I thought that after 4 months of training, you could have been more of a challenge to me."

"Shut up!" barked Kyo. "I'll beat you, goddam mouse, even if it's the last thing I'll do! Mark those words!"

"You've been saying that since we were kids, but up to now, I still find that threat hard to believe," said Yuki coldly.

"Why you-" Kyo attacked his cousin again, but to his shock, Tohru stood between him and his cousin.

"Stop it, you guys!" she screamed, holding her arms out.

Poof!

Tohru opened her eyes and found an orange cat and an ebony mouse staring daggers at her.

"Um."

Now what?

tsuzuku