Forgotten Fruits Chapter 05

A/N: Just wanted to say thanks to R Junkie for the info you gave me when you last reviewed. Because of that, I'll go back and edit Chapter 3 some time and make up something more… uhh…Yuki-ish. XD
Also, I would like to take this time to thank everyone who has reviewed this fic so far. It really means a lot to me, 'cause I'm trying really hard with this fic to make it something interesting and (hopefully) unique. I really appreciate all the nice and supportive reviews you guys have been giving me. ^^ Arigatou! 3

-------------------

Tohru sat up in her bed late that night, surrounded by darkness. She had awoken suddenly for some reason, though she didn't know why. She hadn't been startled, she hadn't heard a sound, she hadn't been woken by anything… she had just awoken. Her eyes had fluttered open calmly, and she had sat up in the darkness.

After a few minutes her eyes became accustomed to the dark and she rubbed them tiredly. They itched with sleepiness yet somehow she was wide awake, not falling back into her slumber. She glanced around her room slowly, taking in her surroundings. Everything was void of light save for the dim streaks of moonlight filtering in through a gap in the curtains on the window above Tohru's bed. Following the beams of light with her eyes, it lead her gaze to a bookshelf on the opposite side of the room and curiously she got out of bed to take a look at the books there. As she neared them, one particular book - it looked green, though Tohru couldn't be sure in the absence of good light - in the middle of one of the higher rows caught her attention. She stood silently before the bookcase and gased at the spine of the book, which was just above her eye level, and scanned slowly over the gold lettering that spelled out the author's name.

Sohma Shigure.

Much more curious now, as Shigure had failed to mention he was a writer, Tohru took the book in her slim fingers and pulled it carefully from between the other books. Once it was in her hands she gazed down at the cover and ran her fingers over it as she turned and headed back towards her bed. There was a lamp on a small table beside her bed that she could read under. She was curious to see how this man she had supposedly lived with for over a year wrote, and what kind of stories he wrote.

She sat down on her large bed, not bothering to get under the covers again as it was quite a hot summer night, and turned the lamp on. When she glanced back down at the book sitting in her lap again, she was surprised to find there was no title. It simple had a solid green cover with the kanji Sohma Shigure printed in shining gold in the center. Tohru couldn't make sense of this. Why wouldn't Shigure's book have a title? Perhaps this was one of those books that had come with a paper jacket, but the jacket had been lost. Still, didn't even those books have the title on the actual cover?

Tohru ran her fingers to the edge of the hard green cover and began to slowly pull it open, but was startled when a voice filled her ears.

"Honda… Tohru-san..?" came the soft voice seemingly from nowhere. Alarmed, Tohru snapped her head upwards and her eyes fell upon a figure sitting on the end of her bed.


"Sh-Shigure-san?" She stammered, heart pounding. The figure's head moved so that its face was in the light from Tohru's bedside lamp, and Tohru discovered that it wasn't Shigure at all. Her heart leapt up to her throat in fright as the strange man smiled at her, his dark hair draping down the sides of his face.

"I am Shigure's cousin. Sohma Akito," he smiled, and a cruel coldness flashed in his eyes as he did so. Tohru, though feeling nervous with this strange new person sitting on the end of her bed, couldn't help but wonder if he was one of the juunishi like Shigure.

"S-s-sumimasen," she apologised quickly, forgetting Shigure's book which still sat in her lap. "I'm pleased to meet you!" She bowed her head respectively and Akito smiled, looking around the room.

"It seems Shigure has been treating you well," He said, ignoring Tohru's politeness. "He's bought you this lovely comfortable bed, given you a room in his house…"

"A-ano," Tohru stuttered. She didn't know what to do; she felt very uncomfortable having this man - supposedly Shigure's cousin - coming and sitting on her bed in the middle of the night, trying to have a conversation with her. She wanted to call out for Shigure, but if she did, what would Akito do? "Hai, he is very kind. A-Akito-san is very lucky to have such a great cousin." She said kindly.

