I have replaced the first two chapters by the time you are reading these
messages, I hope. I have now been told what I've been doing wrong. And I
have Kiena to thank for it!
Kiena: I'd love to stop writing this story and wait, but I have no way of finding more about this anime, and I've finished it. I sent it to my friend who is a huge FB freak, and she thinks it's okay, so I'll just hope it's fine. Can I count on you to tell me my mistakes and help me out with the characters? If it isn't too much of a change, I'll change it all. I'd love for you help me. And thanks for helping me with the symbols.
Frozen tears: Thanks for thinking the symbols are amusing, but they are hard to read around, which is why I've changed them all. And thanks for the ages! Though, Ayame has to be older than that in this fic, unfortunately. *Sigh*
R Junkie: Tohru doesn't show up much, which is her punishment. And his confusion is explained in later chapters. Since Hatori had trouble erasing Yuki's memory of his love for her, Hatori had to erase a bit more than what Yuki asked. Which is why he's somewhat confused. (That part is not mentioned, but. . . ) But one can never forget love entirely, which comes up later.
So, thanks! I now have five reviews! And I'll get around to your accounts sooner or later. If I don't come soon, track me down.
Let's recap: Yuki's mind has been erased, and Ayame just had the biggest shock of his life. Sounds fun.
Disfruta! (Enjoy, in Spanish. Don't know it in Japanese.)
___________________________
Last time:
"Oh, Yuki! What have you brought to us now? Another little flower?" Ayame asked, his face gently suggestive to the girl. The girl was unperturbed and walked right up to him and said the two words that would change Ayame's life forever.
"Hello Dad."
___________________________
There were collective gasps of shock as Ayame keeled over in a dead faint. None was more surprised than Yuki. He stared at her for a moment. This girl was his niece, even though she was his age. Or, at least she said she was his niece.
"How can you prove it?" Yuki asked, trying his hardest to keep his voice emotionless. The girl smiled and pointed to the picture.
"That's my mom," she said, pointing to the young woman that was standing right next to Ayame's younger form. "And this is my birth certificate," she added, pulling out a paper and handing it to Yuki.
"Morikawa Sakura," Yuki read. "It has no father name."
"Yep. Dad had left by then, and Morikawa is my mother's maiden name. This may help prove it for you," Sakura said, pulling out a mangled scrap of paper. "My father left this for my mother, so that she could go join him eventually. Mother never did get around to it."
Yuki read the paper and found with a touch of disgust that it gave explicit directions to the Sohma house. Even worse, it was written in Ayame's handwriting. So it was true. Every word of it. Well, he might as well get to at least get to know his niece's face.
She was a beautiful girl. Even the memory that she was his niece did not deter that thought. Her eyes were quite beautiful, being the same color blue as the sky when the moon has just risen over the eastern horizon at night. Her hair was the same color as Yuki's, silver and long, hanging to her waist in long, straight strands. She was well formed in face and body, which only made Yuki more protective of her, especially around Shigure. Her skin had a pale olive complexion and her dark eyes were slightly narrowed naturally. Her body had a natural grace about it.
"So, you are the child of my brother," Yuki thought aloud. Sakura looked at him in surprise.
"He's your brother?" Sakura asked. Yuki nodded silently. "Then that would make you my uncle." Yuki thought for a moment. Yes, he would be an uncle to her. Somehow, that sounded so wrong and yet, so right. She was his age, and he was her uncle.
Slowly, Ayame came around and awoke murmuring a name: Rei. Sakura quickly explained that was her mother's name, and before long, Ayame was fully awake, looking at Sakura in surprise.
"You are Rei's daughter?" he asked quietly.
"Yes."
"Morikawa Rei?"
"Yes."
"You beautiful, wonderful child!" Ayame cried out joyfully, sitting up and hugging her tightly. Yuki waited patiently for the little cloud to come up, but there was no snake. There was no transformation.
She now was beyond a doubt one of the Sohma line.
"What is this?"
