FITTING PIECES
Chapter 1: Lost Light
In the dark office lit only by the little light from the waning moon that trickled in through the windows that were cracked open by a sliver, the scent of smoke hung heavy in the air. With another puff from his cigarette, Hatori continued to stare into the dark shadows that engulfed his small office as his thoughts kept circling around the same things they had been for the past week, since that terrible event had occurred and thrown the Souma world even deeper into hellish existence than it had ever been before, especially among those cursed the most, the ones closest to the Jyunnishi curse. The ray of light, of hope, that had been unfurling among them for the past several years, after all the hard obstacles that had been overcome, seemed to have been extinguished within the space of a heartbeat, an instant little thing, one little accident that changed it all. And even he, the most stalwart of the Jyunnishi, couldn't remain unaffected by any of it. Couldn't help but relive the past days that seemed to stretch on endlessly as he grieved for the one who was lost and all that appeared to have been lost with him.
"Damn it!"
With a sudden burst of uncharacteristic rage, he ripped the cigarette from his lips and violently stabbed it into the nearby ashtray, coming close to sending both skittering off his desk. As suddenly as it had come, it subsided and he sighed heavily as he leaned further back into his chair, closing his eyes in exhaustion.
But no rest was achieved as visions of sterile, whitewashed hospital walls once again appeared in his mind's eye. The horrified disbelief that he had felt, and had witnessed on the faces of the others, as they'd waited outside the emergency room, waited for good news that had never come. A short, bitter laugh echoed within the confines of the office as he recalled his helplessness, his inability to do anything despite being a doctor himself. It had been hard, ever since the phone call that had interrupted the small party that they'd been having at Shigure's to celebrate Kagura and Kyou's recent engagement. As soon as they had gotten the news, Hatori had rushed them all over to the hospital, a gloomy surreal pall cast over them all as fear of the worst had gripped at their hearts. And when they finally reached their destination, it hadn't gotten any better. It had taken just that long for all of it to sink in, the harsh reality of the situation that had lain one of them at death's store, not because of the bane of their existence, the curse that they would bear for the duration of their days, but because of a whim of fate that played with the lives of even the most normal of humans, taking them away without a moment's notice.
Just as Yuki had been taken away.
Those last moments he that he'd remained in this world, as he'd clung on the verge between life and death, had been painful to witness as he'd spent what little time he had left trying to comfort the beloved wife he'd be leaving behind, the knowledge in his gaze showing that there wasn't enough he could do in a few brief moments despite attempting the best that he was able. It was that painful scene that Hatori and the others had been bystanders to, unable to do anything else for the wedded couple as one half of the whole they'd made up was unwillingly pulled away. Leaving the rest of them to pick up the pieces.
He remembered the long drive back to Shigure's. Shigure had held a weakened Ayame in comfort as Kyou, Hiro, and Hatsuharu had remained utterly quiet and still for the duration of the trip. Meanwhile, Kagura and Kisa had tried to quietly offer whispered support to a desolate Tohru. Despite his own shock at the events that had occurred, a new worry had wriggled into his thoughts at the utter lack of reaction that she'd shown. After the last dying words were spoken, she'd gone completely blank-faced, showing no response to anything unless prompted to, remaining voiceless unless spoken to, replying only in monosyllables. And once they'd reached Shigure's, she'd only gotten worse.
She'd frozen completely still just before setting foot inside the house, breath rasping out rapidly and harshly as she'd started to hyperventilate. Hatori had quickly pulled her farther away from the building as soon as he had realized what was happening and gradually her breathing had subsided to normal. But it was painted vividly in his mind, as he'd tried to whisper quiet reassurances, those last words he'd heard her say.
"Please, I can't!"
Tohru had gasped wretchedly, the strength of the emotion that had her in its grips causing her voice to crack as she stared up at him with such a pain filled gazed overflowing with agony.
Then she had fallen completely silent, not voicing even a single simply worded reply to any question. Despite the lack of any further response, no one had had the heart to force her into entering a place containing so many torturous memories at such a delicate time. After a brief discussion with the others, he had ended up taking her and the others back to the Honke to stay.
