Finding New

Chapter 3: Comfortingly Polite

By: Nikumu Chan

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket

A/n: Third chapter in two days! I'm on a roll . . . hopefully it'll last . . . -.-

~

RING . . .

RING . . .

RING . . .

RIN--

"Hello?"

"Ojii-san?"

"Yes. Tohru, is that you? How are you? Better yet, where are you? I called your house but you weren't there!"

"Well, uh. I'm at a, um, friend's house. Um, Ojii-san, are you okay there?"

"Yes, I'm fine. But, Tohru, I have bad news,"

Tohru paled as dread filled her veins. "W-what is it, Ojii-san?" she asked fearfully.

"Tohru, your mother," Tohru's grandfather paused, searching for the best way to word the news.

"My mother what, Ojii-san? What happened?!"

Hesitation . . .

"Tell me!! Please, Ojii-san!!

" . . . Tohru, your mother is . . . she's dead, Tohru."

The phone slipped from Tohru's hold. She slowly slid to the floor, shaking her head unbelievingly.

No . . .

No, she's not dead . . .

She promised . . .

She promised she'd come . . .

She promised they'd see each other again . . .

She can't be dead . . .

She can't be . . .

She isn't . . .

She promised her daughter . . .

Kyoko doesn't break promises to her daughter . . . not to her Tohru . . . not to her only . . .

"Tohru, Tohru! Answer me!" her grandfather called from the receiver, now lying dejectedly forgotten on the floor, to his unhearing granddaughter.

Tohru pushed herself up off the floor and walked out of the room, leaving the phone hanging off the hook.

"Tohru!!" Her grandfather yelled again. A sigh could be heard, followed by a dial tone.

~

Tohru walked unseeingly through the woods surrounding the Sohma house, repeating, "She's not dead. She can't be. She's not dead. She can't be dead; she promised me. Okaa-san promised me, she did! Okaa-san doesn't break her promises . . . not to me,"

THUMP

Tohru groaned dismally and pushed her unfeeling, limp body off the ground to look at the inanimate aggressor that had tripped her.

A stump . . . she'd tripped over a stump.

Now, above all, she felt like an idiot, only to worsen the now malicious self-image she had. What would her mother think of her now? She glanced down at her leg to study the harm. She could already see a great, rather gruesome, bruise forming on her knee. How, exactly, could one trip over something knee tall?

She had no answer . . .

"Tohru, you baka! Look what you've done now?!" she muttered roughly.

Looking around, she realized she was lost.

Just great . . .

She looked to be in a miniature garden, of some sort.

~

Yuki walked into the room he left Tohru in to find Tohru gone and a phone screeching repeatedly. (A/n: About that . . . You know when the phone's not being used and you leave it off the hook too long? Yeah, how it beeps? That. . .)

"Honda-san?" he called, picking up the phone, letting it fall in its place. "Where are you? Honda-san?"

He was surprised to find the door open just wide enough for someone to slip outside. He followed; Yuki was curious as to if it was Tohru who went. The door led right out to the forest. Tohru must have gone . . . Yuki ran after her, expecting her to take the straightest route.

She could get lost way too easily . . . she didn't know her way around!!

~

Tohru sat on the stump, blindly admiring the shockingly well kept garden. To think it was so well taken care of and it was some where in the middle of a forest.

There was no telling how long she stared . . . neither she nor any one else was keeping track for her.

"Okaa-san wouldn't leave me to be miserable, would she?" she mumbled to herself.

"No, she wouldn't. Not to be miserable, so cheer up!"

Tohru gasped. She hopped up from the stump and looked to see a smiling Yuki approach her.

She fell back down on the stump and murmured, "I almost thought you were my Okaa-san, Yuki-kun." She laughed bitterly, "How easily fooled I am,"

Yuki looked at her sadly. "Honda-san, your mother wouldn't want you to be like this."

Tears filled the girl's eyes. "I know. But I can't seem to help it, Yuki- kun."

"You used to be so cheerful. What happened to your old life, Honda-san?"

"My old life died when my mother did."

A tear slipped down her cheek.

And another . . .

And another . . .

And another . . .

And ano--

Yuki gently wiped away the fallen tears.

"Yes," he said, "You mother did die physically . . . but you still remember her, right?"

Tohru nodded slightly. "How could I forget?"

"You couldn't, I know,"

Tohru nodded again.

"She'll only really die when no one remembers her, you know that? She'll never die in your heart or mind if you still love and remember her."

Tohru nodded and forced a small smile.

"Now, how about that offer on a home?"

Tohru laughed softly and nodded once. "I accept graciously."

Yuki smiled. "Great. You know, that offer on house keeper is still open, too."

Tohru laughed again. "Sure, I'll take that, too. But your house seemed pretty neat to me,"

"You haven't seen the rest of it."

"Oh, okay,"

"Well, let's not worry about that right now. How about we go make a stop at your house first before heading back?"

"Sure!"

"There is a problem, though,"

"And that is . . .?"

Yuki sweat-dropped and admitted, "I don't remember where it is,"

"Oh! That's no problem at all! Show me where the main road is and I'll be fine! . . . Um, one question, though . . ."

"Hmm?"

"Where are we?"

Yuki blinked and looked around. "Uh . . . oh! We're at my secret base!"

"Secret base? Aren't those supposed to be forts or tree houses?"

Um, well, mine's different! Let's go, now." Yuki said, taking her hand and pulling her up. He started to walk away, unconsciously still holding her hand. Tohru made a note to blush later.

After a while and Yuki still didn't let go of her hand, Tohru decided she had to mention something. "Um, Yuki-kun?"

"Yes, Honda-san?" Yuki asked back and stopped walking.

"Yuki-kun, you can let go of my hand now."

"Oh! Um, I'm sorry!" Yuki walked off in an attempt to hide the dark blush that spread across his cheeks.

Tohru looked away, also trying to fight off a stubborn blush that spread across her cheeks, and followed.

Yuki still had not dropped her hand . . .

~

Like? Hate? Tell me! Give me suggestions! Anything . . . but please be nice . . . Well, it's late . . . I must get to bed! Oyasumi minna-san! Hope you like the chapter!

Please review!! ^^