Tori looked through the leaves of the tree she was sitting in. A small
orange cat ran out of the house, followed by yells of "Sorry Kyou-kun!" A
small smile crept across her face, but was wiped off when he cat climbed up
her tree. She looked at Kyou; annoyed he'd found her hiding place. She
opened her mouth to tell him off when there was a 'Poof!' and smoke
appeared. She forgot her indignation and held out the towel that was drying
next to her. A hand shot out of the smoke and grabbed it quickly. When the
smoke disappeared, all that was left was an angry-looking teenage boy
wearing the aforementioned towel. Tori put her finger to her lips and leant
close to his ear.
"I'll go get you some clothes." She whispered. He opened his mouth, but she clapped her hand over it before he could speak. "Stay here. I'll be right back." She climbed down the branches and walked into the house casually, fending off any questions offhandedly. She walked into the laundry, picked out the cleanest of Kyou's clothes and walked upstairs, avoiding the others who lived there. She walked out onto the balcony of her room, extended her wings and flew to the tree. She handed Kyou his clothes, turning around so she didn't see anything.
Tori had gotten used to this kind of occurrence where she lived. She got so used to it, in fact, that when she went to work, she subconsciously dodged and avoided touching the opposite sex. Kyou placed his hand on her shoulder, and she turned back around. She leant towards his ear again.
"If you tell anyone where I go to, I will have to give Shigure and Ayame some embarrassing photos I happened to come across." Leaning back to see his reaction, she smiled. "I'm glad you understand." She whispered. A bird hopped along the branch and onto Tori. It moved up her arm, finishing on her shoulder. Kyou frowned slightly and leaned forward.
"Why do you come here?" He asked. She didn't look at him, and answered so he could only just hear her.
"It's where I belong." She turned to him, her eyes a misty grey. "You know, off the ground; closer to the sky." She turned away from him and looked through the leaves. She dropped off her branch before he could think of a reply and looked back up to him. "You may want to think of an excuse for where you got those clothes." She called and walked towards the front of the house. A breeze picked up, blowing her white dress and making the bird hide under her hair. As she walked around the corner, she saw the car pull into the driveway. As the people exited it, the bird flew off, and she watched it fly away thoughtfully.
Suddenly, a hand covered her eyes, making her jump and spin around. Hatsuharu smiled and held out a white box with a black ribbon tied around it. "Happy Birthday." He said quietly. She took the box and pulled him around the side of the house, away from the noise. When she opened the box, her eyes widened as she pulled out the green ring she gave Haru ages ago, with a new leather thong on it. She turned to Haru as he put it on her.
"How did you know?" she asked quizzically. He smiled a mysterious smile and shrugged his shoulders.he took her hand and led her inside. As they got to the door, he turned to her and leaned in to her.
"No one else knows." He studied her closely. "Was that the right thing to do?" She nodded, smiling, and they walked inside.
-----
Tori was up in her tree again. Shigure, Yuki, Tohru and Kyou were used to this, but Momiji was looking for her. Seeing him walking past, she climbed higher, accidentally making the branches move. She froze as he looked at the tree, hoping he wouldn't guess it was her. Suddenly she had an idea. She poked a sleeping backbird on the branch near her. I woke up and grumpily cawed at her. Looking down at Momiji, she saw he thought it must have been a bird and walked off. She kissed the bird on the head and settled down for a rest.
-----
She was at the top of a tree on a hill, looking down at a small town. Look around, she saw a wood surrounding the hill, with no trees except the one she was in growing on the hill. Deciding to have a look around, Tori climbed down the tree. As she stepped away from it, the tree she was in seemed to grow, so instead of being able to reach the bottom branches, all she could see was trunk. She walked down to the wood, and as she walked down the hill, a wind picked up. The wind seemed to blow harder as she got closer to thetrees, as if it was trying to stop her going to them
She finally made it to the trees. As she placed her hand on a tree trunk, she heard something. She let go of the tree and looked around quickly. Not seeing or hearing anything, she put her hand on the tree again. She heard the sound again. As she started to look around, she realised it wasn't a sound, it was more of a feeling. Looking at the tree she felt something pulling at her, lureing her into the wood. She stepped into the trees. As she walked past the first line of trees, all the light seemed to disappear from the wood. It was pitch black; she couldn't see a thing. Yet the feeling still pulled at her. She kept walking, keeping her arms outsretched so she didn't run into a tree. All of a sudden the ground started rumbling and things started moving. The feeling was still there, but Tori was too scared to keep going. She reached out for a branch to hold, but instead of a tree, she grabbed hold of something living. Whatever she held onto moved towards her, calling her name...
