AN: Well, I wasn't intending to finish this up until next month but, after
reading other Haru-centric fics, I got inspired write and this is the
result. Here's to Haru fans out there, Haruru fans in particular, and to
everyone who's read and commented on this fic. Thanks a lot! (^^)
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CHAPTER 3: Nighttime Surprises
She still had a hard time believing it.
A troubled frown drew her brows together as she stood in the kitchen, washing up the dirty dishes after dinner, a nerve-wracking affair on her part as she struggled to act as she usually did upon returning. Apparently she had somehow been successful at appearing normal as no one had commented on any strangeness concerning her behavior. But it had definitely been an effort for her to act normally since she had to resist the strong urge throughout dinner to stare at Shigure wide-eyed and wondering how all of it had escaped her attention until now.
Shigure and Rin; it was definitely something she hadn't expected.
Of course, she hadn't expected Hatsuharu and Rin either.
She shook her head and sighed, wondering why it was all coming as such a surprise. After all, Rin with her voluptuous dark beauty was sure to be attractive to any male. There were probably other attractions to her as well although Tohru really didn't know much about her. The only things Tohru knew about Rin were that she was the horse and that she didn't seem to like her that much although the reasons for that, if there were any, remained a mystery to her. Rin had seemed hostile towards her on the occasions when they met but, Tohru imagined, if she was involved with Shigure then maybe that would explain it. Maybe Rin was the possessive and jealous type and didn't like the idea of another female living under the same roof as Shigure.
The more she thought about it, the more she was amazed that she had never entertained the idea of the two of them together before. After all, Rin did seem to be coming over more frequently lately. Shigure, too, appeared to leave the house more often, probably to meet her for a rendezvous somewhere.
Picturing them together, Tohru imagined that they did make a good match. She even sensed a similarity of personality between them though she wasn't exactly sure of what that likeness was. Although the idea of the two of them together seemed to fit better in her mind the more she pondered it, and though she did wish the best for any couple who shared loving feelings, she couldn't keep herself from becoming upset at the way their relationship had left Hatsuharu.
He was probably still out there.
She didn't know why she thought that but Hatsuharu had never said when he'd leave, and though there was no concrete reason for her to believe he was still there after these past hours, there also wasn't one that reassured her that he had left. She should have made him promise to go home but she'd been distracted with the information he'd told her and hadn't remembered about it until she'd stepped inside the house, too late to go back without attracting attention which Hatsuharu said he didn't want.
Her gaze sidled to the left, falling on the bento box she'd made while preparing dinner. She hadn't been able to help herself; worried that Hatsuharu might be out there for however long without any food, she had made up the bento with the intentions of taking it out to him later when she was able to leave the house without stirring up any suspicion. Even though she wasn't positive whether or not he was out there, she felt that it wouldn't hurt to be prepared just in case he was still in that spot and suffering from hunger pangs. Though she felt guilty with all this subterfuge, planning to sneak out of the house without anyone's knowledge, concern for the depressed Hatsuharu that she'd last seen overrode anything else. She just couldn't leave him out there like that no matter what he said about wanting to be left alone and her brow drew down in a determined V as her mouth tightened into a stubborn line.
Whether Hatsuharu liked it or not, she wasn't going to leave him alone.
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He shivered a little as he sat there as he had been for the past hours. The temperature had turned cooler when the last of the sun's rays had disappeared on the horizon but still he didn't move, staring blankly at his surroundings while the nocturnal creatures of the woods woke and began moving about.
He should leave. Some part of him knew that but working up the energy to follow through with it was something else. Besides, it wasn't as if anyone would care or even notice he was gone anyway. Not even his parents who had hardly ever said a word during the times when he'd gotten lost before, wandering aimlessly away for several days on some occasions until he finally made it back to the place that should have been called home. But home brought images of a warm and happy place and he didn't think that his could be placed under that particular label.
Probably, he thought, he could be gone for a year or even longer and they still wouldn't say anything, give any sign that they were worried about him.
"Hatsuharu-san?"
He turned his head at the anxious inquiry, blinking in surprise when he caught sight of her, flashlight in hand and clutching a bundle close to her chest. When the beam from the flashlight passed over his face, he winced, squinting against the glare as she hurriedly flicked the light off, leaving them illuminated only by the glow of the spring moon.