The joyful reunion was still instantly as Ayame hurriedly got to his feet. Akito, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, stood in the doorway, staring angrily at the newcomer and at the two brothers that stood protectively by her.
"Akito," Ayame said, his voice reverent. "I am sorry. Let me introduce to you, my daughter, Morikawa Sakura." Akito's eyes fell on Sakura and he drank in her sight as she bowed low before him.
"'I see." With that, Akito was gone. Yuki felt his fists clench against his will; there was something in Akito's eyes that made him angry. What had that emotion been? Yuki had never seen it in Akito before, and he was worried because of it.
"Oh, Tohru-kun, could you find a room for Sakura-chan?" Ayame asked, seeming to have not noticed the look in Akito's eyes. "Sakura, what other baggage do you have with you?" Sakura blinked openly at him and patted the backpack on her back.
"Only this. I had to sell Mom's stuff to get a ticket this far," Sakura answered. "There was one thing that I did save for you." She flipped the backpack onto the ground and dug into the pack, which seemed to be mostly filled with food and clothing. Suddenly, she pulled out a wooden object, which Yuki suddenly recognized as a cobra, ready to strike. "Mother said she started it after you left, and she thought you might find it comical." Ayame chuckled lightly and took the wooden effigy.
"I think I'll enjoy it," he said. "It's a perfect paper weight!" Yuki watched as Tohru joyfully led the new girl up the stairs to find her a room.
"Ayame, tell me about this Morikawa Rei," Yuki commanded.
"Distant, distant relative of Akito's," Ayame answered cheerfully. "She has Sohma blood."
"And you met her by pure luck?"
"Yep. Pure luck, but it was in Tokyo, which makes it even more lucky."
"And you had a daughter by her?"
Ayame blushed. "It was wrong, I know, but I was going to marry her, but then Akito called me back here, and now, Rei died."
"Sakura's mother died?"
"Supposedly, she was in a hit-and-run accident. I thought I had lost her daughter as well," Ayame murmured, his voice suddenly filled with pain. "No, my daughter. So it was quite a shock to see her again."
"When?"
Ayame blinked for a moment, confused at his question, but guessed at what he meant. "Rei died a few months back."
Yuki caught the slight pain that was slipping into his voice and decided to step off that topic. "Did you see what was in her backpack?"
"She had only the essentials," Ayame answered gravely. "We'll need to get her some stuff. So, how does it feel to be an uncle?"
Yuki nearly let a smile cross his face, but he allowed his eyes to smile widely. "There isn't a difference." Ayame smiled to him and shook his head.
"Just you wait, Yuki, my dearest brother," Ayame said, his voice reprimanding, "you'll find a very large difference, I know. I find a huge difference in being a long-distance father and a near father, and my pocket book has yet to feel a difference. You'll feel the difference before long."
_____________________
All of his joy of having someone new related to him in the household disappeared in a day. His niece that he hoped to find solace in quickly found a fast friend in Tohru, and it aggravated him. He could not find any good reason that it aggravated him, but he found his necessary consolation in his new garden.
And then, he found that his appetite was dropping even more.
He was losing to this unshakable depression.
Days passed, and he fought the depression with all his might, forcing some food into his body, forcing himself to sleep, forcing himself to rise each morning. There was no change, though, in the direction his body was going.
So, he refused to let anyone touch him. If they did, they might see his thin body, and he would not want anyone to worry about him. He could beat this, but he would like to be without anyone watching over his shoulder.
Then it happened: the one event that probably might have saved his life, though he did not know it at the moment. Sakura and Tohru had been running around the Sohma house and Sakura had barreled into him, knocking him over completely.
"Oh, Yuki! I am so sorry Uncle!" Sakura cried, but her voice was distant. Slowly, Yuki sat up. His head had slammed the ground very hard, and now was ringing. She was still sitting on him, staring at her legs that were straddled around his waist. Suddenly, she looked up at him and her eyes were wide with disbelief. She scrambled off of him as he gave her a stern glare and he stomped away, missing the saddened look in her eyes.
