Chapter II: A Boy's Uniform

"You shouldn't be up," Hatori scolded. "Your weak right now, mentally and physically." She moaned and opened her eyes. It was just Hatori in her room, he seemed to notice her stare. "I sent them all out, they were quite disturbing." She nodded. He hesitated. "Ehm, if you feel like talking just give me a call or drop by, the same goes for Shigure, Yuki and Kyo, they may seem a bit dense, but they deeply care for you" he paused, "I should go now, I've given Shigure instructions how to help you, so don't worry. Take care and eat!" He closed his bag. She said "bye" weakly and he left.

Lying there in the dark was appalling. It had been so dark there... She closed her eyes and bad memories came back.

Everything was so dark, she couldn't see anything, they had blindfolded her so she wouldn't be able to recognize them later. They were in a car now, she assumed she was in the backseat, she knew there was a person sitting beside her.

"Please, I-I don't have anything! I work as a cleaning lady and there isn't much money... I don't know how you look like so there isn't anything to worry about," she tried hard to sound 'normal'. Nobody answered. She wanted to cry, but still she wanted to stay brave. "Please, give me an answer!" Nothing. She couldn't take it anymore, it all came out, the tears, the terrible trembling, moans escaping from her lips. Would they hurt her... perhaps they would even rape her? "Aaaa, PLEASE!" she shouted.

"Shut up!" someone shouted. Finally a response, not the one she had been hoping for though.

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!" she cried, "HEEEEEEEEEEEELP, SOMEONE!" she shouted. Someone slapped her hard and put something over her mouth, covering it so she couldn't speak.

"She's so annoying!!!" someone whined. "This girl, she should be thankful that we are wasting our time on her! Let me hurt her, just a bit..."

"Idiot, she can't speak now, there is no point in hurting her," someone else answered. She blocked out all sounds, she didn't want to hear it, she wanted to go home... Please, would someone save her...

She blinked away unwelcoming tears. She never realized how weak she was. The only thing she'd been able to was to listen to the nothingness and the nonsense they sometimes spit out, although then it had not been nonsense to her, it had been sometime great, something terrifying, and she had done nothing because she was weak.

If, no, she didn't want to think about the word if. It had all been done with, she couldn't enter the past, if she had been able to she would had done it a long time ago when her Mother had been alive... She shook her head. Don't think about such things, they are impossible, no point dwelling in the past... Although she couldn't help it at certain times...

All she wanted to now was to be strong, to be able to defend her herself. Even though she didn't want to think about if she did, she thought about it a lot, she couldn't help it!

Surely Yuki or Kyo had been able to defend themselves there, both Yuki and Kyo were good with words and great fighters (although Kyo's anger often clouded his shrewdness.)

Ah, your such a fool, Tohru, she thought to herself. She had always been a fool.

She started fiddling with her hands, there was no way she could sleep, not with all the danger that was around. Besides she wasn't even tired.

Tohru touched her face, following something, something she had gotten back there... A scar. It would always remind her of this, it would always make sure she never forgot.

It was so quiet... She then heard mumbles from outside. She focused on the sound.

"Be quiet, she needs to rest," it sounded like Shigure.

"Idiot! She has been sleeping all the time! How can she be tired? She's probably hungry!" Kyo hissed.

"I hate to do this, but I have to agree with the baka neko," Yuki said.

"Hmm, you two are getting brighter everyday! You surprise me, but I guess everyone grows up at some point, even you two!" Shigure joked.

Tohru smiled to herself, it helped her to hear them, more then she knew. She was home.

**¤**

Yuki looked at the empty seat. It was Tohru's seat... His good grades had been sinking lately, not much though. In school he couldn't concentrate as well as he used to. He always thought about her. What was she doing? Had she eaten anything? He prayed her mind would heal fast.

Tohru would probably have to do this year over again, he felt sad about this, both for her sake and his, he had wanted to be together with her. There was nothing he could do though, she had missed to much even though it wasn't her own fault.

"Souma Yuki, are you listening?" the teacher asked.

"Wha- yes, what is it?" The teacher sighed.

"Do I really need to ask? I've already said it three times!" The teacher looked forgiving though. She liked Yuki, all teachers liked him. "It must be something really important on your mind since you are one of my best students, I'll give the answer to someone else... Hmm, how about Minako?" He sighed in relief.

He sensed someone glaring at him. He turned around, hmph, that stupid neko. Kyo turned away his head which surprised Yuki, maybe he wasn't up for a staring contest today.

**¤**

That shitty scum, taking advantage of everyone, damn him! The teachers, everyone fell for it, Kyo thought angry.

He turned his focus outside when that idiot looked back at him.

Somehow the view calmed him down, such a lovely day, the sky looked just wonderful, this was a day to be out and enjoying the sun. She was probably inside, her curtains down, everything pitch black like it had been since she came back. He gulped, damn, damn, damn! Damn everything! This wasn't suppose to happen!

Yesterday she had scared the hell out of him, he had just wanted to take her in his arms, dry her tears and say that he would never leave her again. He blushed at his thoughts, how corny was that.

**¤**

"Shigure san," Tohru mumbled, it still hurt to speak

"Tohru! Your up, how lovely, you look great!" She smiled, she knew she looked awful.

"I... I need to tell you something! Please hear me out." He put his hands under his chin and looked at her. "I want to change school, to be honest I want a new start at a new place..."

"But nothing bad happened in school right? The kidnapping didn't even-" Tohru raised her hand to draw his attention.

"I know, but I don't think I can face everyone again. I begged all of you not to tell anything to Hanajima and Uotani, I don't think I could face them again..." Tohru had pleaded with Yuki to say that she was on vacation with her grandfather, he could say that they wanted to spend time together, and that was what he had done. They hadn't called or dropped by, meaning they believed it.

Shigure looked worried.

"If that's what you want... I don't have any objections against it, I think that Yuki and Kyo will miss you though."

"Thank you! I have already informed Grandfather that I want to change school, he thinks that it's fine if that's what I want." Grandfather didn't know the whole story though, he had known she'd been kidnapped but that was all, he thought that she had walked out of it unharmed. They had talked on the phone, he had wanted to come over but she had told him no, she wanted to be alone.

"All right." She fiddled with her fingers again and took a deep breath.

"There is also another thing..." she whispered, almost embarrassed. Shigure nodded to show her to go on. "I'm going to wear the boy's uniform..." She touched her scar while talking, unaware that she was doing it. "I will get it tomorrow and start school next week."

Shigure scratched his chin thoughtful.

"The school is letting you wear it? I mean, you're a girl, it's against the rules..." Tohru fixed her stare at the floor.

"They... don't know I'm a... girl..." Shigure jerked up is head in surprise.

"What-"

"Please! Just for awhile, just let me do this for a little while!" Shigure was anxious about this, but it looked like Tohru would burst into tears, he couldn't say no to her.

"Ah, fine, for awhile..." She smiled weakly.

"Thank you."

**¤**

"Hey!" Uotani Arisa called. Yuki turned around.

"Yes?"

"You know when Tohru kun is coming back? It's been kinda long you know, we're starting to get worried!" she gestured with her hands towards Hanajima.

"Honda san will inform us when she does, I have no idea myself." Uotani grunted a bit.

Because this was the last lesson everyone was passing by, an orange haired boy could easily be seen in the crowd.

"Hey, carrot top! You have any idea when Tohru is coming back?" Kyo stopped, irritation seen in his face.

"No, yankee, I have no idea."

"Tsk, she should at least have called!" An idea was forming in Yuki's head.

"She did, she called two days ago."

"NANI?! Why didn't you say so in the beginning?" she pointed at him accusing. Yuki sighed, he just wanted to go home.

"You asked for the day she was coming back, she didn't tell, she just said everything was fine and she was having a great time." Lies, they came so easy. If only what he had said had been true.

"Keh, fine. But as soon as you find out tell us!" Yuki sighed and nodded. Tohru's closets friends walked away unaware of the truth.

"Hmph, seems you have no problem lying to people."

"You rather tell them the truth, thus hurting Honda san?" Kyo turned his head, his hair covering the view of his eyes.

"Keh, whatever, I'm going home." Kyo walked with furious steps away.

"So am I."

"Then walk behind me!" he hissed.

"That was what I thought in the beginning, he said, walking behind Kyo, "for who would want to walk beside you?" Kyo stopped and turned around.

"Aaaaaa! Stop annoying me kuso nezumi!" he went into his fighting stance. Oh, the cat wanted to fight?

"Not today, baka neko, I have other worries," he said and passed the raging boy. Kyo started to yell, but he wasn't listening. He saw Tohru's face in front of him, smiling. He then came up with an idea, he would buy her a present, he knew exactly what to get.