"I'm sorry!" she exclaimed breathlessly as she knelt down beside him. "I was just glad to find Hatsuharu-san." She frowned. "Well, not happy, really because I don't think it's good to still be here in the dark." Her eyes widened. "Oh! But I don't mean to say that there's anything wrong with being in the woods at night if someone wants to do it because that would be rude since there are some people that may like it. And since people do go camping and such then I think that-"
"Honda-san," Hatsuharu interrupted her babbling. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized again. "I was running off at the mouth again when that wasn't what I intended at all."
"Then what did you intend?" he asked mildly, wondering what she was doing here.
"Well," she bit her lip anxiously, "maybe I should mind my own business but I couldn't help being worried."
"Worried?" His tone was as blank as his expression. "About me?"
"Yes, of course," she said as if there were no other answer. "I thought Hatsuharu-san might still be out here and I had to come and check to make sure one way or the other."
"You shouldn't have." He shook his head. "It's dangerous being in the woods alone at night."
She gave him a reproving look. "Hatsuharu-san's here."
"That's different." He resisted the urge to squirm at her expression. "It's more dangerous for a female alone than a male."
"Maybe, but not by much." Her mouth set in a stubborn line. "I've heard stories about gangs. One person against a larger number of people like that, I don't think gender would matter much."
"A gang that roams through woods?" Hatsuharu was amused.
Tohru blushed. "It could happen."
"Wouldn't they usually stick to areas where they're more likely to find potential victims?"
She glanced around, taking in their surroundings that, from the lively sounds of it that reached her ears, were certainly populated with life. But aside from the two of them, none of it was human, which was usually the case in sparsely populated areas. Realizing how much weak her reasoning had become, she looked back at him, expression bordering on sheepish embarrassment.
"Well," she said weakly, still trying, "what about bandits?"
Hatsuharu chuckled. "Maybe a hundred years ago."
Tohru sighed, giving that particular argument up. "But it's still dangerous," she insisted stubbornly. "What if an accident happened around here? No one would be able to hear any cries for help and come to the rescue."
"Perhaps," he conceded when he realized she wasn't going to let the matter drop. "But the same goes for you too, doesn't it?"
"But I wouldn't be out here wandering around in the dark and hoping I didn't get lost if I wasn't searching for Hatsuharu-san," she reasoned logically. "So if I didn't have to look around because I was worried, then I wouldn't be in any danger, right?"
It took him a moment but, when the realization hit, his eyes widened as he stared at her in surprise and no small amount of disbelief. "Are you trying to guilt-trip me?"
Tohru blushed, squirmed a bit and, finally, cast him an uncertain glance. "Did it work?"
Hatsuharu couldn't help it - he laughed.
And Tohru, watching him, enjoyed the sound. It was much more full-bodied and pleasant than his previous chuckles and the bitter laugh he'd given when discussing his break-up with Rin and it occurred to her in that moment that she had never really heard him truly laugh before. Not like this. Sure, she'd seem him smile, chuckle softly, and even snicker in a depreciating manner when he was in Black mode, but she'd never heard a regular amused laugh from him until now. It made her heart ache to think that, as with some of the other more withdrawn Jyunnishi, past events had shaped things in such a way that made regular laughter harder to come by for Hatsuharu. True laughter seemed to be held back, no matter how happy the occasion was, as if there were something else weighing on him, whether he was aware of it or not, and kept the more carefree emotions locked away in a place that was hard to reach.
Tohru briefly pondered why it was that she was hearing such a wonderful sound from him now of all times, especially after all he'd been put through recently. Although she couldn't help but smile faintly at his laughter, puzzling though it was with its unusual timing, she didn't reflect long on it as he subsided because there was something she wanted to say to him.
"I apologize," she told him quietly. "It's not a tactic I usually use because I don't want anyone to feel like that about me. But what I like even less is idea of Hatsuharu-san staying out here alone."
"Sorry," Hatsuharu said soberly. "I don't mean to make you concerned about me."
"I know." She tilted her head. "But I can't help being concerned anyway."
"That's because you're too kind."
"Maybe, maybe not." She shook her head slightly. "That doesn't really matter because, either way, it doesn't change the fact that I'm still worried."
"Sorry," he offered again, at a loss for what else to say.
Tohru waved his apology away. "That's not the important thing."
