Chapter Five: The Lone Cat
The next morning Tohru woke up bright and early. She dressed in a pale dress with a white apron. She tied back her long brown hair with a white ribbon. Before she entered Kagura's room she knocked on the door.
"Come in!" Kagura called in the same cheerful voice.
Tohru entered and found her once again at her dressing table wearing a very fancy pink gown.
"Good morning Kagura" Tohru replied brightly, "I hope you slept well."
"I sure did" Kagura said grinning, "I had a dream about the love of my life last night."
"Oh are you in love with someone?" Tohru asked.
"Yes" Kagura sighed, "I love him more than any girl in this whole wide world."
She held up the picture. He had scowl on his face and his orange hair was as fiery as ever, but Tohru recognized him anyway as the boy she had seen just days ago.
"Is he a Sohma prince too?"
"Unfortunately no" Kagura sighed, "He's a Sohma, but Kyo is an outcast. He's not allowed to be around anyone half the time."
"How dreadful" Tohru thought.
"But I still love him anyway" Kagura replied hugging the photograph, "Tohru would you do my hair for me?"
"Sure. It's my job after all" Tohru grinned.
She pulled Kagura's hair back with a pink hummingbird barrette. She even fluffed out her bangs. When she had finished Kagura gave her another hug.
"Okay, it's time for us to meet the rest of the family" Kagura grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room, "They are probably in the sitting room."
Sure enough when they arrived they saw two other boys and two servants in the room. One Tohru recognized, was the one called Momiji. The other had white and black hair, and a very cool look to him.
"Good morning everybody!" Kagura announced.
"Tohru!" Momiji exclaimed jumping up and running over to her, "What are you doing here?"
"Your majesty" Momiji's servant replied, "You shouldn't be so formal with the help."
Momiji gave his servant a cold stare. He walked back to the other servant and they talked in hushed voices.
"Tohru is my friend. Right Tohru we're friends right?"
"I see you have already met Momiji" Kagura giggled.
"Yes, we met when he and Prince Yuki came to the village" Tohru replied.
"Well then, this is Hatsuharu. Haru this is Tohru Honda, my new Handmaiden."
Hatsuharu walked over and kissed the back of her hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. Momiji has talked about nothing else since he has met you."
"Oh really?" Tohru blushed.
"Kagura" Hatsuharu replied, "We're late for our lessons."
"Okay" Kagura said, "Tohru will you take my laundry down to the basement of the castle. Then hand it to any servant down there, they can handle it."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, don't trouble yourself over such trivial things. I will see you this afternoon. In the meantime, mend the clothes I have in my room. I seemed to have gotten tears into some of my dresses."
"No problem" Tohru bowed.
Kagura, Momiji, and Hatsuharu left the room while the servants remained behind.
"Welcome to the palace" They both replied.
"Thank you" she bowed, "But I must hurry and get my chores done."
With that she too left the room.
"I think she's cute don't you?" One of the servants said to the other.
"She is that. She sure outshines all the old ladies around here."
*****************************************
Tohru walked Kagura's clothes down to the basement as she was directed. She decided to take the shortcut through the kitchens to head back up. The kitchen was a mess. Everywhere servants were running around. A head cook was giving all the orders. Through the midst she spotted Tohru.
"You there girl! Get out of the way!
Tohru immediately jumped out of the way and bumped right into a lower servant. She was wearing a tattered brown dress and was carrying a tray full of food.
"Hanako where are you?" The head cook shouted.
"Oh dear" Hanako sighed, "She needs my help."
"Sounds like you have got quite a lot of work to do?" Tohru replied.
"That we do" Hanako cried, "I have so much work to do and I still have something very important to accomplish."
"How terrible."
"Hanako!!"
"Listen can you do me a favor?" she asked Tohru, " I can see that you are one of the upper servants, but we have so much going on down here, do you think you can take this meal to the upper tower?"
She held out the tray.
"Well I don't know."
"I wouldn't ask if I didn't need the help. You see we have so much keeping us preoccupied with the King's orders today that I haven't had time to deliver it. Can you please help me?"
Tohru looked into the girl's eyes and just didn't have the heart to say no. She nodded slowly and took the tray.
"Oh thank you Miss" Hanako said before she ran off, "I will never forget your kindness."