-----
Tori woke up to see Kyou looking worried. He was holding onto her shoulders, and it seemed as if he was having trouble staying on the branch. She saw she was holding onto his arm, and let go abruptly. He grabbed the branch above and steadied himself.
Kyou looked at Tori closely, and after he got his balance he thought he saw a wild look in her eyes, like an animal that's been trapped. But he looked again and it was gone. She'd moved closer to him, looking suspicious.
"What are you doing up here?" Kyou frowned and climbed down to a thicker branch. She followed, repeating her question. "Why are you up here?"
"Because everyone was worried you were going to fall out." She looked at him, surprised, and he continued. "You went to sleep, and started calling out something. The little brat heard you and got us. You'd started climbing in your sleeep, if that's possible, and everyone was worried you'd fall." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She looked confused. "Seeing I'm the best at climbing, I was sent up. I got hold of your arm and you started throwing yourself about. Nearly sent us both out of the tree." Tori looked down to see people crowding around the base of the tree. From where she and Kyou were, the people on the ground couldn't see them. She put her finger to her lips and moved close, her movements similar to that morning.
"Tell them I'm fine." She whispered in his ear. "I just have something I have to do." He frowned at her, shaking his head. "You owe me!" She whispered fiercely. "I have this feeling. Just stay up here until I can get to my room then go and talk to them." She moved along the branch and climbed up until she reached the roof. Going over to where her window was silently, she climbed inside, snuck downstairs, and was about to go into the surrounding trees when a voice called her name. She turned around to see Haru walking towards her. He feeling was puuling her so strongly I took all her will to stand still.
"Tori, what are you doing?" She looked back at the forest longingly.
"Someone's calling." she stated in a deadpan voice.
-----
"I'll go get you some clothes." She whispered. He opened his mouth, but she clapped her hand over it before he could speak. "Stay here. I'll be right back." She climbed down the branches and walked into the house casually, fending off any questions offhandedly. She walked into the laundry, picked out the cleanest of Kyou's clothes and walked upstairs, avoiding the others who lived there. She walked out onto the balcony of her room, extended her wings and flew to the tree. She handed Kyou his clothes, turning around so she didn't see anything.
Tori had gotten used to this kind of occurrence where she lived. She got so used to it, in fact, that when she went to work, she subconsciously dodged and avoided touching the opposite sex. Kyou placed his hand on her shoulder, and she turned back around. She leant towards his ear again.
"If you tell anyone where I go to, I will have to give Shigure and Ayame some embarrassing photos I happened to come across." Leaning back to see his reaction, she smiled. "I'm glad you understand." She whispered. A bird hopped along the branch and onto Tori. It moved up her arm, finishing on her shoulder. Kyou frowned slightly and leaned forward.
"Why do you come here?" He asked. She didn't look at him, and answered so he could only just hear her.
"It's where I belong." She turned to him, her eyes a misty grey. "You know, off the ground; closer to the sky." She turned away from him and looked through the leaves. She dropped off her branch before he could think of a reply and looked back up to him. "You may want to think of an excuse for where you got those clothes." She called and walked towards the front of the house. A breeze picked up, blowing her white dress and making the bird hide under her hair. As she walked around the corner, she saw the car pull into the driveway. As the people exited it, the bird flew off, and she watched it fly away thoughtfully.