Hatsuharu arched a brow. Her worrying wasn't important? Funny, but he couldn't really see it that way though he said nothing about the issue out loud as she continued to speak.
"I can see why it would be difficult going to Shigure-san's house," she told him. "I understand that but staying here in the woods, especially at night, isn't something that I can accept without saying anything." Her features settled into troubled lines. "And what about going home? I'm sure Hatsuharu-san's parents must be very worried."
Hatsuharu gave a short laugh. It wasn't a happy sound.
"What is it?" Tohru asked, uneasily.
"Trust me." His mouth curved downwards. "They won't be worried. They won't even notice that I'm gone."
Tohru frowned.
"Please, don't look like that," he said, bothered by her expression. "It's just the way things are. Among the Jyunnishi, having a child-parent relationship as good as yours was is a very rare thing. It's not your fault and it can't be helped so, please, don't concern yourself over it so much."
Her expression didn't change.
Hatsuharu suppressed a sigh, feeling a bit strange at having the tables suddenly so reversed with him having to comfort her instead of the other way around. And he wasn't sure what to say about it since the situation with his parents wasn't going to change in the foreseeable future and he knew that if he continued on with the subject that it was only going to bother her more which would be completely useless since it had nothing to do with her anyway. Since he felt that talking anymore on the issue couldn't possible go anywhere good, he did the only thing he saw left as an option.
He changed the subject.
"Honda-san." He looked at her blandly. "What do you have in your arms?"
Her gaze dropped down, rounding in wide-eyed astonishment as they fell upon the bundle in her arms that she had forgotten that she was still clutching! She flushed in embarrassment, feeling stupid for forgetting one of the reasons she'd come out here looking for him in the first place.
"Ah!" she cried, distressed. "I'm so silly, forgetting about all of this." She sighed. "I'm sorry."
"No problem," he commented mildly. "But what is it?"
"Well, I thought that being out here for such a long time might work up an appetite." She laid the bundle on the ground. "So I made a bento. I hope that's okay."
Hatsuharu's stomach growled in response. Loudly.
Tohru ducked her head, suppressing the giggle that threatened to burst out at the vaguely embarrassed expression that settled itself on his face despite his efforts to keep up a cool front. Still, she couldn't help smiling as she unwrapped the bundle, unwinding the material of the thin blanket that she'd folded around the items she had prepared.
"You went through a lot of trouble," he commented as he gazed upon the items revealed.
"Not really," she said. "I just did what I usually do except I added a little more when I was cooking so there was some extra for the bento. It's not much, really."
"It's plenty," he said, accepting the bento box she handed him along with a pair of chopsticks. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." She smiled at him brightly.
As he began to eat, she shifted around so that she was in the position she'd been in earlier in the afternoon with her back leaning against the tree instead of sitting directly opposite him. But when she caught him shivering while he ate, she moved, placing the thermos of tea that had been wrapped with the bento box off to the side as she rose up enough to settle the blanket across his shoulders. And her eyes twinkled in warm amusement at his startled expression as he paused in his eating to glance at her.
"I noticed how cool it was getting," Tohru explained to his questioning gaze. "I didn't want to chance Hatsuharu-san getting sick."
"What about you?" His eyes flicked over her in concern. She was wearing the same outfit he'd seen her in earlier which had been selected for springtime warmth, not coolness. "You could get sick too being out here like that."
"Oh, no," she told him reassuringly, not wanting him to worry. "I'm fine. I'm really healthy so I don't think that I'll- I'll - a-choo!"
Hatsuharu shook his head before lifting up a corner of the blanket. "Get under here."
"Eh?" Her eyes widened. "Oh, but I couldn't!"
"You'll catch a cold like that." He looked at her with a mild expression. "But if you go back to the house-"
"No, I can't leave Hatsuharu-san alone out here!"
He tilted his head, knowing she would say that. "Then either get in here or go back."
"But what about the transformation?" she asked worriedly.
"It'll be okay. Leaning against each other is fine. Just be careful, that's all."
Still, she hesitated, looking uncertain.
"I see," he said blandly. "My presence is so terrible that you don't want to get that close to me, huh?"
"That's not it at all!" she protested.
"Then hurry and get under here." His tone was indifferent. "All the heat is escaping and I'm starting to get cold again."
She scooted under the blanket until their sides were pressed against each other.
"There. That's not so bad, is it?"
