HK's notes: I finished this chapter in one day. Nothing really happens in this chap tho, coz it's just a chap that explains some things. I hope it's not too confusing! Happy reading^^
Thank you once again, Sleeping Tiger!^^ Thank you thank you thank you for reading my fic!^^ Yes, you're right! It's "The Singing Bone"! Smartness!^^ Dun worry, you shall have a place in my fic, your cookie will soon come as well!^^ Thank you to Lito chan and to other reviews... if there are anymore new ones... I haven't check O_O
P.S. Mah dear Haru comes out in this chap^^ kekeke XD
Don't forget to review! thxthx^^ It's what keeps me going! *nods head furiously* I hope others will like my fic... even though not a lot of people are willing to read... sigh...



~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~ Part.3 Strawberries, Cookies, and a Lost Cow ~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~



It was a beautiful day and the sun was shining its glistening rays over the grassy hills. The birds were chirping their little tunes to each other as if to comment one another on how lovely the day was. A little boy slowly makes his way up a tall hill towards a little sanctuary where he had found the day before by a cliff. He was only 10 years old. The place where he claims his sanctuary is only a piece of unused land where he works on it for his own leisure. He plants all sorts of vegetables but he especially likes planting strawberries and leeks. They were his favourite planting choice. It wasn't that he likes to eat them but rather, he just liked planting them. His little garden overlooks a cliff at the side of the tall hill. It wasn't the type of cliff that falls into deep gourges but it is one of those that if you fall into it, you'll still get hurt type. When the boy finally reaches his garden he saw a strange sight: a little girl in a very pretty dress leaning dangerously over the side of the cliff.

" What are you doing over there? It's dangerous, come back over here! "

" I-I can't, my-my foot, it's stuck! "

" Hold on, don't move. I'll come and get you! "

The little boy quickly makes his way over to where the panicking little girl is and surveys what situation the little girl has gotten herself into. She had more than half of her upper part of her body hanging over the side of the clift, leaning dangerously down. The rest of her lower body was sprawled out on the grass. Her left foot was caught in a hook made by the root surfaced from the ground of a nearby tree. He got down on his knees and using his work knife, he worked quickly to free the little girl's left foot from the root before she loses balance and slides off the side of the cliff. Suddenly, the sound of crumbling dirt alarmed him and he worked even more furiously to try to free the girl's foot.

' Only a little bit more... just a little bit more... ' he thought as he worked even more harder to dig his knife into the root, but not too hard or else he might cut into the delicate skin of the girl's foot. Suddenly, the root finally gave way to the force of his knife and he saw the girl sliding forward, screaming.

" AHHHHHHHH~~~~ "

Before the girl could slide off any further, the boy quickly grabbed onto her and pulled the girl up with all his might. After much screaming, pulling, and tugging the girl was finally on the safety of the grass. She was still in hysterics, and he was panting heavily.

" Why... why were you... over there... by the cliff... Didn't... didn't you know it's dangerous? "

The girl gradually got out of her panic state and answered him, " I... I only wanted to pick a flower... "

" Are you crazy? Doing that dangerous act just to get a single flower? "

" The flower is... for my mother... "

" ...

...Do you really need that flower? "

The little girl smiled at him and nodded profusely.

... ... ...

" ... So, why is the flower so important, can you tell me? "

" My mother's birthday is today. I once heard her said that she values a flower of which grows only here. So, I came for the flower to bring back as a gift for her birthday. Do you find me foolish? "

" ... Quite. I find you quite foolish. Yet, I also find you a very nice young lady. "

*blush* " ... Why, thank you, kind sir. ... May I ask you why you happened here when you did and saved me from that fall? "

" Ah~ You see over there a little garden? I planted it. I was planning to come and work on it today when I chanced upon your tragedy. "

" And for that, I once again must thank you. If it wasn't for you, I'd probably been dead. But, a garden? What did you plant in it? May I see? "

" Yes, if you wish.

...I've planted lots of things in here. Carrots... tomatoes... lettuce... leeks... strawberries... "

" Strawberries?! I love strawberries! "

" If you love strawberries, then you may take some as you like. Here, " said the boy as he handed her some strawberries to taste.

" Oh, thank you very much! Doumo arigatougozaimasu!" She said as she cupped the strawberries tenderly given to her.

" Thank you, kind sir! Ah, that reminds me, what is your name? "

" Yuki. Sohma Yuki. "

" Watashi ha Touru desu. You can call me Tohru! " Exclaims the girl happily.



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" Yu~~ki~~ ku~~n! "

" Tohru san! You came. "

" Here you are. " Said the girl cheerfully as she handed the boy something.

" What is this, Tohru san? "

" Open it and see! "

The boy called Yuki gently opened the package given to him by the girl and found cookies underneath the packaging.

