Another chapter! This time I'll make it right!
Tohru held the handset close to her ear, listening carefully. "Really? He is with Aya-san?"
"Yes, Tohru-chan." Haru affirmed. "I don't know where they are, but they should be around the village. Why don't you check it out and do us a favor for a while, ok?"
Tohru tried to say something but Kagura was talking to somebody else that she hung up.
After that very significant phonecall, or that was a waste of time, she left the house and did what she had to do. I had to find him.
Yuki nodded. "I see… she's not there with you." He held his private phone closer to his ear.
"Yes, she left an hour ago." Momiji nodded. "Maybe she's around the village. Do me a favor and try to find her. I think she needs to be in a safe place for a while."
"Why is that?"
"No time to explain. I still need to call Hatori." After that, Momiji hung up.
Yuki placed his phone back at his left pocket and held a small box at his right. He stared at it, and somehow, he felt the urge of doing this. This is it.
"I'll be out to the village for a while." Yuki said to the two older Sohmas, still indulging their senses to the pretty girl at the counter. Of course, not waiting for their reply, he went outside and started to walk towards the village, not far from the store.
"What do you mean, you just met Akito?!" Hatori yelled at the phone.
"I did! I just did! He just walked in my house ten minutes ago!" Momiji also yelled. "I thought he was going to kill me!!!"
"What did he say? What did he do?" Hatori asked hastily.
"Well…" Momiji sighed and thought hard. "He talked about things like property and land then…he just said that he's going to test us."
"…that's it?" The doctor asked.
"Don't doubt that phrase. It gave me the creeps." The young one shivered. "His voice was so dark and fearing, I thought I was going to melt right on that spot!"
"Then he left after that?"
"Yeah, he did."
"We need to tell Yuki about this." Hatori said. "We also need to inform the rest of the Sohmas. They should stay alert."
"What about Tohru?" Momiji asked.
"Tohru?"
"I think this concerns her. What if Akito knows her and finds her? What if he uses her for.. other things---"
"Like Kana…" I totally forgot! My life and Yuki's life are bound to be similar! Yuki as me and Tohru as Kana. If that's true, then maybe…
"Hatori? Are you still there?" the young one asked and called out.
"I'll ask my people to find Tohru. We must prevent this from happening." Hatori said strictly.
Yuki made his way through the crowd until he reached the inn where he first met Tohru. He went inside and recognized the first person he saw inside. "You… you're Uo, right?"
"And you're the guy who kept on barging in in my house asking me where Tohru is." Uo grinned for a while, until he got a closer look of Yuki, her eyes widened and panicked, "Y-You're… you're Yuki Sohma! Y-Y-You're the… the mayor!!!"
He smiled and giggled. "Do I really look so natural in these clothes?"
"No… o-of course not. Please, come in!" she showed him inside. "Do you need anything?"
"I just want to know where Tohru is." He said quickly.
"Right, as if I KNOW." Uo pouted. "She just went out a while ago."
"She did… a while ago?" Then she can't be that far.
"Hey, is it true?" Uo asked. "That's she's your fiancée?"
"Huh?" he asked confusedly. "W-what do you mean?"
"Kami-sama! You're so slow!" she shouted. "It's already been a month. Haven't you been practicing long enough?"
That's what everybody said. " What are you trying to tell me?"
"To tell you the truth, I just can't believe that of all girls in this village, or maybe in this country, you chose her to be with you." Uo explained.
"But let me tell you this. Tohru is my best friend, and for all my life, I've seen her in burden. Now is her chance to be a different person. IF something bad happens to her because of you, or even tried to disappoint her because you broke her heart, I would curse you to go to hell." She clenched her fist. "Got it?"
Yuki sweatdropped. "Yes, yes, of course." He nodded. " I promise."
"Good. I don't want to see her cry because of the wrong man." She nodded happily.
This struck Yuki for a moment and made him think for a while.
"Uo, what if… I'm not the right man? What if this is not meant to happen?" he asked.
Uo placed her hands on his shoulders. "You know, that was the same question that I encountered when Tohru's mother was still alive. And do you know what she said?" Yuki shook his head.
"She said, 'It doesn't take a thousand years to prepare the right words to say, but it only takes the right words to say to be remembered for thousands of years.'" Uo smiled. "In a way, the longer you keep her waiting, the faster you're going to lose her."
"But what if I said the wrong words?"
"You'll never know which is right and which is wrong, not until you're ready to tell her the truth."
Yuki stared at her with his hand cupping the box at his pocket. "What truth?"
"That you love her." She winked at him. "Good luck, partner. Make her happy."
After that, Yuki sat at a vacant chair and thought very deeply for a long time.
"I hope I didn't discourage you in any way." Uo said worriedly.
In an instant, Yuki smiled and said, "No, you just gave me the right advice. Thanks"
He quickly left the room but stopped at the doorway.
Outside, men in dark cloaks surrounded the front door. They all looked at Yuki darkly. Uo stepped outside to see.
"Identify yourselves." Yuki ordered sternly.
"We were sent by your stepfather. We were advised to keep you here and away from him." One of them answered.
"What's going on here?" Uo asked Yuki.
"Listen, I have no intention to meet up with… him. In anyway, I'll make sure that I'm out of his way." Yuki explained. "Now, please excuse me, I need to see an important person--"
"That's the reason why we can't let you out of our sight." They replied.
Yuki stood still. "What are trying to tell me?! … is he going to meet her?!"
"He needs to see this…Honda Tohru personally, and nobody, which includes the Sohmas, has the license to be a hindrance in his plans." They replied accordingly. "Everything should be done as scheduled."
"If he lays even a finger on her," Yuki shouted angrily, "I swear I'll kill him!"
"Please, young master, don't let your temper carry you away. Master Akito won't even try, or might as well, hurt her in a way."
"Don't you trust your own father?"
"I just trust him." He grumbled. "How can you trust him? Are you even there in his private time?"
The men looked at each other and replied, "He's a man of his word, young master. Don't worry, it won't take that long. We will be informed once he did what he wants to do: to see and learn something about Honda Tohru personally."
"If you try to go past us, we will assure you that Master will know this and he might as well change his plans completely. Young master, master Akito knows what your weaknesses are. We advice you to please wait for a while, for the sake of this Honda Tohru."
"Yuki," Uo whispered, "I don't trust these guys."
"Me too, but we have no choice." Yuki whispered back. "Akito is always like this. When he wants something, he does it himself."
Tohru, wherever you are, I hope you won't meet him. Please be safe.
Tohru was slowly walking at the road, her mind was drifting in space, not knowing where to go. She had not realized that she was already crossing the road.
"Hey watch where you're going!" a vendor yelled as his horse cart was passing by. But she didn't seem to hear.
This time, a much faster carriage came and she was about to be run over—
"Look out!!!" someone yelled.
--until a man pulled her to the other side. Tohru got back to her senses and stared at the fast carriage that passed by.
"Wow… that was close." She sighed.
She looked at the man who saved her. He was partially bruised at his right arm but he didn't mind. He eyes was focused evenly to her. After seeing his face, her face lightened and smiled at him.
"Meiko-san!" she called.
With that, the man smiled at her mysteriously.
Yes, yes, I left it so hanging. Please forgive me and… oh well, please review.