The look she gave him was one of embarrassment and bewildered surprise, as if she wasn't quite sure how she'd suddenly found herself sharing the blanket with him in the first place. It was amusing but he refrained from chuckling as he took note of the way her body trembled against his in little shivers. As she clutched her side of the blanket closer, he set aside his bento box and poured a cup of tea, still steaming with warmth kept in by the thermos.
"Here." He handed her the cup. "Drink. It'll warm you up."
"Oh, but I made the tea for Hatsuharu-san," she protested.
"I don't mind."
"But," she said in distress, "there's only one cup."
"Again, I don't mind. Sharing it is fine with me," another bland look, "unless there's some communicable disease you're carrying that you want to tell me about?"
Tohru gave a little giggle. "No."
"Then drink up. You made more than enough tea for the both of us. And" he said when her expression still seemed protesting, "if drinking that keeps you warm and from catching cold, or worse, it'll make me feel better. Less guilty."
She finally acquiesced, as he had known she would when faced with being responsible for burdening someone else's emotions.
They continued to sit like that in companionable silence as he resumed eating, satisfying his hunger while the light of the moon shone down upon them with it's gentle illumination. But when the weight on his shoulder suddenly became heavier, he turned his head in inquiry only to find his nose buried in strawberry scented hair.
She'd fallen asleep!
He opened his mouth to say something, to wake her, but then he stopped. He knew he needed to wake her and send her back to Shigure's but, just for a little while, he wanted to stay like this, with someone's comforting presence. It was selfish, he knew, but there was a small part of him that was a little greedy for the care and affection she bestowed so easily on others, Yuki and Kyou in particular. And he knew that she would have to go back, but for now, he didn't want to relinquish her just yet. She had done a lot, more that she realized, towards making him feel better about this situation and himself when he hadn't thought it possible this soon, if ever. He was more grateful than he could ever express and wished he knew of some way to repay her for everything she'd done for him.
As he looked at her with her head pillowed peacefully on his shoulder, her breathing rasping gently in and out from parted lips, and moonlight bathing her face with a luminescent glow, for a moment he forgot everything else and merely thought that she was a lovely sight. And as she slept on unawares, he tilted his head downwards and brushed a light kiss across her forehead, the strands of her bangs tickling his lips in a silky caress.
"Thank you," he whispered quietly.
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CHAPTER 3: Nighttime Surprises
She still had a hard time believing it.
A troubled frown drew her brows together as she stood in the kitchen, washing up the dirty dishes after dinner, a nerve-wracking affair on her part as she struggled to act as she usually did upon returning. Apparently she had somehow been successful at appearing normal as no one had commented on any strangeness concerning her behavior. But it had definitely been an effort for her to act normally since she had to resist the strong urge throughout dinner to stare at Shigure wide-eyed and wondering how all of it had escaped her attention until now.
Shigure and Rin; it was definitely something she hadn't expected.
Of course, she hadn't expected Hatsuharu and Rin either.
She shook her head and sighed, wondering why it was all coming as such a surprise. After all, Rin with her voluptuous dark beauty was sure to be attractive to any male. There were probably other attractions to her as well although Tohru really didn't know much about her. The only things Tohru knew about Rin were that she was the horse and that she didn't seem to like her that much although the reasons for that, if there were any, remained a mystery to her. Rin had seemed hostile towards her on the occasions when they met but, Tohru imagined, if she was involved with Shigure then maybe that would explain it. Maybe Rin was the possessive and jealous type and didn't like the idea of another female living under the same roof as Shigure.
The more she thought about it, the more she was amazed that she had never entertained the idea of the two of them together before. After all, Rin did seem to be coming over more frequently lately. Shigure, too, appeared to leave the house more often, probably to meet her for a rendezvous somewhere.
Picturing them together, Tohru imagined that they did make a good match. She even sensed a similarity of personality between them though she wasn't exactly sure of what that likeness was. Although the idea of the two of them together seemed to fit better in her mind the more she pondered it, and though she did wish the best for any couple who shared loving feelings, she couldn't keep herself from becoming upset at the way their relationship had left Hatsuharu.
He was probably still out there.
She didn't know why she thought that but Hatsuharu had never said when he'd leave, and though there was no concrete reason for her to believe he was still there after these past hours, there also wasn't one that reassured her that he had left. She should have made him promise to go home but she'd been distracted with the information he'd told her and hadn't remembered about it until she'd stepped inside the house, too late to go back without attracting attention which Hatsuharu said he didn't want.