He had worked himself into a nice rage when he reached his garden and began to weed the unruly plants that insisted on taking root in his plot. That girl had gotten past his defenses again. She had found out his weakness, with that annoying girl that saddened him with a glance near by. How could he have been knocked over so easily?
"Uncle Yuki?"
Yuki glanced over his shoulder. Sakura stood behind him, holding something. Slowly, he turned his head further and in her hands was the little yellow flower he had found that same day she had shown up. It was wilting already and Yuki felt a little guilty. He had cared for that plant lovingly, but he had now just ripped it from the ground.
He had definitely been in a rage.
"What is it, Sakura-kun?" he murmured, turning his back on her, taking more care on what plants he was pulling out. There was a small sigh behind him and then Sakura was at his side, pulling out weeds that he had not gotten to.
"How much do you eat a day, Uncle?" Sakura asked, her eyes cast upon the plants. Yuki glanced at her and continued his work.
"Enough."
"What do you weigh then?"
Yuki glared at his hands. He could not lie to his niece, but he could not ignore that question. "Usually?"
"Right now."
Darn it. He could not get out of it. "Forty five kilograms," Yuki mumbled. *(107 lbs. If my calculations are correct)*
Sakura did nothing at first and Yuki thought his fears were unfounded. Maybe she would ignore it.
"Uncle Yuki, is that healthy in a man of your height?"
Yuki did not know and he did not care. At the moment, he found the title name now annoying. "Sakura, can I ask you a favor?"
"What?"
"Don't call me Uncle."
That statement may have hurt Sakura, but she did not show it. "Can I ask why?"
"I don't like it. I'd rather not be an uncle to you," Yuki muttered. She was too much of his age to be called her uncle. It made him seem old. Unfortunately, it did hurt Sakura. He could see it in her eyes. "It makes me feel old."
Sakura smiled quietly. "Why are you so thin, Yuki?"
"I am always thin," Yuki shot back.
"Thin in a normal way, yes, but this is just not normal. I can wrap my arms around your waist and my elbows touch. You are wearing baggy clothing; Father said it was unusual of you. You don't speak to many people, and you sleep a lot. You seem devoid of emotions except for anger and fear. You have no interest in anything, and I and Tohru-kun have noticed you are not eating," Sakura answered, her voice tired and strained as if her patience was wearing thin. "Those are obvious signs of depression."
"I can handle it," Yuki snapped.
"No, you cannot. I know you cannot help yourself," Sakura interrupted, her voice now thin and plaintive. "I watched my mother dwindle away and I watched her throw herself in front of a car because of the strains of raising a tomboy on her own. I watched her plead with the driver to keep going, and I watched her pay him to keep him moving. And now that I found my family, I am not going to watch another family member, whether he loves me or not, dwindle away until they disappear beneath the wheels of a car." Throughout her speech, her voice had grown in power until it was commanding, but not louder than a murmur. If she would have said anything else, Yuki was sure he would have lost it. The power in her voice reminded him of Akito too much. She could easily hypnotize people with her voice alone and influence minds easily with the power in her voice.
Yuki glanced at her, not surprised to see that her face was hidden beneath an emotional mask and her bangs. He turned to the plants and pulled a weed out by its roots. "I'm sorry," he murmured.
"It's okay," she answered before she grabbed a small plant and ripped it out of the ground and proceeded to rip the tender leaves apart. "You know, I never told anyone about that before. Not even the lawyer attempting to convict the man whose car my mom killed herself with. Not even my father."
Yuki attempted to smile comfortingly at her pleading look. "I'm glad you told me." And he was. Silence settled down upon them as they continued weeding together.
________________________
So there we go. We have Sakura's past revealed, and I suddenly feel very sorry for her.
Just thought I'd put in a piece of the next chapter. Just a tantalizing taste.
________________________
"Sohma-sama?"
Yuki looked up and smiled at the manager of the hair salon. "Yes?"
"I think I should warn you before Sakura comes in. You might have a heart attack," the manager said, the smile on his face soft.
________________________
Um, nothing to say, nothing to warn about. See y'all later.