A harshness came to Akito's voice then. "I don't need someone like you telling me whether I'm lucky or not." He growled, and a new bout of fear flooded into Tohru's chest. "You know nothing about me." He got to his feet and slowly began to advance on her, the light from the bedside lamp illuminating his features eerily. "And you know nothing about Shigure. You can never understand our curse…"

"A-Akito-sa--" Tohru began, but was cut off as a pair of icy cold hands wrapped themselves tightly around her throat, restricting her voice. She let out a choked scream.

-------------------

"You've failed me, Shigure. And I thought I could count on you especially."

Shigure's eyes snapped open. "Akito?" He whispered into darkness, sitting up. Suddenly his blood froze in his veins as a scream filled his ears. "Tohru!!" He exclaimed, leaping out of bed. He ran straight to her room, flung the door open and thought he caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure standing beside Tohru's bed, but it was so dark in the room he was sure he imagined it. Frantically his hand groped the wall for a light switch, but after a few moments his clumsy fingers finally found what they were searching for and he flicked the light on before dashing to Tohru. She was tossing and turning in her bed, her face contorted with upset and her arms flailing about.

"Tohru-kun, Tohru-kun!" Shigure said loudly, grabbing her arms gently and ceasing their movement. Tohru continued to struggle for a few moments but then her eyes slowly opened and she stared straight up into Shigure's wide eyes.

"Shi..gure-san?" She murmured, her eyes darting about. "Only Shigure-san?"

"It's only Shigure-san," Shigure sighed, letting go of Tohru's arms and sitting down gently on the edge of her bed. "You were having a nightmare." He explained with relief.

Tohru slowly sat up, and Shigure noticed that her hands went straight to her neck, rubbing the skin. "What's wrong?" He asked curiously.

"I thought I got attacked," Tohru said shakily, rubbing at her neck. "It felt real…" She paused for a few moments and looked at Shigure, whose pyjama sleeves had been pushed up. Her eyes glanced over the bandages tightly wrapped around his forearms and then moved up to his neck. Shigure, noticing her glance, looked back at her worriedly.

"What is it?" He asked quietly.

"Did Shigure-san get attacked also?" She asked, shock prominent in her brown eyes. "Did Akito-san try to strangle you, too?"

Shigure froze. "What did you say?" He asked. "Did you say Akito…?"

"Akito-san, the man who was attacking me in my dream," Tohru replied quickly. "Shigure-san-- I noticed your bruises earlier, but I didn't say anything about them because I thought it was none of my business-- but- but- Akito-san--" she was panicking.

"Tohru-kun, calm down," Shigure said in a reassuring voice. "What did this man in your dream look like? Can you describe him to me?"

"He-- ano--" She stammered, thinking hard. The more she tried to picture his face, the more it faded from her memory. "Ano… I can't… I can't remember…" Tears of frustration began to well up in her eyes. "I can't remember!"

"Daijoubu, daijoubu," Shigure murmured placidly.

"He said his name was Akito-san. That I can remember… but I've never seen him before in my life." Tohru explained, out of breath from her outburst. She wiped at her eyes. "Gomen nasai, Shigure-san…"

"Daijoubu," Shigure repeated, this time with a gentle smile. "It doesn't matter. It was just a nightmare. Not real…"

"But…" Tohru said quietly, "Shigure-san… who did that to you?" She motioned towards the bruises on his neck. Shigure brought a hand up to gently rub at the abrasions, and looked across at the opposite side of the room.

"It doesn't matter, Tohru-kun." He replied, and his voice had a sense of finality in it. Tohru wanted to ask him why, but she knew the conversation was over. Shigure had decided that.

"Ano… Shigure-san?" Tohru said cautiously.

"Hmm?"

"How did my memories get erased?" she asked. "Was it the man who was here earlier?"

There was a long, uncomfortable silence in which Tohru stared straight at Shigure and Shigure stared down at the floor. "Mm," He replied quietly after a few moments. "Hatori. He has the power to erase memories."

"But why me…?"

"Well, you know the secret you learned about me earlier today? About me being cursed?"

"Hai…"

"It was because of that."

Tohru suddenly felt very cold. "But.. but if I had to forget that, then… why am I allowed to know now…?"