Her gaze sidled to the left, falling on the bento box she'd made while preparing dinner. She hadn't been able to help herself; worried that Hatsuharu might be out there for however long without any food, she had made up the bento with the intentions of taking it out to him later when she was able to leave the house without stirring up any suspicion. Even though she wasn't positive whether or not he was out there, she felt that it wouldn't hurt to be prepared just in case he was still in that spot and suffering from hunger pangs. Though she felt guilty with all this subterfuge, planning to sneak out of the house without anyone's knowledge, concern for the depressed Hatsuharu that she'd last seen overrode anything else. She just couldn't leave him out there like that no matter what he said about wanting to be left alone and her brow drew down in a determined V as her mouth tightened into a stubborn line.
Whether Hatsuharu liked it or not, she wasn't going to leave him alone.
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He shivered a little as he sat there as he had been for the past hours. The temperature had turned cooler when the last of the sun's rays had disappeared on the horizon but still he didn't move, staring blankly at his surroundings while the nocturnal creatures of the woods woke and began moving about.
He should leave. Some part of him knew that but working up the energy to follow through with it was something else. Besides, it wasn't as if anyone would care or even notice he was gone anyway. Not even his parents who had hardly ever said a word during the times when he'd gotten lost before, wandering aimlessly away for several days on some occasions until he finally made it back to the place that should have been called home. But home brought images of a warm and happy place and he didn't think that his could be placed under that particular label.
Probably, he thought, he could be gone for a year or even longer and they still wouldn't say anything, give any sign that they were worried about him.
"Hatsuharu-san?"
He turned his head at the anxious inquiry, blinking in surprise when he caught sight of her, flashlight in hand and clutching a bundle close to her chest. When the beam from the flashlight passed over his face, he winced, squinting against the glare as she hurriedly flicked the light off, leaving them illuminated only by the glow of the spring moon.
"I'm sorry!" she exclaimed breathlessly as she knelt down beside him. "I was just glad to find Hatsuharu-san." She frowned. "Well, not happy, really because I don't think it's good to still be here in the dark." Her eyes widened. "Oh! But I don't mean to say that there's anything wrong with being in the woods at night if someone wants to do it because that would be rude since there are some people that may like it. And since people do go camping and such then I think that-"
"Honda-san," Hatsuharu interrupted her babbling. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized again. "I was running off at the mouth again when that wasn't what I intended at all."
"Then what did you intend?" he asked mildly, wondering what she was doing here.
"Well," she bit her lip anxiously, "maybe I should mind my own business but I couldn't help being worried."
"Worried?" His tone was as blank as his expression. "About me?"
"Yes, of course," she said as if there were no other answer. "I thought Hatsuharu-san might still be out here and I had to come and check to make sure one way or the other."
"You shouldn't have." He shook his head. "It's dangerous being in the woods alone at night."
She gave him a reproving look. "Hatsuharu-san's here."
"That's different." He resisted the urge to squirm at her expression. "It's more dangerous for a female alone than a male."
"Maybe, but not by much." Her mouth set in a stubborn line. "I've heard stories about gangs. One person against a larger number of people like that, I don't think gender would matter much."
"A gang that roams through woods?" Hatsuharu was amused.
Tohru blushed. "It could happen."
"Wouldn't they usually stick to areas where they're more likely to find potential victims?"
She glanced around, taking in their surroundings that, from the lively sounds of it that reached her ears, were certainly populated with life. But aside from the two of them, none of it was human, which was usually the case in sparsely populated areas. Realizing how much weak her reasoning had become, she looked back at him, expression bordering on sheepish embarrassment.
"Well," she said weakly, still trying, "what about bandits?"
Hatsuharu chuckled. "Maybe a hundred years ago."
Tohru sighed, giving that particular argument up. "But it's still dangerous," she insisted stubbornly. "What if an accident happened around here? No one would be able to hear any cries for help and come to the rescue."
"Perhaps," he conceded when he realized she wasn't going to let the matter drop. "But the same goes for you too, doesn't it?"
"But I wouldn't be out here wandering around in the dark and hoping I didn't get lost if I wasn't searching for Hatsuharu-san," she reasoned logically. "So if I didn't have to look around because I was worried, then I wouldn't be in any danger, right?"