Suddenly, a hand covered her eyes, making her jump and spin around. Hatsuharu smiled and held out a white box with a black ribbon tied around it. "Happy Birthday." He said quietly. She took the box and pulled him around the side of the house, away from the noise. When she opened the box, her eyes widened as she pulled out the green ring she gave Haru ages ago, with a new leather thong on it. She turned to Haru as he put it on her.
"How did you know?" she asked quizzically. He smiled a mysterious smile and shrugged his shoulders.he took her hand and led her inside. As they got to the door, he turned to her and leaned in to her.
"No one else knows." He studied her closely. "Was that the right thing to do?" She nodded, smiling, and they walked inside.
-----
Tori was up in her tree again. Shigure, Yuki, Tohru and Kyou were used to this, but Momiji was looking for her. Seeing him walking past, she climbed higher, accidentally making the branches move. She froze as he looked at the tree, hoping he wouldn't guess it was her. Suddenly she had an idea. She poked a sleeping backbird on the branch near her. I woke up and grumpily cawed at her. Looking down at Momiji, she saw he thought it must have been a bird and walked off. She kissed the bird on the head and settled down for a rest.
-----
She was at the top of a tree on a hill, looking down at a small town. Look around, she saw a wood surrounding the hill, with no trees except the one she was in growing on the hill. Deciding to have a look around, Tori climbed down the tree. As she stepped away from it, the tree she was in seemed to grow, so instead of being able to reach the bottom branches, all she could see was trunk. She walked down to the wood, and as she walked down the hill, a wind picked up. The wind seemed to blow harder as she got closer to thetrees, as if it was trying to stop her going to them
She finally made it to the trees. As she placed her hand on a tree trunk, she heard something. She let go of the tree and looked around quickly. Not seeing or hearing anything, she put her hand on the tree again. She heard the sound again. As she started to look around, she realised it wasn't a sound, it was more of a feeling. Looking at the tree she felt something pulling at her, lureing her into the wood. She stepped into the trees. As she walked past the first line of trees, all the light seemed to disappear from the wood. It was pitch black; she couldn't see a thing. Yet the feeling still pulled at her. She kept walking, keeping her arms outsretched so she didn't run into a tree. All of a sudden the ground started rumbling and things started moving. The feeling was still there, but Tori was too scared to keep going. She reached out for a branch to hold, but instead of a tree, she grabbed hold of something living. Whatever she held onto moved towards her, calling her name...
-----
Tori woke up to see Kyou looking worried. He was holding onto her shoulders, and it seemed as if he was having trouble staying on the branch. She saw she was holding onto his arm, and let go abruptly. He grabbed the branch above and steadied himself.
Kyou looked at Tori closely, and after he got his balance he thought he saw a wild look in her eyes, like an animal that's been trapped. But he looked again and it was gone. She'd moved closer to him, looking suspicious.
"What are you doing up here?" Kyou frowned and climbed down to a thicker branch. She followed, repeating her question. "Why are you up here?"
"Because everyone was worried you were going to fall out." She looked at him, surprised, and he continued. "You went to sleep, and started calling out something. The little brat heard you and got us. You'd started climbing in your sleeep, if that's possible, and everyone was worried you'd fall." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She looked confused. "Seeing I'm the best at climbing, I was sent up. I got hold of your arm and you started throwing yourself about. Nearly sent us both out of the tree." Tori looked down to see people crowding around the base of the tree. From where she and Kyou were, the people on the ground couldn't see them. She put her finger to her lips and moved close, her movements similar to that morning.
"Tell them I'm fine." She whispered in his ear. "I just have something I have to do." He frowned at her, shaking his head. "You owe me!" She whispered fiercely. "I have this feeling. Just stay up here until I can get to my room then go and talk to them." She moved along the branch and climbed up until she reached the roof. Going over to where her window was silently, she climbed inside, snuck downstairs, and was about to go into the surrounding trees when a voice called her name. She turned around to see Haru walking towards her. He feeling was puuling her so strongly I took all her will to stand still.
"Tori, what are you doing?" She looked back at the forest longingly.
"Someone's calling." she stated in a deadpan voice.
-----