*****************************
Tohru walked out of the kitchens and up the long staircase. She remembered seeing the tower when Yuki and her had reached the castle. She walked down the hallway where Kagura's room was and saw a flight of stairs at the end of the hall.
"That must lead to the tower" she deduced.
She walked up the winding staircase, careful not to fall and found herself at a large wooden door. She knocked once.
"Come in!" a deep gruff voice answered.
Tohru carefully turned the knob and entered the room.
*******************************
Inside was brightly lit by the one window in the room. There was a bed, a sitting chair, a small table with a chair, and a lamp. By the window sat a boy with fiery orange hair. His deep red eyes flashed as he saw her enter. There was no doubt about it. She had met him before.
"What are you doing here?" he questioned her.
He too had remembered her.
"I have brought you your meal. I know that I am not one of the servants you are used to seeing but they needed the help."
"No that's not what I meant" he scowled, "I mean what are you doing here, in the palace?"
"Oh well, I'm Princess Kagura's new handmaiden."
He snorted.
"Any way I hope you enjoy your meal" she bowed.
"Wait a minute!" he stopped her, "Why did you come here? Don't you know that you were better off where you were?"
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Never mind" he sighed, "So you work for Kagura now huh?"
"Uh huh. And I take it since you know her, you must be Master Kyo."
His head jerked up at that.
"It's just Kyo. Don't call me master. I'm not like those other royal brats. Especially that damn rat Yuki!"
"Oh so you know Prince Yuki" Tohru replied, "He's the one who brought me here. You see I had nowhere else to live. Oh listen to me here I am jabbering on when I have work to do. It was nice to see you again Kyo."
She bowed one more time and went to the door.
"Hey!" Kyo said, "Don't say I didn't warn you about staying in this place."
"Okay" she replied confused. The she left.
Kyo sighed and looked out the window.
"It's not like I don't know what I'm talking about" he muttered, "I've had to live with this family for most of my life."
**********************************************************
Authors Note: Well that's it till next week!!!
Next Chapter: Tohru's good deed
Tohru helps out a lower servant and gets more than she bargained for. Intro of King Akito! Don't miss it!!!
The next morning Tohru woke up bright and early. She dressed in a pale dress with a white apron. She tied back her long brown hair with a white ribbon. Before she entered Kagura's room she knocked on the door.
"Come in!" Kagura called in the same cheerful voice.
Tohru entered and found her once again at her dressing table wearing a very fancy pink gown.
"Good morning Kagura" Tohru replied brightly, "I hope you slept well."
"I sure did" Kagura said grinning, "I had a dream about the love of my life last night."
"Oh are you in love with someone?" Tohru asked.
"Yes" Kagura sighed, "I love him more than any girl in this whole wide world."
She held up the picture. He had scowl on his face and his orange hair was as fiery as ever, but Tohru recognized him anyway as the boy she had seen just days ago.
"Is he a Sohma prince too?"
"Unfortunately no" Kagura sighed, "He's a Sohma, but Kyo is an outcast. He's not allowed to be around anyone half the time."
"How dreadful" Tohru thought.
"But I still love him anyway" Kagura replied hugging the photograph, "Tohru would you do my hair for me?"
"Sure. It's my job after all" Tohru grinned.
She pulled Kagura's hair back with a pink hummingbird barrette. She even fluffed out her bangs. When she had finished Kagura gave her another hug.
"Okay, it's time for us to meet the rest of the family" Kagura grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room, "They are probably in the sitting room."
Sure enough when they arrived they saw two other boys and two servants in the room. One Tohru recognized, was the one called Momiji. The other had white and black hair, and a very cool look to him.
"Good morning everybody!" Kagura announced.
"Tohru!" Momiji exclaimed jumping up and running over to her, "What are you doing here?"
"Your majesty" Momiji's servant replied, "You shouldn't be so formal with the help."
Momiji gave his servant a cold stare. He walked back to the other servant and they talked in hushed voices.
"Tohru is my friend. Right Tohru we're friends right?"
"I see you have already met Momiji" Kagura giggled.
"Yes, we met when he and Prince Yuki came to the village" Tohru replied.
"Well then, this is Hatsuharu. Haru this is Tohru Honda, my new Handmaiden."