It took him a moment but, when the realization hit, his eyes widened as he stared at her in surprise and no small amount of disbelief. "Are you trying to guilt-trip me?"
Tohru blushed, squirmed a bit and, finally, cast him an uncertain glance. "Did it work?"
Hatsuharu couldn't help it - he laughed.
And Tohru, watching him, enjoyed the sound. It was much more full-bodied and pleasant than his previous chuckles and the bitter laugh he'd given when discussing his break-up with Rin and it occurred to her in that moment that she had never really heard him truly laugh before. Not like this. Sure, she'd seem him smile, chuckle softly, and even snicker in a depreciating manner when he was in Black mode, but she'd never heard a regular amused laugh from him until now. It made her heart ache to think that, as with some of the other more withdrawn Jyunnishi, past events had shaped things in such a way that made regular laughter harder to come by for Hatsuharu. True laughter seemed to be held back, no matter how happy the occasion was, as if there were something else weighing on him, whether he was aware of it or not, and kept the more carefree emotions locked away in a place that was hard to reach.
Tohru briefly pondered why it was that she was hearing such a wonderful sound from him now of all times, especially after all he'd been put through recently. Although she couldn't help but smile faintly at his laughter, puzzling though it was with its unusual timing, she didn't reflect long on it as he subsided because there was something she wanted to say to him.
"I apologize," she told him quietly. "It's not a tactic I usually use because I don't want anyone to feel like that about me. But what I like even less is idea of Hatsuharu-san staying out here alone."
"Sorry," Hatsuharu said soberly. "I don't mean to make you concerned about me."
"I know." She tilted her head. "But I can't help being concerned anyway."
"That's because you're too kind."
"Maybe, maybe not." She shook her head slightly. "That doesn't really matter because, either way, it doesn't change the fact that I'm still worried."
"Sorry," he offered again, at a loss for what else to say.
Tohru waved his apology away. "That's not the important thing."
Hatsuharu arched a brow. Her worrying wasn't important? Funny, but he couldn't really see it that way though he said nothing about the issue out loud as she continued to speak.
"I can see why it would be difficult going to Shigure-san's house," she told him. "I understand that but staying here in the woods, especially at night, isn't something that I can accept without saying anything." Her features settled into troubled lines. "And what about going home? I'm sure Hatsuharu-san's parents must be very worried."
Hatsuharu gave a short laugh. It wasn't a happy sound.
"What is it?" Tohru asked, uneasily.
"Trust me." His mouth curved downwards. "They won't be worried. They won't even notice that I'm gone."
Tohru frowned.
"Please, don't look like that," he said, bothered by her expression. "It's just the way things are. Among the Jyunnishi, having a child-parent relationship as good as yours was is a very rare thing. It's not your fault and it can't be helped so, please, don't concern yourself over it so much."
Her expression didn't change.
Hatsuharu suppressed a sigh, feeling a bit strange at having the tables suddenly so reversed with him having to comfort her instead of the other way around. And he wasn't sure what to say about it since the situation with his parents wasn't going to change in the foreseeable future and he knew that if he continued on with the subject that it was only going to bother her more which would be completely useless since it had nothing to do with her anyway. Since he felt that talking anymore on the issue couldn't possible go anywhere good, he did the only thing he saw left as an option.
He changed the subject.
"Honda-san." He looked at her blandly. "What do you have in your arms?"
Her gaze dropped down, rounding in wide-eyed astonishment as they fell upon the bundle in her arms that she had forgotten that she was still clutching! She flushed in embarrassment, feeling stupid for forgetting one of the reasons she'd come out here looking for him in the first place.
"Ah!" she cried, distressed. "I'm so silly, forgetting about all of this." She sighed. "I'm sorry."
"No problem," he commented mildly. "But what is it?"
"Well, I thought that being out here for such a long time might work up an appetite." She laid the bundle on the ground. "So I made a bento. I hope that's okay."
Hatsuharu's stomach growled in response. Loudly.
Tohru ducked her head, suppressing the giggle that threatened to burst out at the vaguely embarrassed expression that settled itself on his face despite his efforts to keep up a cool front. Still, she couldn't help smiling as she unwrapped the bundle, unwinding the material of the thin blanket that she'd folded around the items she had prepared.
