Devoted to you

I had a sudden brainstorm after my other fantasy yukiru fic. This is completely AU, probably because I'm obsessed with Yuki and Tohru pairing up, with Yuki's dashing personality.

This story is somewhat based in a fairy tale Puss in Boots. I hope you've heard of it. But this time, it's not a cat who's clever.

It's a mouse ^_^

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It was a fine morning. Many years has passed since a wonderful sunrise was seen from the windows of a quiet village. There were a lot of people busy for today, especially the ones who need to go to work. They had to travel a bit far towards the city, so they're the usual early birds among the others.

Sixteen-year-old Honda Tohru stood up and sighed heavily. She already carried the fifth pail of water from the well towards their old mill. She was thankful that she was allowed to gather water from her neighbor's stock, for her family had been a bit poor and less than anybody else in the village.

"Ooh~! It feels nice." She cupped her hands so she could splash water all over her face. "Mornings should be a bit cold, but today's different." She shook her head. "Mornings or no mornings, I still have to cook breakfast for everybody! They might scold me again for being so late!"

She hurried back inside the house. As usual, no one is still up. She could still hear snoring upstairs and smiled. "I better finish everything before everyone wakes up."

Being the youngest and also the orphan in the house, she was forced to do chores on her own, but she didn't mind at all. She spent most of her time in the kitchen, where she hums songs from her mother to keep her smile.

Her mother died when she was very young and she was forced to live with her stepfather, who loves her dearly. But the "problem" was her 2 stepbrothers, who were both older than her. They didn't go to work or anything. They usually spent time inside the house, calling her names and forcing her to do more strenuous work like chopping wood and cleaning the whole house.

But no one ever knew why she still smiles so brightly than anyone.

"Oh my! We run out of eggs." She whispered. "I need to go to the village to get some!"

She hurried towards her cabinet and grabbed a pair of boots and a basket. Then, she stepped towards the door and ran off.

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"I've been waiting for fifteen minutes and you're still not done???" a man squeals at the driver, who was terrified after he heard such tone of voice. "I thought you're a professional!"

I'm sorry sir, but I'm afraid the carriage had a lot of damage." He apologized. "We still need to get to the city---"

"We need to get back to the house! If that damn Shigure hired you because you're good, then prove it!" The man yelled again and checked his watch. "God, we're going to be late. Just hurry up!"

"Y-yes, sir."

The man sighed as he stared at the driver. "Shigure hired such old hag."

He felt a tap on his shoulder. "Can we walk for a while?" a child asked.

"Kisa, we can't go anywhere for now. We're a bit late." The man replied.

"Please…" Kisa begged.

He chuckled. "Alright, but don't run to far. I'll be checking on this guy for progress."

"Yes, Hatori-san…"

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"Thank you." Tohru handed over her money.

"Dear, you're…er… a bit short of money." The vendor replied.

"Ahh! Sorry!" She apologized. "I don't know. Please forgive me. I'll just return everything and---"

"It's alright." The vendor smiled. "I know who you are, Honda Tohru, and your mother had done great things for me."

"Ah… right."

"So, as an act of gratitude, you can take it of you want."

"But---" she began but the vendor shoved almost all of her goods and placed it in a larger container.

"Take it." She handed it to Tohru, who was a bit stunned of the woman's generosity.

"Yes, thank you!" she said quickly. "I promise I'll pay you back, Uo-chan."

"No problem, Honda-san." She winked.

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The sun was completely shining now and she knew that everyone back at the mill is awake. Knowing this, she hurried back quickly. She don't want to keep them waiting, especially her father.

"This is a lot of it." Tohru looked at her goods. "This must be good for everyone for a week!"

She smiled. "Now, I can feed father as much as I want. That way, he won't get sick again."

"Hello…" she heard a voice behind her and she found a little girl smiling at her.

"Hi!" Tohru greeted cheerfully. "Are you lost?"

"Ne, A little…" she whispered.

"Mind if I ask your name?"

"Kisa…"

"Kisa…" Tohru repeated. "Are you alone?"

"No." she replied shyly. "I'm with Hatori-san… a while ago…"

"Ah, Hatori---" her voice trailed off. Her mind wandered for a few moments, then a sudden realization came to her. "Hatori? Hatori Sohma?" she asked.

"Yes, why?"

"But… he's a Sohma…" Tohru's voice was a bit cracking which made Kisa giggled.

"Yes he is---"

"A Sohma! The clan who inherited the greatest fortune in the land! The clan who bought our village! He's… a Sohma… a real one…"

"Yes, he is." Kisa replied.

"And… you're a Sohma, too?"

"H-Hai…"

Tohru almost fell from her position. She stared at Kisa, like she was another life form. "Kisa… Kisa Sohma! How can I forget! You're the one who one those elegant figurines of Jyunishi last year in the festival!"

"Hai!" Kisa replied happily. "I didn't know that I was that famous."

"You're a SOHMA! You guys are famous!" Tohru almost screamed at her. "I can't believe I'm actually meeting one."

"Hai. Um… could you show me the way?"

"Oh, yes. Please follow me. You can get lost that easily, you know."