Shigure smiled with an amused expression. "You're not."

Whatever thoughts Tohru had in her mind before then suddenly disappeared. She didn't know what to say to that.

"Try to get back to sleep, okay?" Shigure said, changing the subject and looking at the clock on Tohru's bedside table. "It's four o'clock… there's a few more hours of the night left. Try to get some more sleep in, you must be tired." He looked at her and gave a kind and loving smile.

"Hai, Shigure-san…" Tohru slowly wriggled her way back into her warm blankets, then watched as Shigure stood from the bed and tucked the covers gently around her so she would be warm and comfortable. She gazed up at him as he pulled the covers up to her shoulders for her, and caught his glance. He seemed to hesitate about something for a moment, but then he stood up straight and backed away from the bed.

"Goodnight, Tohru-kun," He said lightly as he left the room, switching the light off on his way out. Tohru was plunged into darkness.

Shigure didn't go back to bed. For a long while he sat outside on the veranda, enjoying the feeling of the cool summer night air on his face and thinking deeply as a cigarette hung from his lips. He had a terrible feeling of foreboding creeping up from his stomach and he didn't like it one bit. Something strange was at work here, and he didn't know what. He felt as though he was groping around for something blindly in the dark, and he hated being in the dark. Just what was Akito up to? He had to be up to something. It was all wrong… the way Akito's room had felt so cold and horrible, the way his hands had felt like ice and his grip had been so strong.. and what was with this dream Tohru had?

Shigure thought about the previous day's events, also. Why is it that when Hatori went to erase only some of her memory, the whole lot was lost? This was only the first time it had happened, too, as Hatori had said. What was the meaning of all of this? Did Akito do something?

Shigure decided he didn't want to just think anymore. Throwing his cigarette onto the ground and stamping it out as he got to his feet, he knew he had to do something, for Tohru's safety. For his safety. For the safety of even the others.

He walked inside again and this time went straight to the phone.

-------------------

Hatori was woken in the early hours of the morning by his phone's piercing ring. Grumbling, he pulled himself out of bed and sluggishly went to the phone in his living room, almost dropping it as he picked up the receiver.

"Moshimoshi." He muttered almost inaudibly.

"Ha-san, I sorry to-"

"What the hell are you calling me at this time for?!" Hatori asked angrily, glancing at a clock on the wall. "It's almost half past four!!"

"Ha-san, please, hear me out. I'm sorry I've called so early, but I need a favour."

"Not right now, surely?" Hatori asked in disbelief.

"Well, no, not right now… but later, when it's light. Ha-san, I need you to drive Tohru-kun and I someplace."

There was a long pause. "What?" Hatori asked.

"You heard what I said." came Shigure's quiet voice. He didn't sound sleepy or tired at all. In fact, he sounded wide awake, except he also sounded... depressed. This worried Hatori a little, because it was extremely out of character for his friend.

"I know," He replied, "I'm just not seeing the sense in this. Where do you want to go, Shigure? And why?"

"I want to go away from my house. To a place where no one will find Tohru-kun and I. Well, except you, because you'll be driving us there." Shigure explained.

"Are you drunk?!" Hatori asked suddenly. "What is the meaning of this?" Was he trying to run away with Tohru?

"Something's not right, Ha-san. Something is weird with Akito. I need to take Tohru-kun away for a while, to a place where she can be safe. I'm the only one she has right now. I have to protect her."

"What do you mean, something's not right with Akito?" Hatori asked carefully.

"Ha-san, tell me you've noticed it." Shigure said desperately. "His room is so cold, yet he's not getting sick. His hands, they're like - like icicles, and his strength has suddenly skyrocketed. You saw what he did to me; what he's capable of. He's not usually like that. And…" Shigure's voice trailed of.

"And?" Hatori pressed on. "And what?"

"Tohru-kun had a nightmare about him." Shigure replied gravely.

"So what?" Hatori said. "People can have nightmares about anything."

"But, Ha-san… Tohru-kun hasn't ever met Akito since her memory was erased. She doesn't know who he is. She's never seen him or heard of him. Normally a person can't dream about someone they've never heard of."