"You went through a lot of trouble," he commented as he gazed upon the items revealed.
"Not really," she said. "I just did what I usually do except I added a little more when I was cooking so there was some extra for the bento. It's not much, really."
"It's plenty," he said, accepting the bento box she handed him along with a pair of chopsticks. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." She smiled at him brightly.
As he began to eat, she shifted around so that she was in the position she'd been in earlier in the afternoon with her back leaning against the tree instead of sitting directly opposite him. But when she caught him shivering while he ate, she moved, placing the thermos of tea that had been wrapped with the bento box off to the side as she rose up enough to settle the blanket across his shoulders. And her eyes twinkled in warm amusement at his startled expression as he paused in his eating to glance at her.
"I noticed how cool it was getting," Tohru explained to his questioning gaze. "I didn't want to chance Hatsuharu-san getting sick."
"What about you?" His eyes flicked over her in concern. She was wearing the same outfit he'd seen her in earlier which had been selected for springtime warmth, not coolness. "You could get sick too being out here like that."
"Oh, no," she told him reassuringly, not wanting him to worry. "I'm fine. I'm really healthy so I don't think that I'll- I'll - a-choo!"
Hatsuharu shook his head before lifting up a corner of the blanket. "Get under here."
"Eh?" Her eyes widened. "Oh, but I couldn't!"
"You'll catch a cold like that." He looked at her with a mild expression. "But if you go back to the house-"
"No, I can't leave Hatsuharu-san alone out here!"
He tilted his head, knowing she would say that. "Then either get in here or go back."
"But what about the transformation?" she asked worriedly.
"It'll be okay. Leaning against each other is fine. Just be careful, that's all."
Still, she hesitated, looking uncertain.
"I see," he said blandly. "My presence is so terrible that you don't want to get that close to me, huh?"
"That's not it at all!" she protested.
"Then hurry and get under here." His tone was indifferent. "All the heat is escaping and I'm starting to get cold again."
She scooted under the blanket until their sides were pressed against each other.
"There. That's not so bad, is it?"
The look she gave him was one of embarrassment and bewildered surprise, as if she wasn't quite sure how she'd suddenly found herself sharing the blanket with him in the first place. It was amusing but he refrained from chuckling as he took note of the way her body trembled against his in little shivers. As she clutched her side of the blanket closer, he set aside his bento box and poured a cup of tea, still steaming with warmth kept in by the thermos.
"Here." He handed her the cup. "Drink. It'll warm you up."
"Oh, but I made the tea for Hatsuharu-san," she protested.
"I don't mind."
"But," she said in distress, "there's only one cup."
"Again, I don't mind. Sharing it is fine with me," another bland look, "unless there's some communicable disease you're carrying that you want to tell me about?"
Tohru gave a little giggle. "No."
"Then drink up. You made more than enough tea for the both of us. And" he said when her expression still seemed protesting, "if drinking that keeps you warm and from catching cold, or worse, it'll make me feel better. Less guilty."
She finally acquiesced, as he had known she would when faced with being responsible for burdening someone else's emotions.
They continued to sit like that in companionable silence as he resumed eating, satisfying his hunger while the light of the moon shone down upon them with it's gentle illumination. But when the weight on his shoulder suddenly became heavier, he turned his head in inquiry only to find his nose buried in strawberry scented hair.
She'd fallen asleep!
He opened his mouth to say something, to wake her, but then he stopped. He knew he needed to wake her and send her back to Shigure's but, just for a little while, he wanted to stay like this, with someone's comforting presence. It was selfish, he knew, but there was a small part of him that was a little greedy for the care and affection she bestowed so easily on others, Yuki and Kyou in particular. And he knew that she would have to go back, but for now, he didn't want to relinquish her just yet. She had done a lot, more that she realized, towards making him feel better about this situation and himself when he hadn't thought it possible this soon, if ever. He was more grateful than he could ever express and wished he knew of some way to repay her for everything she'd done for him.
As he looked at her with her head pillowed peacefully on his shoulder, her breathing rasping gently in and out from parted lips, and moonlight bathing her face with a luminescent glow, for a moment he forgot everything else and merely thought that she was a lovely sight. And as she slept on unawares, he tilted his head downwards and brushed a light kiss across her forehead, the strands of her bangs tickling his lips in a silky caress.
"Thank you," he whispered quietly.