Hatsuharu walked over and kissed the back of her hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. Momiji has talked about nothing else since he has met you."
"Oh really?" Tohru blushed.
"Kagura" Hatsuharu replied, "We're late for our lessons."
"Okay" Kagura said, "Tohru will you take my laundry down to the basement of the castle. Then hand it to any servant down there, they can handle it."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, don't trouble yourself over such trivial things. I will see you this afternoon. In the meantime, mend the clothes I have in my room. I seemed to have gotten tears into some of my dresses."
"No problem" Tohru bowed.
Kagura, Momiji, and Hatsuharu left the room while the servants remained behind.
"Welcome to the palace" They both replied.
"Thank you" she bowed, "But I must hurry and get my chores done."
With that she too left the room.
"I think she's cute don't you?" One of the servants said to the other.
"She is that. She sure outshines all the old ladies around here."
*****************************************
Tohru walked Kagura's clothes down to the basement as she was directed. She decided to take the shortcut through the kitchens to head back up. The kitchen was a mess. Everywhere servants were running around. A head cook was giving all the orders. Through the midst she spotted Tohru.
"You there girl! Get out of the way!
Tohru immediately jumped out of the way and bumped right into a lower servant. She was wearing a tattered brown dress and was carrying a tray full of food.
"Hanako where are you?" The head cook shouted.
"Oh dear" Hanako sighed, "She needs my help."
"Sounds like you have got quite a lot of work to do?" Tohru replied.
"That we do" Hanako cried, "I have so much work to do and I still have something very important to accomplish."
"How terrible."
"Hanako!!"
"Listen can you do me a favor?" she asked Tohru, " I can see that you are one of the upper servants, but we have so much going on down here, do you think you can take this meal to the upper tower?"
She held out the tray.
"Well I don't know."
"I wouldn't ask if I didn't need the help. You see we have so much keeping us preoccupied with the King's orders today that I haven't had time to deliver it. Can you please help me?"
Tohru looked into the girl's eyes and just didn't have the heart to say no. She nodded slowly and took the tray.
"Oh thank you Miss" Hanako said before she ran off, "I will never forget your kindness."
*****************************
Tohru walked out of the kitchens and up the long staircase. She remembered seeing the tower when Yuki and her had reached the castle. She walked down the hallway where Kagura's room was and saw a flight of stairs at the end of the hall.
"That must lead to the tower" she deduced.
She walked up the winding staircase, careful not to fall and found herself at a large wooden door. She knocked once.
"Come in!" a deep gruff voice answered.
Tohru carefully turned the knob and entered the room.
*******************************
Inside was brightly lit by the one window in the room. There was a bed, a sitting chair, a small table with a chair, and a lamp. By the window sat a boy with fiery orange hair. His deep red eyes flashed as he saw her enter. There was no doubt about it. She had met him before.
"What are you doing here?" he questioned her.
He too had remembered her.
"I have brought you your meal. I know that I am not one of the servants you are used to seeing but they needed the help."
"No that's not what I meant" he scowled, "I mean what are you doing here, in the palace?"
"Oh well, I'm Princess Kagura's new handmaiden."
He snorted.
"Any way I hope you enjoy your meal" she bowed.
"Wait a minute!" he stopped her, "Why did you come here? Don't you know that you were better off where you were?"
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Never mind" he sighed, "So you work for Kagura now huh?"
"Uh huh. And I take it since you know her, you must be Master Kyo."
His head jerked up at that.
"It's just Kyo. Don't call me master. I'm not like those other royal brats. Especially that damn rat Yuki!"
"Oh so you know Prince Yuki" Tohru replied, "He's the one who brought me here. You see I had nowhere else to live. Oh listen to me here I am jabbering on when I have work to do. It was nice to see you again Kyo."
She bowed one more time and went to the door.
"Hey!" Kyo said, "Don't say I didn't warn you about staying in this place."
"Okay" she replied confused. The she left.
Kyo sighed and looked out the window.
"It's not like I don't know what I'm talking about" he muttered, "I've had to live with this family for most of my life."
**********************************************************
Authors Note: Well that's it till next week!!!
Next Chapter: Tohru's good deed
Tohru helps out a lower servant and gets more than she bargained for. Intro of King Akito! Don't miss it!!!