Chapter One: Rain and peppermint.
It was a normal day at the Souma house, except for the fact that it was raining. Shigure was off with Hatori dealing with some family business. Kyo was sitting in his room, while Yuki was working in his own room. Tohru was in the kitchen finishing some dishes from lunch when she heard a knock on the door. "Coming..." she said in a sweet voice. Tohru walked over the door and slid it open. In front of her was a woman about 27 years old with long chocolate colored hair and Prussian blue eyes. In her arms was a little girl with brown hair like her mother but had eyes that strangely reminded her of Shigure's. They were a soft brown with specks of a darker brown. "Can I help you?" she asked the older woman. "Yes, does Shigure Souma live here?" the young woman asked. "Yes, but he isn't here right now. Would you like to come in?" she moved to the side so that the woman and her child could come in. "Thank you..." the woman smiled at Tohru and stepped inside. She set the small child down and removed the child's raincoat. The woman then removed her own jacket and placed her jacket and the child's jacket on the coat rack. "I'll go make us some tea..." Tohru suggested. The young woman nodded as she watched Tohru leave to make tea. She returned a few moments later with the hot tea in her hand. " Here you are." Tohru said as she handed the woman the cup of tea. Tohru then helped herself to a cup of tea. "Thank you very much. I'm sorry but I never asked, what is your name?" "Oh! My name is Tohru Honda. What's your name?" "My name is Rei S..." she paused for a moment and then corrected herself "My name is Rei and this little angel here is Nozomi." "Hey there Nozomi." Tohru greeted the young child. The littler girl looked up and smiled timidly. "Hi..." She whispered shyly and then looked to her mother. Her mother looked down at her and gave her a reassuring smile. "Nozomi is not used to new people, she's very shy." Rei explained as she sipped her tea. Tohru nodded in understanding and looked over at Nozomi. Something about her reminded her of Shigure. Her eyes were almost exactly like Shigure. In fact, if it wasn't for the hair and the fact that she was a girl, she could have passed for a child like version of Shigure. "So, are you an old friend of Shigure's?" Tohru asked as she helped herself to another cup of tea. "Uh..." Rei didn't know how to respond to that. "Yeah...you can put it like that." "Oh...a" Tohru as about to ask another question when she hear the door open and close. Tohru excused herself and quickly went to the door. There standing in front of her was Shigure, dressed up in a suit. "Hi Shigure..." "Tohru, nice to see that the weather is not keeping you down. How is everything?" Shigure flashed her a smile as he put his coat away and turned to hear her response. "Oh, everything is fine. Yuki and Kyo are in their rooms and you have a visitor." "A visitor? Well, who..." Shigure paused for a moment that was when it hit him. There was a smell of peppermint in the air, it reminded him of her. He quickly shook his head. 'She's been gone for three years...she's not coming back Shigure...' he thought as he asked who was here to see him. "Her name is Rei..." Tohru didn't even get a chance to finish her sentence as Shigure took off into the other room, where sure enough Rei was sitting there. She was just like he remembered; she still had her long brown hair that slightly curled under. He couldn't see her eyes because she had her back to him and seemed not to notice him. "R...Rei?" He managed out. This all seemed so unreal to him. He never thought that he was going to see her again. When he came home and found out that she had left, he almost had a nervous breakdown. His whole world just up and left him without saying goodbye. "Rei...is that you?" he repeated Rei turned around when she heard her name being called by him. She looked up at him and gave him a small, nervous smile. "Hey..." She was ready for him to yell at her, blame her for why it didn't work, anything. But she wasn't prepared for what he did next. He started to cry. It was soft and barely audible at first, but then it became louder and louder. Yuki and Kyo heard this came rushing down stairs trying figure out what they had missed. Nozomi, who had just come back from the bathroom, went to her mother and asked, "Mommy...why is that man crying?" All sound in the room stopped, even Shigure stopped and looked up at Rei and then Nozomi, then back at Rei. "Rei?" He questioned as he dried his eyes. He secretly hoped that she hadn't found another and that she was hear to give him the divorce papers; if she did...he would lose it. He was waiting for her to say something, anything. Rei shifted nervously in her seat, she could feel five pairs of eyes looking at her. She sighed softly, "Shigure...meet Nozomi. Nozomi...say hello to your father."