Namarie!
~ Kay Kylo
Kiena: I'd love to stop writing this story and wait, but I have no way of finding more about this anime, and I've finished it. I sent it to my friend who is a huge FB freak, and she thinks it's okay, so I'll just hope it's fine. Can I count on you to tell me my mistakes and help me out with the characters? If it isn't too much of a change, I'll change it all. I'd love for you help me. And thanks for helping me with the symbols.
Frozen tears: Thanks for thinking the symbols are amusing, but they are hard to read around, which is why I've changed them all. And thanks for the ages! Though, Ayame has to be older than that in this fic, unfortunately. *Sigh*
R Junkie: Tohru doesn't show up much, which is her punishment. And his confusion is explained in later chapters. Since Hatori had trouble erasing Yuki's memory of his love for her, Hatori had to erase a bit more than what Yuki asked. Which is why he's somewhat confused. (That part is not mentioned, but. . . ) But one can never forget love entirely, which comes up later.
So, thanks! I now have five reviews! And I'll get around to your accounts sooner or later. If I don't come soon, track me down.
Let's recap: Yuki's mind has been erased, and Ayame just had the biggest shock of his life. Sounds fun.
Disfruta! (Enjoy, in Spanish. Don't know it in Japanese.)
___________________________
Last time:
"Oh, Yuki! What have you brought to us now? Another little flower?" Ayame asked, his face gently suggestive to the girl. The girl was unperturbed and walked right up to him and said the two words that would change Ayame's life forever.
"Hello Dad."
___________________________
There were collective gasps of shock as Ayame keeled over in a dead faint. None was more surprised than Yuki. He stared at her for a moment. This girl was his niece, even though she was his age. Or, at least she said she was his niece.
"How can you prove it?" Yuki asked, trying his hardest to keep his voice emotionless. The girl smiled and pointed to the picture.
"That's my mom," she said, pointing to the young woman that was standing right next to Ayame's younger form. "And this is my birth certificate," she added, pulling out a paper and handing it to Yuki.
"Morikawa Sakura," Yuki read. "It has no father name."
"Yep. Dad had left by then, and Morikawa is my mother's maiden name. This may help prove it for you," Sakura said, pulling out a mangled scrap of paper. "My father left this for my mother, so that she could go join him eventually. Mother never did get around to it."
Yuki read the paper and found with a touch of disgust that it gave explicit directions to the Sohma house. Even worse, it was written in Ayame's handwriting. So it was true. Every word of it. Well, he might as well get to at least get to know his niece's face.
She was a beautiful girl. Even the memory that she was his niece did not deter that thought. Her eyes were quite beautiful, being the same color blue as the sky when the moon has just risen over the eastern horizon at night. Her hair was the same color as Yuki's, silver and long, hanging to her waist in long, straight strands. She was well formed in face and body, which only made Yuki more protective of her, especially around Shigure. Her skin had a pale olive complexion and her dark eyes were slightly narrowed naturally. Her body had a natural grace about it.
"So, you are the child of my brother," Yuki thought aloud. Sakura looked at him in surprise.
"He's your brother?" Sakura asked. Yuki nodded silently. "Then that would make you my uncle." Yuki thought for a moment. Yes, he would be an uncle to her. Somehow, that sounded so wrong and yet, so right. She was his age, and he was her uncle.
Slowly, Ayame came around and awoke murmuring a name: Rei. Sakura quickly explained that was her mother's name, and before long, Ayame was fully awake, looking at Sakura in surprise.
"You are Rei's daughter?" he asked quietly.
"Yes."
"Morikawa Rei?"
"Yes."
"You beautiful, wonderful child!" Ayame cried out joyfully, sitting up and hugging her tightly. Yuki waited patiently for the little cloud to come up, but there was no snake. There was no transformation.
She now was beyond a doubt one of the Sohma line.
"What is this?"
The joyful reunion was still instantly as Ayame hurriedly got to his feet. Akito, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, stood in the doorway, staring angrily at the newcomer and at the two brothers that stood protectively by her.