But that had become another nightmare in itself. The news had been of too much importance to relate it via a phone call so it had been decided to wait and inform Akito face-to-face, a situation that occurred sooner than any of them had prepared for as an order had been waiting at the entrance of the Honke for everyone to gather in the meeting hall, even Tohru and Kyou. Hatori shuddered as he recalled the horror of it: the shock on Akito's face before he collapsed from the strain, the panic as everyone had rushed to his side in fear of losing yet another Souma member so soon, his harsh words towards Tohru as he was carried away, the further pallor on Tohru's face as Akito's words hit home and she pulled the emotional barrier she'd erected between herself and others even closer around her. She'd remained that way in the following days as well as funeral preparations went underway.
He'd worried and checked up on her and Ayame, who seemed to be in a similar state even though he had Shigure in constant attendance, but most of his time had been taken up by Akito who had fallen ill when his body had weakened from emotional strain. Akito had been too sickly to see to any of the funeral arrangements, even to attend the reception that Hatori had made an appearance to. It had been an oppressive gathering with all of the Soumas in attendance, not just the Jyunnishi and those who knew of the curse. He'd caught low-voiced snide comments here and there about how lucky the cat was now that the mouse was gone, the viciousness within the Souma family revealing itself even at such solemn affairs. And Kyou, who had no doubt heard some of them, had been too disheartened to respond, often found with Kagura standing close by.
However, it wasn't just Kyou whose spirit was dampened but all of the Jyunnishi members. Gloom hung over them all as the one person they had drawn such strength from in the most trying of times had withdrawn into herself. She seemed to pull away from even the smallest conveyance of sympathy or condolence, her face remaining blank in the midst of it all as she kept her silence. He'd seen many worried glances thrown her way, his included, as they took in her pallid skin and the way she'd thinned in just a few days. He'd heard that she hadn't really been eating and continued her unresponsiveness towards others that was terrifying in its unusualness.
He knew all those repressed feelings bottled up inside of her were going to have to express themselves one day soon, he was only afraid of how they'd do it. The easiest to cry at even the slightest emotionally moving things, she hadn't shed any tears that he knew of since her husband's last breath. She'd stayed detached through it all, even when they'd all gathered around the new headstone in the Souma family's graveyard.
Hatori's body groaned as he got up. Her pallid features and stony expression as she'd stared at the gravestone flashed in his mind, giving rise to fresh worry as he suddenly felt the need to check on her. He'd been meaning to but hadn't been able to leave Akito's side until a little over an hour ago when his condition had finally seemed to stabilize on the road to recovery. But the countless sleepless hours he'd been up over the past few days had taken their toll on Hatori's exhausted body until his note to himself to look in on Tohru had temporarily slipped his mind in favor attempting to get a little rest which had remained elusive as he kept reliving events of the recent past.
The hard pounding on the door startled Hatori, just as he was pulling on his jacket to venture out, and he could think only that another emergency had sprouted up. It was the only time he was called for so early in the morning, when even dawn's first light had yet to appear. With the memories of the days gone past still vivid in his mind, fear pooled in his gut as he rushed to the door and threw it open.
"Tori-san!"
Hatori's eyes widened as he took in the bedraggled appearance of the figures before him standing in damp, grass-stained, and wind-blown disarray. But it was the barefoot feminine form, shivering and pale in thin nightgown as she was carefully held up by her silver-haired protector, that captured the bulk of his attention as he uttered a soft surprised exclamation.
"Tohru-san!"
AN: No, haven't quite gotten to the happy part yet. That's going to have to wait just a little longer. Can't just go from death to smiles in an instant, you know. Used this chapter to clear up some stuff that was kind of hazy in the prologue. Also, I realize that not all questions were answered this time but they will in the future chapters, like little pieces of the puzzle slowly falling into place.hence, the title.
Plus, used Hatori's point of view because he's a fairly clear-headed observer which Tohru and Ayame aren't right now in the situation I've put them in. (^^) And, although it's going to be mainly Yukiru (via some flashbacks) and Ayaru, it's not going to focus just on them but to resolve some of the other relationships among the cast as well. So the story will probably get into other characters' pov as well.
