Kokoro no Hitan
All of that happened in the first day, and, as you know, the Sohmas spend the first three days of the new year after that together.
Harusaki was all right in the end. He suffered from a minor concussion and the swelling did go down with time. The eye of the storm passed over the party the second day and the tension could almost be felt in the air the third, the day when everyone was to return home, and Kaga was going to leave with us.
She and Harusaki, of course, had other plans. No matter how hard everyone tried to split them up, to get them used to being apart, it was to no avail. They always found a way to be together.
A few hours before we were planning to leave, both went missing, and no one was pleased, especially not Akito.
-Honda Tohru
~~~
We were running.
"Nee, Haru? Are you sure this is going to work?" We were racing across the main Sohma estate, Haru leading the way, my hand in his. He was running so fast I could barely manage to keep up, and a couple of times I felt more like I was flying through the air then running on the land.
This was our plan, to take off, disappear when everyone was expecting us to be at the party. It's really easy to slip between the legs of adults when you're small, and we escaped without any problems.
One small thing kept prodding the back of my mind though. "Haru, where are we going? And...and what are we going to do when we get there?...We're still going to go back when this whole thing blows over....right?"
I looked over my shoulder, back in the direction of the party, and where Sohmas like us would soon be leaving and then would notice we were gone.
"No, there's no turning back now." I could feel all the color leaving my face. "Can't you see we can't do that now?" He looked over his shoulder at me. "I...," he blinked and turned his head forward for a moment. "I don't want to lose you again." He then looked straight ahead and seemed to even pick up the pace more.
I nearly laughed. "What are you talking about, silly! You never lost me! We've been together since babies! We've never truly been apart." I was smiling. Haru shook his head.
"No...It's not like that..." He sighed. "It feels," he put his free hand over his heart. "It feels much deeper than that...I don't know." He shook his head. "I just don't know."
I put my free hand on top of the one he was using to grasp mine. "Don't worry, Haru," I said with a smile. "I'll always be with you."
He looked at me and smiled, but there were tears in his eyes. This is what the adults must have meant when they called things "bittersweet." I never understood that phrase. I mean, how could something be bitter and sweet at the same time? It didn't make any sense!...But the tears in his eyes caused by the fear in his heart, and the smiled on his face caused by his love for me...together, they truly were bittersweet...
This whole escape was bittersweet, for, we both knew, that in the end, it would prove useless, that there was no way two toddlers could escape from Akito, and that we would be torn from each other in the end.
"Ai shiteru, Haru." I said, tears in my eyes. The adults had told me not to use this phrase when I liked someone, that it was too deep, too serious, but my feelings didn't fit in any other category, as young as I was.
"Mo ai shiteru, Kaga."
And then we kept running.
-Kaga Sohma
~~~
Almost everyone had left now. There were fields between the trees that were people's legs, large open spaces that were once filled with many guests. It was then that I began to look around, and noticed that the extra person I was supposed to take home was missing.
"Nee, Ayame?" I turned and looked at him, since he was standing right next to me as we had been having a conversation a few moments ago.
"Nani, Shigure?"
"Have you seen Kaga at all today?" I looked back out into the crowd of people.
Ayame looked around the room and then shook his head. "Now that you say that, I don't think I did....That's odd, isn't it? Weren't Haru and her normally running around most of the time? I haven't seen either of them at all today...Hmn..."
The thought struck me like an arrow to the head. "They didn't..."
"Hmn...Nani?" Ayame leaned over and looked into my face. "What's wrong 'Gure-san?"
"They're gone!" I said, as I ran across the room. "They escaped!" I yelled.
With that, I ran out of the doors on the side of the house and into the courtyard. There were no signs of them in any direction.
Akito's not going to be too happy about this.
-Shigure Sohma
~~~
All of that happened in the first day, and, as you know, the Sohmas spend the first three days of the new year after that together.
Harusaki was all right in the end. He suffered from a minor concussion and the swelling did go down with time. The eye of the storm passed over the party the second day and the tension could almost be felt in the air the third, the day when everyone was to return home, and Kaga was going to leave with us.
She and Harusaki, of course, had other plans. No matter how hard everyone tried to split them up, to get them used to being apart, it was to no avail. They always found a way to be together.
A few hours before we were planning to leave, both went missing, and no one was pleased, especially not Akito.
-Honda Tohru
~~~
We were running.
"Nee, Haru? Are you sure this is going to work?" We were racing across the main Sohma estate, Haru leading the way, my hand in his. He was running so fast I could barely manage to keep up, and a couple of times I felt more like I was flying through the air then running on the land.
This was our plan, to take off, disappear when everyone was expecting us to be at the party. It's really easy to slip between the legs of adults when you're small, and we escaped without any problems.
One small thing kept prodding the back of my mind though. "Haru, where are we going? And...and what are we going to do when we get there?...We're still going to go back when this whole thing blows over....right?"
I looked over my shoulder, back in the direction of the party, and where Sohmas like us would soon be leaving and then would notice we were gone.
"No, there's no turning back now." I could feel all the color leaving my face. "Can't you see we can't do that now?" He looked over his shoulder at me. "I...," he blinked and turned his head forward for a moment. "I don't want to lose you again." He then looked straight ahead and seemed to even pick up the pace more.
I nearly laughed. "What are you talking about, silly! You never lost me! We've been together since babies! We've never truly been apart." I was smiling. Haru shook his head.
"No...It's not like that..." He sighed. "It feels," he put his free hand over his heart. "It feels much deeper than that...I don't know." He shook his head. "I just don't know."
I put my free hand on top of the one he was using to grasp mine. "Don't worry, Haru," I said with a smile. "I'll always be with you."
He looked at me and smiled, but there were tears in his eyes. This is what the adults must have meant when they called things "bittersweet." I never understood that phrase. I mean, how could something be bitter and sweet at the same time? It didn't make any sense!...But the tears in his eyes caused by the fear in his heart, and the smiled on his face caused by his love for me...together, they truly were bittersweet...
This whole escape was bittersweet, for, we both knew, that in the end, it would prove useless, that there was no way two toddlers could escape from Akito, and that we would be torn from each other in the end.
"Ai shiteru, Haru." I said, tears in my eyes. The adults had told me not to use this phrase when I liked someone, that it was too deep, too serious, but my feelings didn't fit in any other category, as young as I was.
"Mo ai shiteru, Kaga."
And then we kept running.
-Kaga Sohma
~~~
Almost everyone had left now. There were fields between the trees that were people's legs, large open spaces that were once filled with many guests. It was then that I began to look around, and noticed that the extra person I was supposed to take home was missing.
"Nee, Ayame?" I turned and looked at him, since he was standing right next to me as we had been having a conversation a few moments ago.
"Nani, Shigure?"
"Have you seen Kaga at all today?" I looked back out into the crowd of people.
Ayame looked around the room and then shook his head. "Now that you say that, I don't think I did....That's odd, isn't it? Weren't Haru and her normally running around most of the time? I haven't seen either of them at all today...Hmn..."
The thought struck me like an arrow to the head. "They didn't..."
"Hmn...Nani?" Ayame leaned over and looked into my face. "What's wrong 'Gure-san?"
"They're gone!" I said, as I ran across the room. "They escaped!" I yelled.
With that, I ran out of the doors on the side of the house and into the courtyard. There were no signs of them in any direction.
Akito's not going to be too happy about this.
-Shigure Sohma
~~~