Hatori froze on the spot. Shigure was absolutely right.

"I… I thought something weird was going on, but… how can it be…?" Hatori whispered.

"Please, Ha-san. Take us away somewhere. I need some time to help her get her memories back, and to keep her away from Akito. Whatever happens, he can't find us."

"But where do you want to go? Where is there that you can stay that Akito doesn't know about?" Hatori asked, wondering.

"Your cabin." Shigure replied stiffly.

There was a long pause as Hatori forgot how to speak. Then finally he managed to stammer, "What?! How did you know about my cabin? I've told nobody about that."

"There are lots of things I know about." Shigure said simply. Hatori scowled at the phone.

"You're devious, Shigure."

"I know." He sounded almost proud. "So can we use it?"

Hatori sighed exasperatedly. "Fine. I'll come and pick you up later. But keep in mind I'm only doing this because it's for Tohru-kun's benefit."

"Arigatou, Ha-san. You can come and get us at around nine."

"That's quite early. You won't have much time to pack things…"

"I'm going to do all the packing now."

"You're nuts."

"I'll see you later, Ha-san." There was a click and Hatori knew Shigure had already hung up. He sighed once again, dropped the receiver back onto the telephone and, shaking his head, retreated to his bed.

-------------------

Shigure decided he would pack his own things first, that way it would give Tohru a chance to go back to sleep and he could sneak into her room later to pack things without her knowing. He would rather her not know about the sudden trip they were about to make and that he was packing; she needed to rest and he knew that if he told her about all of this she would make a fuss and want to help pack.

So pack he did. He found two large suitcases that he hadn't used in years and began to throw some of his things into one. He grabbed some clothes, shoes, a few books, neccessities such as tooth brushes and the like, and of course his writing journal that he always jotted down short stories, poetry and ideas in. Despite the fact that something serious was going on (he knew not what it was though), he could never leave his writing journal behind. Sad as it was, he practically lived for that thing. It brought him peace and solace when he needed it most; it gave him a passtime when he was bored; it gave him an outlet when he was depressed. It was a very important possession to him and he valued it greatly.

He didn't bother to pack things like towels and flannels and soap - he knew Hatori's cabin already had all of those things, including beds with comfortable blankets and pillows with soft pillowcases. He also knew that Hatori visited his cabin regularly, so it would more than likely have a full fridge. As he wandered about, deciding what to and what not to pack, a smirk found its way onto Shigure's face when he remembered Hatori's reaction to him knowing about the cabin.

The truth was, one day while Shigure had been in a particularly sneaky and playful mood, he had called Ayame. For a while they had been wondering where he would disappear to suddenly every now and then after the incident with Kana, and after secretly following him they had discovered he had his very own cabin. He had probably spent a lot of time there in secret with Kana, which is why he never told anybody about it.

Shigure felt a little bad at taking his friend's private place, but if Hatori had really minded he would have objected to taking him and Tohru. With that thought he finished packing his things and headed off into Tohru's room, hauling a suitcase with him, to pack things for her.

It had been about an hour since Tohru's nightmare. When Shigure quietly walked into the room he was happy to see she was sleeping soundly and peacefully. She was still, not tossing and turning like before, and looked very content. A smile emerged on Shigure's lips.

Despite how often he threw Tohru perverted comments which always got him in trouble with Yuki and Kyou, Shigure couldn't help but feel a little guilty as he went through her drawers. Anyone who knew him would have thought he'd be delighted at the chance to go through a girl's room, but he had a niggling in his chest that told him this was very wrong. He had to pack for her though, so this had to be done, and done maturely.

…Or not.

Shigure found himself only choosing to pack the clothes that he thought Tohru would look the cutest in, and grinning mischievously as he did so. He was just holding up an adorable spaghetti-strap top to the moonlight when he heard...

"Ano… Shigure-san?"

The man nearly died of a heart attack. He spun around quickly and stared at Tohru with wide eyes. He looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Tohru-kun!" He quickly said, throwing the top into the suitcase and hoping she hadn't seen him studying it so closely. "You're meant to be sleeping." He gave the most innocent smile he could muster, which, in the end turned out looking the exact opposite of innocent.