On a cultural note, the stuff about funeral arrangements in this chapter is Western, which takes about a week (give or take a few days) to get it all done. Japanese funeral customs mostly follow Buddhist traditions, the whole process of which takes about 35 days, which I didn't want to get into details about so I used Western customs. But I was really tempted to keep the Buddhist stuff in so it just ended up in the author's notes. grins sheepishly
Anyways, hope you enjoyed being sucked into my little world and reading it waves bye-bye
Chapter 1: Lost Light
In the dark office lit only by the little light from the waning moon that trickled in through the windows that were cracked open by a sliver, the scent of smoke hung heavy in the air. With another puff from his cigarette, Hatori continued to stare into the dark shadows that engulfed his small office as his thoughts kept circling around the same things they had been for the past week, since that terrible event had occurred and thrown the Souma world even deeper into hellish existence than it had ever been before, especially among those cursed the most, the ones closest to the Jyunnishi curse. The ray of light, of hope, that had been unfurling among them for the past several years, after all the hard obstacles that had been overcome, seemed to have been extinguished within the space of a heartbeat, an instant little thing, one little accident that changed it all. And even he, the most stalwart of the Jyunnishi, couldn't remain unaffected by any of it. Couldn't help but relive the past days that seemed to stretch on endlessly as he grieved for the one who was lost and all that appeared to have been lost with him.
"Damn it!"
With a sudden burst of uncharacteristic rage, he ripped the cigarette from his lips and violently stabbed it into the nearby ashtray, coming close to sending both skittering off his desk. As suddenly as it had come, it subsided and he sighed heavily as he leaned further back into his chair, closing his eyes in exhaustion.
But no rest was achieved as visions of sterile, whitewashed hospital walls once again appeared in his mind's eye. The horrified disbelief that he had felt, and had witnessed on the faces of the others, as they'd waited outside the emergency room, waited for good news that had never come. A short, bitter laugh echoed within the confines of the office as he recalled his helplessness, his inability to do anything despite being a doctor himself. It had been hard, ever since the phone call that had interrupted the small party that they'd been having at Shigure's to celebrate Kagura and Kyou's recent engagement. As soon as they had gotten the news, Hatori had rushed them all over to the hospital, a gloomy surreal pall cast over them all as fear of the worst had gripped at their hearts. And when they finally reached their destination, it hadn't gotten any better. It had taken just that long for all of it to sink in, the harsh reality of the situation that had lain one of them at death's store, not because of the bane of their existence, the curse that they would bear for the duration of their days, but because of a whim of fate that played with the lives of even the most normal of humans, taking them away without a moment's notice.
Just as Yuki had been taken away.
Those last moments he that he'd remained in this world, as he'd clung on the verge between life and death, had been painful to witness as he'd spent what little time he had left trying to comfort the beloved wife he'd be leaving behind, the knowledge in his gaze showing that there wasn't enough he could do in a few brief moments despite attempting the best that he was able. It was that painful scene that Hatori and the others had been bystanders to, unable to do anything else for the wedded couple as one half of the whole they'd made up was unwillingly pulled away. Leaving the rest of them to pick up the pieces.
He remembered the long drive back to Shigure's. Shigure had held a weakened Ayame in comfort as Kyou, Hiro, and Hatsuharu had remained utterly quiet and still for the duration of the trip. Meanwhile, Kagura and Kisa had tried to quietly offer whispered support to a desolate Tohru. Despite his own shock at the events that had occurred, a new worry had wriggled into his thoughts at the utter lack of reaction that she'd shown. After the last dying words were spoken, she'd gone completely blank-faced, showing no response to anything unless prompted to, remaining voiceless unless spoken to, replying only in monosyllables. And once they'd reached Shigure's, she'd only gotten worse.
She'd frozen completely still just before setting foot inside the house, breath rasping out rapidly and harshly as she'd started to hyperventilate. Hatori had quickly pulled her farther away from the building as soon as he had realized what was happening and gradually her breathing had subsided to normal. But it was painted vividly in his mind, as he'd tried to whisper quiet reassurances, those last words he'd heard her say.
"Please, I can't!"
Tohru had gasped wretchedly, the strength of the emotion that had her in its grips causing her voice to crack as she stared up at him with such a pain filled gazed overflowing with agony.
Then she had fallen completely silent, not voicing even a single simply worded reply to any question. Despite the lack of any further response, no one had had the heart to force her into entering a place containing so many torturous memories at such a delicate time. After a brief discussion with the others, he had ended up taking her and the others back to the Honke to stay.