It was a normal day at the Souma house, except for the fact that it was raining. Shigure was off with Hatori dealing with some family business. Kyo was sitting in his room, while Yuki was working in his own room. Tohru was in the kitchen finishing some dishes from lunch when she heard a knock on the door. "Coming..." she said in a sweet voice. Tohru walked over the door and slid it open. In front of her was a woman about 27 years old with long chocolate colored hair and Prussian blue eyes. In her arms was a little girl with brown hair like her mother but had eyes that strangely reminded her of Shigure's. They were a soft brown with specks of a darker brown. "Can I help you?" she asked the older woman. "Yes, does Shigure Souma live here?" the young woman asked. "Yes, but he isn't here right now. Would you like to come in?" she moved to the side so that the woman and her child could come in. "Thank you..." the woman smiled at Tohru and stepped inside. She set the small child down and removed the child's raincoat. The woman then removed her own jacket and placed her jacket and the child's jacket on the coat rack. "I'll go make us some tea..." Tohru suggested. The young woman nodded as she watched Tohru leave to make tea. She returned a few moments later with the hot tea in her hand. " Here you are." Tohru said as she handed the woman the cup of tea. Tohru then helped herself to a cup of tea. "Thank you very much. I'm sorry but I never asked, what is your name?" "Oh! My name is Tohru Honda. What's your name?" "My name is Rei S..." she paused for a moment and then corrected herself "My name is Rei and this little angel here is Nozomi." "Hey there Nozomi." Tohru greeted the young child. The littler girl looked up and smiled timidly. "Hi..." She whispered shyly and then looked to her mother. Her mother looked down at her and gave her a reassuring smile. "Nozomi is not used to new people, she's very shy." Rei explained as she sipped her tea. Tohru nodded in understanding and looked over at Nozomi. Something about her reminded her of Shigure. Her eyes were almost exactly like Shigure. In fact, if it wasn't for the hair and the fact that she was a girl, she could have passed for a child like version of Shigure. "So, are you an old friend of Shigure's?" Tohru asked as she helped herself to another cup of tea. "Uh..." Rei didn't know how to respond to that. "Yeah...you can put it like that." "Oh...a" Tohru as about to ask another question when she hear the door open and close. Tohru excused herself and quickly went to the door. There standing in front of her was Shigure, dressed up in a suit. "Hi Shigure..." "Tohru, nice to see that the weather is not keeping you down. How is everything?" Shigure flashed her a smile as he put his coat away and turned to hear her response. "Oh, everything is fine. Yuki and Kyo are in their rooms and you have a visitor." "A visitor? Well, who..." Shigure paused for a moment that was when it hit him. There was a smell of peppermint in the air, it reminded him of her. He quickly shook his head. 'She's been gone for three years...she's not coming back Shigure...' he thought as he asked who was here to see him. "Her name is Rei..." Tohru didn't even get a chance to finish her sentence as Shigure took off into the other room, where sure enough Rei was sitting there. She was just like he remembered; she still had her long brown hair that slightly curled under. He couldn't see her eyes because she had her back to him and seemed not to notice him. "R...Rei?" He managed out. This all seemed so unreal to him. He never thought that he was going to see her again. When he came home and found out that she had left, he almost had a nervous breakdown. His whole world just up and left him without saying goodbye. "Rei...is that you?" he repeated Rei turned around when she heard her name being called by him. She looked up at him and gave him a small, nervous smile. "Hey..." She was ready for him to yell at her, blame her for why it didn't work, anything. But she wasn't prepared for what he did next. He started to cry. It was soft and barely audible at first, but then it became louder and louder. Yuki and Kyo heard this came rushing down stairs trying figure out what they had missed. Nozomi, who had just come back from the bathroom, went to her mother and asked, "Mommy...why is that man crying?" All sound in the room stopped, even Shigure stopped and looked up at Rei and then Nozomi, then back at Rei. "Rei?" He questioned as he dried his eyes. He secretly hoped that she hadn't found another and that she was hear to give him the divorce papers; if she did...he would lose it. He was waiting for her to say something, anything. Rei shifted nervously in her seat, she could feel five pairs of eyes looking at her. She sighed softly, "Shigure...meet Nozomi. Nozomi...say hello to your father."