"I heard you rummaging around…" Tohru said cautiously, staring at him in suspicion. "What are you doing, Shigure-san?"

"Well… that is…" He sighed. "I'm packing things for you, Tohru-kun."

"Huh? Why?" She asked naively.

"We're going to go somewhere later on. But please, rest for now. I can pack these things for you myself."

"What? Where are we going? And let me help you--" She climbed out of bed.

"Iie, Tohru-kun. I've got it--"

"But, Shigure-san should worry about his own things--"

"I've already packed mine."

"I don't want to be a burden on Shigure-san--"

"You're not being a burden, Tohru-kun."

"But--"

"Tohru-kun!!" Shigure bellowed, making the young girl jump and freeze on the spot in the middle of the bedroom. She stared at him with wide, unsure eyes. Shigure smiled matter-of-factly. "Go back to sleep."

She hesitated.

"Go back to sleep, Tohru-kun…" Shigure left the suitcase where it was for now and walked towards her, placing his hands gently on her shoulders, whirling her around and leading her over to her bed.

"But, Shigure-san-- I'm confu-"

"I'll explain it all later. But you need your rest."

Tohru forced herself to stop and quickly turned around to face Shigure. She was sandwiched between the taller man and the bed. "Shigure-san needs rest too, if we're going somewhere!" She exclaimed, staring up at him with detirmination.

Shigure paused for a moment and was going to retort when he quickly stopped himself, seeing what she was doing. "Ohh, no. You're not going to turn this situation around. Go to sleep." He persisted, though an amused smile was on his face now.

Tohru frowned and turned to face the bed again, visibly drooping. Shigure looked at her curiously. She didn't seem to be moving.

"Hey--"

All of a sudden Tohru grabbed the pillow off her bed, whirled around and whapped Shigure right in the face with it, giving him a mouthful of pillow. He let out a muffled cry as it hit and stumbled backwards. Tohru giggled playfully and swung the pillow again, as Shigure cried "Waaaah, watch out for my arms!", but this time he was quick and managed to throw his hands up to grab it before it could hit him properly.

"Ahh!" Tohru squealed as Shigure began to pull on it, laughing.

"You should be more careful around an injured man!!" Shigure chuckled, though he hadn't been hurt by her or the pillow at all. He began to pull even harder on the pillow, trying to free it from Tohru's grasp. He was much stronger than her and she found herself being tugged forward by the older man, no matter how hard she tried to snatch her pillow back.

"I've got you now--" Shigure began, but all of a sudden Tohru lost her footing and fell forward, smacking into him. With a yell they tumbled to the floor in a giggling heap and landed with a loud thud on the wood. "Owww…" Shigure winced. He opened his eyes to find Tohru lying half on and half off him; she had fallen right onto his chest. He braced himself for transformation but none came. Tohru stared at him. "Why haven't I transformed?" He asked in confusion, blinking.

"I don't kno-- oh!" Tohru looked down at the pillow that was between them, still laughing a bit. "Maybe it's because of this. And since I'm not actually hugging you, I'm just lying on you, it probably--" she suddenly stopped and blushed as she realised she was lying right on Shigure's chest.

Shigure stared up into Tohru's wide eyes and shifted uncomfortably as he realised how close they actually were. His heart skipped a few beats inside his chest and the two of them lay there in shocked silence for a few moments. Finally Tohru sat up hastily, stammering "S-sumimasen!!" nervously. Shigure slowly sat up once she was off him, giving an embarrassed smile. He rubbed at his sore back gingerly.

"Oh no! Is Shigure-san hurt??" Tohru asked, her voice filled with worry. Shigure gave another smile and waved her comment off.

"Iie, I'm okay." He assured her, and she smiled. Silence filled the room for a few moments but then Shigure snatched up the pillow in his lap. Laughing, he flung it at Tohru, who fell backwards in laughter.

-------------------

A/N: Aww. ^^; I wanted to put a bit of lightheartedness into this chapter since there hasn't been much of it in this fic so far.