But that had become another nightmare in itself. The news had been of too much importance to relate it via a phone call so it had been decided to wait and inform Akito face-to-face, a situation that occurred sooner than any of them had prepared for as an order had been waiting at the entrance of the Honke for everyone to gather in the meeting hall, even Tohru and Kyou. Hatori shuddered as he recalled the horror of it: the shock on Akito's face before he collapsed from the strain, the panic as everyone had rushed to his side in fear of losing yet another Souma member so soon, his harsh words towards Tohru as he was carried away, the further pallor on Tohru's face as Akito's words hit home and she pulled the emotional barrier she'd erected between herself and others even closer around her. She'd remained that way in the following days as well as funeral preparations went underway.
He'd worried and checked up on her and Ayame, who seemed to be in a similar state even though he had Shigure in constant attendance, but most of his time had been taken up by Akito who had fallen ill when his body had weakened from emotional strain. Akito had been too sickly to see to any of the funeral arrangements, even to attend the reception that Hatori had made an appearance to. It had been an oppressive gathering with all of the Soumas in attendance, not just the Jyunnishi and those who knew of the curse. He'd caught low-voiced snide comments here and there about how lucky the cat was now that the mouse was gone, the viciousness within the Souma family revealing itself even at such solemn affairs. And Kyou, who had no doubt heard some of them, had been too disheartened to respond, often found with Kagura standing close by.
However, it wasn't just Kyou whose spirit was dampened but all of the Jyunnishi members. Gloom hung over them all as the one person they had drawn such strength from in the most trying of times had withdrawn into herself. She seemed to pull away from even the smallest conveyance of sympathy or condolence, her face remaining blank in the midst of it all as she kept her silence. He'd seen many worried glances thrown her way, his included, as they took in her pallid skin and the way she'd thinned in just a few days. He'd heard that she hadn't really been eating and continued her unresponsiveness towards others that was terrifying in its unusualness.
He knew all those repressed feelings bottled up inside of her were going to have to express themselves one day soon, he was only afraid of how they'd do it. The easiest to cry at even the slightest emotionally moving things, she hadn't shed any tears that he knew of since her husband's last breath. She'd stayed detached through it all, even when they'd all gathered around the new headstone in the Souma family's graveyard.
Hatori's body groaned as he got up. Her pallid features and stony expression as she'd stared at the gravestone flashed in his mind, giving rise to fresh worry as he suddenly felt the need to check on her. He'd been meaning to but hadn't been able to leave Akito's side until a little over an hour ago when his condition had finally seemed to stabilize on the road to recovery. But the countless sleepless hours he'd been up over the past few days had taken their toll on Hatori's exhausted body until his note to himself to look in on Tohru had temporarily slipped his mind in favor attempting to get a little rest which had remained elusive as he kept reliving events of the recent past.
The hard pounding on the door startled Hatori, just as he was pulling on his jacket to venture out, and he could think only that another emergency had sprouted up. It was the only time he was called for so early in the morning, when even dawn's first light had yet to appear. With the memories of the days gone past still vivid in his mind, fear pooled in his gut as he rushed to the door and threw it open.
"Tori-san!"
Hatori's eyes widened as he took in the bedraggled appearance of the figures before him standing in damp, grass-stained, and wind-blown disarray. But it was the barefoot feminine form, shivering and pale in thin nightgown as she was carefully held up by her silver-haired protector, that captured the bulk of his attention as he uttered a soft surprised exclamation.
"Tohru-san!"
AN: No, haven't quite gotten to the happy part yet. That's going to have to wait just a little longer. Can't just go from death to smiles in an instant, you know. Used this chapter to clear up some stuff that was kind of hazy in the prologue. Also, I realize that not all questions were answered this time but they will in the future chapters, like little pieces of the puzzle slowly falling into place.hence, the title.
Plus, used Hatori's point of view because he's a fairly clear-headed observer which Tohru and Ayame aren't right now in the situation I've put them in. (^^) And, although it's going to be mainly Yukiru (via some flashbacks) and Ayaru, it's not going to focus just on them but to resolve some of the other relationships among the cast as well. So the story will probably get into other characters' pov as well.
On a cultural note, the stuff about funeral arrangements in this chapter is Western, which takes about a week (give or take a few days) to get it all done. Japanese funeral customs mostly follow Buddhist traditions, the whole process of which takes about 35 days, which I didn't want to get into details about so I used Western customs. But I was really tempted to keep the Buddhist stuff in so it just ended up in the author's notes. grins sheepishly
Anyways, hope you enjoyed being sucked into my little world and reading it waves bye-bye