"I AM lost…um, your name?" Kisa asked.

"Hai, Honda Tohru." She replied.

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"We're ready, sir." The driver yelled proudly. But Hatori wasn't paying any attention to him.

"Kisa!!!" He yelled and searched the grounds. But she was nowhere in sight.

"Hatori-san!!!!" Kisa yelled from a distance. Hatori went towards her and stared at her firmly.

"Where have you been?" he asked. "I told you not to wander off that far!"

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

Hatori sighed. "It's alright, since I know that you're ok." He glanced at the woman next to her. "Who are you?"

"A—Honda Tohru-san." She bowed. "I found her a bit far from here but she's alright."

"Of course, she is. She's a Sohma." Hatori said firmly. "But if she caused you so much trouble, I would like to apologize for that matter---"

"No she isn't!" Tohru replied quickly. "She's very quiet… and amazing. She's been almost anywhere that I haven't."

"Of course, she's a Sohma." He eyed her. "And you're a peasant."

"Ah…"

"Hatori-san!" Kisa hissed at him.

"I would also like to thank you for bringing Kisa back." He said forcibly. "I would really appreciate to help you reach your destination but we're really lacking out of time."

"Oh, no worries!" Tohru smiled. "My house is near here. I could walk towards the mill without your help but thank you anyway."

"Mill?" He raised a brow. "The mill that was separated from the village?"

"Y-yes."

"No wonder you're poor." He whispered.

"Hatori-san!"

He sighed heavily as he got in the carriage. "It was nice meeting you, Honda-san." He carried Kisa inside. "And I hope we meet again."

"Hai, it was really an experience meeting a Sohma." She bowed once more as the carriage took its pace and left. Before it disappeared in the distance, she saw Kisa waving back at her.

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Hatori grinned as he remembered the young girl's words. "An experience meeting a Sohma." He whispered. "How pathetic."

"Bye, ne-chan!!!" Kisa yelled as she stuck her head outside the window.

"Kisa, I don't want to see your head lying around on the middle of the road so keep it inside the vehicle." Hatori said firmly.

Kisa sat up from her seat and smiled happily. "It was an experience meeting a girl like her."

"Really?" he raised a brow.

"Of course. It's been years since we haven't talk for… for people like them."

"Kisa, you're using a wrong term. They should be called peasants. They're pathetic… and we shouldn't meet people like them." Hatori explained.

"Then what should we do to them."

"We buy them." He replied. "What happened to your studies with Akito? You even left just to win those figurines made by those fools."

"What's wrong with them?"

"Nothing…" he maintained his cold voice. "Have you told that girl about anything related to us Sohmas?"

"I told her about---"

"About it?" Hatori asked quickly.

"No, Hatori-san. I haven't and won't mention it to her." Kisa replied.

"You won't mention it because you won't be meeting her again, Kisa." Hatori said firmly. "And don't call her sister again."

"Yes, Hatori-san…" she whispered.

"Try to relax. We're almost there."

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Hatori got down from the carriage with Kisa behind him. After accompanying her towards her room, he went straight to his office. A person was waiting for him inside. "What do you want, Shigure?"

"How's your walk with Kisa?"

"I don't care. Where is he?"

Shigure shook his head. "They haven't found him."

"What?!"

"They searched downriver." Gure looked out of the window and grinned. "They even shut down the dams just to find him."

"Where could he be?"

"You're worried about him?"

"Of course I am!" Hatori yelled. "He's a Sohma! You can't just let him die out there! What if a peasant finds him?! Then he would be used as ransom!"

"Hatori, don't think like that…" Shigure chuckled. "There's nothing to worry about."

"You're very optimistic but how will we ever find a mouse in a huge continent?!" Hatori asked him.

"I don't know…"

"We're your optimism now, Shigure?" the doctor quickly left the room.

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"I'm home!" Tohru called out. To her surprise there was no answer.

"Father?" she called out and went towards his room. She knocked at the door, but there was no reply. She did it again, but there was silence. Finally, she opened the door for herself.

"Father!" she glanced at the bed, where her father was laid. He was breathing slowly and was sweating badly. "What happened?! Where are my brothers?"

"Tohru…" he whispered. "Your brothers… poisoned me… took all of my money… left without you…"

"Father please hang on. I'll call a doctor."

"No!" he yelled. "Tohru, listen to me. They might come back here to kill you. But you should… leave…" he stretched out to get something under the bed. "This… is the last thing that I… could give you… as my daughter…"

He held out a cage. "A creature lies inside. It's bit weak and I found it days ago. I tried to feed it but its strength won't come out after a several days. Please take care of it, Tohru."

She placed the cage next to her and her eyes gazed at her father's face. "Please… don't leave me…"

"I'm sorry… I wasn't a great father… like your mother expected me to be…to you…" he coughed out and passed away right in front of her.

All she could do next was to cry beside him. She had lost someone who was close to her for the second time.

But this time, she won't fail again.

He wanted me to take care of this creature… she glanced at the cage. I wonder what it is?

She opened the cage and to her surprise, a small furry gray animal was cuddling in one corner.

She should be ok but confusion rose inside her.

A mouse?