" Cookies? Did you bake again, Tohru san? "

Tohru beamed at Yuki and bobbed her head up and down. Her soft, brown hair waving in the gentle movement made by her head.

" Thank you, Tohru san. I really like your baking very much. "

" That's why I made them! "

Yuki gently smiled at her and led her to sit down in the shade of the tall trees surrounding his little garden.

" It's been great with you coming here, Tohru san. I haven't felt as alone as I once had before I've met you. Thank you for keeping me company for the past weeks. "

Tohru adverted her eyes from Yuki before he could see the redness that had slowly crept up her neck and into her face. She began to study a closeby flower. It was a very pretty flower. One with white petals with a purple hue, and its center a royal purple.

While the girl stared at the flower that Yuki had planted in his garden, he in turn stared at the girl and studied her. Even though he was just a 10 year old boy, he couldn't help but noticing how fair the girl beside him was. She made him have a strong feeling of protecting her. Yet, somehow he could feel that the girl was hiding something from him. The girl only told him she was called Tohru and nothing else, not even her family name.

' Why does she not tell me her full name? What is it that she's trying to hide from me? '

" Prin...... ......ru! ......cess...... Toh......! "

" It seems like someone's looking for something, Tohru san. ... What's wrong? " Yuki asked Tohru when he saw her face paled slightly.

" ...Yuki kun... I think, I should be going now. " Said Tohru as she got up from where she was just peacefully sitting and started walking very quickly to the opposite direction of the calling voice.

" Tohru san? "

The girl turned around and looked at Yuki for a moment.

" I hope... I hope we will meet again, Yuki kun, " and she ran running into the cool, shady forest.

" Tohru... "

" Princess Tohru! Wait! Please don't go! "

' Princess Tohru? ' Thought Yuki as he turned towards the man that cried out the name a second ago. The man was wearing the tunic and the pants that only servants in the palace wore.

The man completely ignored Yuki and ran after Tohru into the forest, calling ' Princess Tohru ' all the time he ran.



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Yuki wakes up from his dream and sits up on his bed in the palace's dungeon cell. He had not thought about 'Princess Tohru' for quite some time now. Since that summer day at his garden, he hadn't seen Tohru at all. He figured that fooling a commoner boy like him was a fun thing for a Princess to do. Natually, he became angry and shut off the memories of the lovely afternoons that he had spent with the little Tohru. Only when he read the notice in the village that these memories resurfaced once again.

"Why, Tohru san? Why did you not tell me?"



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In the courtyard of the palace.

"Look who finally came back! Haru!"

The young man called Haru glances over to the guards that called him and nods his head in recognition.

"Is the captain with you, Haru?"

"No. I didn't see him."

"That's odd. Usually, he'll be the one that finds you. But this time after he left to find you, we haven't seen both of you since. Now that you've come back, where could he be?"

" ... "

"Well now, if it isn't our famous soldier, Sohma HatsuHaru, that has come back from his travels. How are you, my man?"

Everyone in the courtyard kneels before King Uo and cries, "your Majesty."

"Yes, yes, you may all rise.
So, Haru, where have you been?"

"I have lost track of the troop when we were still in the forest. I heard my captain went looking for me but I have not met him during my way back here. I figure that he might have come back already but I see that I am mistaken, your Majesty."

"Yes, our best captain has not yet return to us. Say, Haru, since you have travelled throughout the forest, do you know the area well?"

"I believe so, my Lord."

"Then, will you help me with my plan?"

"Of course, my Lord."

"Very well, come with me to the main court."



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"Bring the prisoner, Sohma Yuki, in here and also lead the other man, Sohma Akito, here as well."

"Yes, your Majesty."

... ...

"Your Majesty, Sohma Akito and the prisoner Sohma Yuki has been brought forth."

"Now, the time has come when both of you will start on your quest. Have you any last requests?"

"No, your Majesty."

"No, my Lord."

"Very well, I will assign each of you an experienced soldier towards the forest. Both of them have been to the forest and back so they should know the area well. Bring forth Sohma HatsuHaru and Sohma Ritsu."

"Sohma HatsuHaru here, your Majesty."

"Sohma Ritsu here, your Majesty."

"Sohma Ritsu, you shall be the escort for Sohma Akito's party and Sohma HatsuHaru, you shall be the escort for Sohma Yuki. Your quest begins now, I bid you both good luck."
' Even though Haru is an experienced soldier, his chances of getting lost is extremely high. So, if I send Ritsu with Sohma Akito, at least his chances of getting rid of the boar will be higher. Kekekeke~ I'm such a smart King!^^ '



To be cont...



HK's little glossary of random jap words:
'Watashi ha ____ desu. ' = set phrase for introducing yourself; basically saying: 'I am ____ .'