"Akito," Ayame said, his voice reverent. "I am sorry. Let me introduce to you, my daughter, Morikawa Sakura." Akito's eyes fell on Sakura and he drank in her sight as she bowed low before him.
"'I see." With that, Akito was gone. Yuki felt his fists clench against his will; there was something in Akito's eyes that made him angry. What had that emotion been? Yuki had never seen it in Akito before, and he was worried because of it.
"Oh, Tohru-kun, could you find a room for Sakura-chan?" Ayame asked, seeming to have not noticed the look in Akito's eyes. "Sakura, what other baggage do you have with you?" Sakura blinked openly at him and patted the backpack on her back.
"Only this. I had to sell Mom's stuff to get a ticket this far," Sakura answered. "There was one thing that I did save for you." She flipped the backpack onto the ground and dug into the pack, which seemed to be mostly filled with food and clothing. Suddenly, she pulled out a wooden object, which Yuki suddenly recognized as a cobra, ready to strike. "Mother said she started it after you left, and she thought you might find it comical." Ayame chuckled lightly and took the wooden effigy.
"I think I'll enjoy it," he said. "It's a perfect paper weight!" Yuki watched as Tohru joyfully led the new girl up the stairs to find her a room.
"Ayame, tell me about this Morikawa Rei," Yuki commanded.
"Distant, distant relative of Akito's," Ayame answered cheerfully. "She has Sohma blood."
"And you met her by pure luck?"
"Yep. Pure luck, but it was in Tokyo, which makes it even more lucky."
"And you had a daughter by her?"
Ayame blushed. "It was wrong, I know, but I was going to marry her, but then Akito called me back here, and now, Rei died."
"Sakura's mother died?"
"Supposedly, she was in a hit-and-run accident. I thought I had lost her daughter as well," Ayame murmured, his voice suddenly filled with pain. "No, my daughter. So it was quite a shock to see her again."
"When?"
Ayame blinked for a moment, confused at his question, but guessed at what he meant. "Rei died a few months back."
Yuki caught the slight pain that was slipping into his voice and decided to step off that topic. "Did you see what was in her backpack?"
"She had only the essentials," Ayame answered gravely. "We'll need to get her some stuff. So, how does it feel to be an uncle?"
Yuki nearly let a smile cross his face, but he allowed his eyes to smile widely. "There isn't a difference." Ayame smiled to him and shook his head.
"Just you wait, Yuki, my dearest brother," Ayame said, his voice reprimanding, "you'll find a very large difference, I know. I find a huge difference in being a long-distance father and a near father, and my pocket book has yet to feel a difference. You'll feel the difference before long."
_____________________
All of his joy of having someone new related to him in the household disappeared in a day. His niece that he hoped to find solace in quickly found a fast friend in Tohru, and it aggravated him. He could not find any good reason that it aggravated him, but he found his necessary consolation in his new garden.
And then, he found that his appetite was dropping even more.
He was losing to this unshakable depression.
Days passed, and he fought the depression with all his might, forcing some food into his body, forcing himself to sleep, forcing himself to rise each morning. There was no change, though, in the direction his body was going.
So, he refused to let anyone touch him. If they did, they might see his thin body, and he would not want anyone to worry about him. He could beat this, but he would like to be without anyone watching over his shoulder.
Then it happened: the one event that probably might have saved his life, though he did not know it at the moment. Sakura and Tohru had been running around the Sohma house and Sakura had barreled into him, knocking him over completely.
"Oh, Yuki! I am so sorry Uncle!" Sakura cried, but her voice was distant. Slowly, Yuki sat up. His head had slammed the ground very hard, and now was ringing. She was still sitting on him, staring at her legs that were straddled around his waist. Suddenly, she looked up at him and her eyes were wide with disbelief. She scrambled off of him as he gave her a stern glare and he stomped away, missing the saddened look in her eyes.
