chapter 5: decision
As Tohru was flipping through the t.v. channels, the phone rang, startling her. She went over and picked it up.
"Hello?" she said.
The caller remained quiet before finally answering. "Honda...Tohru?"
Tohru was a bit surprised that the call was for her. "Um...yes, this is she," she answered tentatively.
"Are you alone?"
Tohru felt uneasy about this conversation. "Who...who is this, first?" she demanded.
"It's Hatori," the caller answered, relieving Tohru. "Oh, Hatori-san!" she said. "What are you—"
"You must come to the Main House," Hatori interrupted, "tomorrow after school. Don't tell Yuki about this."
"B-but, Hatori-san..." Tohru tried to object, but Hatori had hung up already. She didn't put down the phone immediately. "Hatori-san...?" Her hand felt numb. Something was definitely wrong here.
She had put down the telephone down just as she heard someone coming in the door. Tohru jerked her head up. "Oh, it's only you, Sohma-kun," she said.
Yuki could sense that she was upset for some reason. "What's wrong, Honda- san?" he inquired.
Tohru laughed nervously. "Oh, it's nothing," she lied, and turned to head over to her room. She paused, and added over her shoulder, "Sohma-kun, Uo- chan called when you were gone. She was wondering if I could go home with her and study for a test, so I'm not going home after school, ok?"
Yuki nodded, but was still unsure about Tohru. Nonetheless, he answered, "Ok."
Tohru smiled, then went to her room. She knew she needed some sort of excuse as to why she wasn't going to be walking home with Yuki."
Later on that evening, Shigure came home. Tohru noted that he didn't stay at the office that long.
"Why did you have to stay at the office longer than usual, Shigure-san?" she asked him when he came into the house. "Did something come up?"
Shigure shook his head, not looking down at her. "No," he said. "I just wanted to get more work done, Tohru-kun."
"Oh, ok," Tohru said. "Well, dinner's just about ready!" Shigure didn't answer; he just looked at her with an expression that Tohru couldn't quite understand. It seemed to be a combination of sadness and anger. Maybe he knows why Hatori-san wanted me to go to the Main House so urgently, she thought to herself.
Tohru, Shigure, and Yuki ate their dinner in an awkward silence. Yuki, who knew the least about what was going on, was the one who could notice the lack of conversation the most. Half of him wanted to get the other two to start talking, but he decided against it.
Tohru, meanwhile, didn't have a big appetite. Her mind felt scrambled. She looked over to Shigure, who was eating his food like nothing was wrong. He noticed that she was looking at him, so he said, almost to no one in particular, "You better eat up, Tohru-kun. Don't want this food to go to waste." Tohru nodded slowly in reply, and started eating.
That night, Shigure went upstairs, checked to make sure Tohru and Yuki were in bed, went into his room, and picked up the phone. He dialed Hatori's number.
After the phone rang for a few seconds, somebody picked up. "Hello, Shigure," Hatori answered.
Shigure was surprised, but he chuckled. "Well, well," he said, "now, just how did you know it was me?"
"You're the only who would be calling me at this time of night," Hatori answered sharply. "And I think I know why you called."
Shigure shook his head, remembering why he did call him in the first place. "Erm, right," he said. He regained his serious mood. "Listen, Hatori, I've been thinking about what you're planning to do, and I just think—"
"You are no longer the caretaker of Honda Tohru," Hatori said simply. "She's no longer your concern. You know that, Shigure."
"Y-yeah, but I think she's suspecting what's going on," Shigure said.
"Well, sure," Hatori replied. "She is, after all, a smart girl. Didn't you say so yourself? Anyways, that doesn't matter now. Has Yuki caught on?"
Shigure rubbed his forehead, and sighed. "No," he said. "He doesn't know a thing."
"Good," Hatori said. "The last thing we need is for him to get involved more than he already is." He then hung up the phone.
Shigure's head dropped in defeat. He turned off the phone, and dropped it on the bed. Walking to the door, he muttered to himself, "How did all of this happen so fast? I don't know how I can protect her anymore."
He put his hand on the doorknob, opened it, and found Tohru standing right outside the doorway, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Shigure-san," she sobbed, "What is going to happen to me?..." She reached her hand out to him, but he backed away from it.
"Go back to bed," he said. "There's nothing more I can do now. I'm sorry." He then shut the door.
Tohru slumped back to her room and laid in bed. She, however, wasn't able to fall asleep, so she stared out of the window until morning came around.
As Tohru was flipping through the t.v. channels, the phone rang, startling her. She went over and picked it up.
"Hello?" she said.
The caller remained quiet before finally answering. "Honda...Tohru?"
Tohru was a bit surprised that the call was for her. "Um...yes, this is she," she answered tentatively.
"Are you alone?"
Tohru felt uneasy about this conversation. "Who...who is this, first?" she demanded.
"It's Hatori," the caller answered, relieving Tohru. "Oh, Hatori-san!" she said. "What are you—"
"You must come to the Main House," Hatori interrupted, "tomorrow after school. Don't tell Yuki about this."
"B-but, Hatori-san..." Tohru tried to object, but Hatori had hung up already. She didn't put down the phone immediately. "Hatori-san...?" Her hand felt numb. Something was definitely wrong here.
She had put down the telephone down just as she heard someone coming in the door. Tohru jerked her head up. "Oh, it's only you, Sohma-kun," she said.
Yuki could sense that she was upset for some reason. "What's wrong, Honda- san?" he inquired.
Tohru laughed nervously. "Oh, it's nothing," she lied, and turned to head over to her room. She paused, and added over her shoulder, "Sohma-kun, Uo- chan called when you were gone. She was wondering if I could go home with her and study for a test, so I'm not going home after school, ok?"
Yuki nodded, but was still unsure about Tohru. Nonetheless, he answered, "Ok."
Tohru smiled, then went to her room. She knew she needed some sort of excuse as to why she wasn't going to be walking home with Yuki."
Later on that evening, Shigure came home. Tohru noted that he didn't stay at the office that long.
"Why did you have to stay at the office longer than usual, Shigure-san?" she asked him when he came into the house. "Did something come up?"
Shigure shook his head, not looking down at her. "No," he said. "I just wanted to get more work done, Tohru-kun."
"Oh, ok," Tohru said. "Well, dinner's just about ready!" Shigure didn't answer; he just looked at her with an expression that Tohru couldn't quite understand. It seemed to be a combination of sadness and anger. Maybe he knows why Hatori-san wanted me to go to the Main House so urgently, she thought to herself.
Tohru, Shigure, and Yuki ate their dinner in an awkward silence. Yuki, who knew the least about what was going on, was the one who could notice the lack of conversation the most. Half of him wanted to get the other two to start talking, but he decided against it.
Tohru, meanwhile, didn't have a big appetite. Her mind felt scrambled. She looked over to Shigure, who was eating his food like nothing was wrong. He noticed that she was looking at him, so he said, almost to no one in particular, "You better eat up, