I have currently three stories running o.O but since some people like this I'll see if I can make some time for this. It will probably take awhile though till I write a fifth chapter.
Thank you so much for those who have reviewed. You have made me extremely happy.
Chapter IV: A New Name
A new day, a new start, morning was finally here. Kyo yawned and put his arms under his head. It wasn't a school day today, he could stay as long as he wanted in bed, but he was a morning person unlike Yuki. Strangely he didn't go up, he couldn't help reflecting yesterday. Tohru had tried so hard, he had tried to take it easy on her. He wasn't sure how serious Tohru was about this; perhaps she would tire after some time?
He jumped up and landed gracefully on his feet. Time for some morning exercise. He walked downstairs and found Tohru there.
"Good morning!" she said.
"Eh, morning, shouldn't you be resting?"
She glanced away, he thought he saw irritation in her face, he must have been mistaken.
"You are up, I don't see why I should still be in bed, also I thought it was time for our morning exercise." He was stunned; she wanted to do morning exercise?
"Uhm, that's fine by me, just make sure you can keep up with me..." he muttered.
"I will." He looked sadly at her face, her scar was the first thing you noticed about her. The times he thought of her he always forgot about it, and when you saw her you couldn't help being shocked. He saw her touching it and he became angry with himself, she must have noticed him staring at it. He sighed with sorrow in his heart. Why wouldn't she tell them what had happened there? The police wouldn't tell either since Tohru had told them not to. The police were just satisfied that they had caught the kidnappers and there were tons of evidence that they were guilty so they were all in jail. They left it to Tohru to tell them.
He walked slowly to her and sat down across from her. "You don't have to keep it all locked inside you," he mumbled to the floor.
"Huh?" she said. Give me courage, he said to himself and looked into her eyes.
"You don't have to keep it all locked inside you," he repeated.
She bit her lip and nervously touched her scar again. "W-what do you mean?" he could trace fear in her voice. He reached for her hand and then pulled back, regretting what he was about to do.
"You can tell me, what happened? How did you get that scar?" he finally decided to cross his arms since he didn't know what to do with them. She touched the scar a third time.
"I can't..." her voice thick with tears. "I just can't..."
He swallowed. He wished he could hug her, he wished it so badly that he could embrace her.
This time without hesitation he reached for both her hands and held them. Tohru gulped. "Please, don't make me say it..." This time he gulped as well. He wished those bastards who had done this were dead, no he didn't wish they were dead, he wished them eternal suffering. Hundredth times more suffering than Tohru felt now, no thousand, no, a million times more.
"Fine, I guess you're not ready, but it's not good to keep it inside, trust me I know... You can talk to me anytime, I- I won't get mad at you, I've been a real idiot..." he stammered. She was silent and it seemed she didn't dare to look at him.
"Honda san, what is going on?" Yuki said. Kyo grunted, stupid, stupid mouse!!
She pulled back, he was disappointed by this. "N-nothing... Kyo was just being kind..."
"Oh," Yuki said. "By the way..." he hesitated, "if you feel like talking I will always be there for you..."
She smiled at this. "Thank you, Yuki kun and Kyo kun are so nice..."
Kyo was angered by this. What did she mean by that they were so nice!? They were not nice! She was the nice one... They were just... idiots... All they did was watching her being in pain... is that was nice people do?
"I'm going outside to train," Kyo muttered.
"Me to," Tohru said.
**¤**
Yuki looked with sorrow at Tohru while she did some kicks in the air. Why had she asked Kyo to train her? He could fight as well, he was even better than Kyo. 'Because,' he answered himself, 'Kyo trains everyday, you don't need to. She probably would have thought that she disturbed you.'
He sighed and turned away from the scene.
Ayame had called him, he said that the dress would be finished tomorrow. That was really surprising, he had thought it would have taken at least one week to do it. Ayame had answered, 'I'll do everything for you, I'll sit up night and day just to finish this quickly. I know how much you care for her...' For the first time in his life Yuki had felt warmed by his brother's word.
**¤**
"Y-Yuki kun, I'm sorry to bother you but I have a request..." Tohru stammered.
He smiled as he looked up. "I don't mind at all, what request do you have?"
She touched her scar nervously. "I'm going out shopping, I'm afraid to go alone..." She had whispered at 'afraid'. "I'm so sorry to ask this... I just don't want to go alone... Will you go with me?" She looked hopefully and fearfully into his eyes.
"Of course, when?"
Why had the fates acted so cruelly towards this girl, this sweet girl who wanted no harm? Life was truly cruel and unfair.
"When you have time, please tell me when you have and we can go then."
"We can go now. What do you want to buy?" He put his book aside and they walked to entrance of the house.
"Clothes," she said as she put on her shoes. "I can't wear these forever," she said with a false laugh. She was wearing that awfully large T-shirt and those baggy shorts which she had used for the last days.
"Huh? But you have plenty of other clothes, why not change into them?" he looked at her with wonder, what did she mean by this?
She opened the door and stepped outside, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. "No, I don't," she said softly.
"What do you mean, Honda san?"
"I mean... I've given them away. I don't own any clothes except this," she gestured to the clothes she was now wearing.
They started walking. "Why?"
"Yuki kun can't understand this," she smiled weakly. "Yuki kun is a clever strong boy... the complete opposite from me. I'm so frail..." Where was she getting with this, what did she mean!? "I- I can't make it in this world as this, I must hide... I can't be what I am now," she laughed tiredly. "I'm such a moron, you asked such a simple question and I start babbling about stupid things..." she sighed. "I won't ever wear girl clothing again, you know such things as I used to... Skirts, dresses, you get it."
He stopped walking and gasped slightly. "Is something wrong?" she turned around and looked worriedly at him.
He gave her a quick smile and started walking again. What had he done? That present of his... YOU FOOL! he screamed at himself. Somehow this made him want to cry... His present which he had thought was perfect... How he had longed to see her true smile, her angel smile... He had been certain she would show it to him again when she saw his present... His stupid present!
"Yuki kun is something on your mind?"
"N- no, sorry, I just thought about something..."
"Oh... OK."
He even felt sorry for his brother... His brother who had went through all that, staying up late to finish it...
"This store looks good, let's go to the boy section, shall we?"
He nodded distracted by his thoughts.
"You don't have to do this," he said.
"Huh?" she said, looking nervously around. "Do what?" she asked carefully.
"This!" he waved with his arms to all the clothes. "Why must you act like a boy? This..." he took a deep breath, "this won't happen again... I'll be with you, I'll show you how beautiful the world can be... You have forgotten the beauty because you have only seen the atrocious parts lately..." He looked at her full with affection. "It is not your fault... I wish I could trade places with you but it can't be done..." he gulped. "I miss... the old you."
She was silent. "Don't," she whispered. "Stop caring for me so much! I'm not worth it, you should start thinking about yourself for a change."
"M-myself? I can say the same about you," he said quietly.
"I am thinking about myself. What do you think I'm doing here? This is the way I take care of myself."
He looked at her wearily. Maybe she just wasn't ready yet, he should give her more time, jeez, it had not been that long since she was rescued. He had really rushed her, and for what? A stupid dress.
**¤**
Tohru looked at the two boys who were seated in front of her. How would they take this?
"I've changed school."
They looked shocked at her. "Why?" Yuki was the first to speak.
"I wanted a change."
"That's bullshit! You are afraid to see that yankee and the denpa girl again!" Kyo burst out, he looked at her shocked afterwards. "I- I didn't mean it."
Tohru turned her head, her hair covering her eyes. "You can tell me the truth, I don't mind it. You are right, Kyo kun... I can't see them again."
"If that is what Honda san wants it is what we want," Yuki said gently.
She smiled to him. "Thanks."
"I'm very sad though that I want see you at school anymore, I guess it can't be helped though."
She nodded ashamed.
"What do you want us to tell them?" Kyo muttered. "You can't be away with your gramps forever."
"I know, I'm sorry that I made the two of you lie. I will call them and tell them that I've moved to another city."
"That's absurd!" Kyo said. "What if you see them again? Perhaps you run into them in a store or something, it will probably happen..."
"Jeez, baka neko, can't you be gentler?"
"Shut up!"
"Kyo kun is right about this as well. I don't think they will recognize me. I look... different." Everything about her was changed... True she did not seem as Honda Tohru the happy girl anymore but a young boy with a dreary look.
"Is this really what you want?" Yuki asked. "You can just come back to our school, Hanajima and Uotani will miss you so much, they will understand and help you through this."
"This is what I want. I never want to see Hana chan and Uo chan again..."
The two boys looked at her disturbed.
**¤**
Tohru caressed one of her uniforms she had gotten yesterday (she had gotten two uniforms). It was a pair of blue pants, a white shirt, a red tie and a blue jacket. How lovely this uniform, it covered almost the whole body. She couldn't believe she had worn that awfully short skirt in her old school, she shuddered at the thought of it. She had gotten rid of it as well.
Perhaps she should try it on? She took of her clothes. It was new clothes that she had gotten today, it was a big green sweatshirt and green loose pants. She put on her new uniform.
She looked at herself in the mirror when she was finished. Was that really her? That boy who looked like he carried all the weights of the world on his shoulders? Yes! Yes, she was him!
She smiled at herself in the mirror.
She was now Kyoko Kazuya.