He had worked himself into a nice rage when he reached his garden and began to weed the unruly plants that insisted on taking root in his plot. That girl had gotten past his defenses again. She had found out his weakness, with that annoying girl that saddened him with a glance near by. How could he have been knocked over so easily?
"Uncle Yuki?"
Yuki glanced over his shoulder. Sakura stood behind him, holding something. Slowly, he turned his head further and in her hands was the little yellow flower he had found that same day she had shown up. It was wilting already and Yuki felt a little guilty. He had cared for that plant lovingly, but he had now just ripped it from the ground.
He had definitely been in a rage.
"What is it, Sakura-kun?" he murmured, turning his back on her, taking more care on what plants he was pulling out. There was a small sigh behind him and then Sakura was at his side, pulling out weeds that he had not gotten to.
"How much do you eat a day, Uncle?" Sakura asked, her eyes cast upon the plants. Yuki glanced at her and continued his work.
"Enough."
"What do you weigh then?"
Yuki glared at his hands. He could not lie to his niece, but he could not ignore that question. "Usually?"
"Right now."
Darn it. He could not get out of it. "Forty five kilograms," Yuki mumbled. *(107 lbs. If my calculations are correct)*
Sakura did nothing at first and Yuki thought his fears were unfounded. Maybe she would ignore it.
"Uncle Yuki, is that healthy in a man of your height?"
Yuki did not know and he did not care. At the moment, he found the title name now annoying. "Sakura, can I ask you a favor?"
"What?"
"Don't call me Uncle."
That statement may have hurt Sakura, but she did not show it. "Can I ask why?"
"I don't like it. I'd rather not be an uncle to you," Yuki muttered. She was too much of his age to be called her uncle. It made him seem old. Unfortunately, it did hurt Sakura. He could see it in her eyes. "It makes me feel old."
Sakura smiled quietly. "Why are you so thin, Yuki?"
"I am always thin," Yuki shot back.
"Thin in a normal way, yes, but this is just not normal. I can wrap my arms around your waist and my elbows touch. You are wearing baggy clothing; Father said it was unusual of you. You don't speak to many people, and you sleep a lot. You seem devoid of emotions except for anger and fear. You have no interest in anything, and I and Tohru-kun have noticed you are not eating," Sakura answered, her voice tired and strained as if her patience was wearing thin. "Those are obvious signs of depression."
"I can handle it," Yuki snapped.
"No, you cannot. I know you cannot help yourself," Sakura interrupted, her voice now thin and plaintive. "I watched my mother dwindle away and I watched her throw herself in front of a car because of the strains of raising a tomboy on her own. I watched her plead with the driver to keep going, and I watched her pay him to keep him moving. And now that I found my family, I am not going to watch another family member, whether he loves me or not, dwindle away until they disappear beneath the wheels of a car." Throughout her speech, her voice had grown in power until it was commanding, but not louder than a murmur. If she would have said anything else, Yuki was sure he would have lost it. The power in her voice reminded him of Akito too much. She could easily hypnotize people with her voice alone and influence minds easily with the power in her voice.
Yuki glanced at her, not surprised to see that her face was hidden beneath an emotional mask and her bangs. He turned to the plants and pulled a weed out by its roots. "I'm sorry," he murmured.
"It's okay," she answered before she grabbed a small plant and ripped it out of the ground and proceeded to rip the tender leaves apart. "You know, I never told anyone about that before. Not even the lawyer attempting to convict the man whose car my mom killed herself with. Not even my father."
Yuki attempted to smile comfortingly at her pleading look. "I'm glad you told me." And he was. Silence settled down upon them as they continued weeding together.
________________________
So there we go. We have Sakura's past revealed, and I suddenly feel very sorry for her.
Just thought I'd put in a piece of the next chapter. Just a tantalizing taste.
________________________
"Sohma-sama?"
Yuki looked up and smiled at the manager of the hair salon. "Yes?"
"I think I should warn you before Sakura comes in. You might have a heart attack," the manager said, the smile on his face soft.
________________________
Um, nothing to say, nothing to warn about. See y'all later.
Namarie!
~ Kay Kylo
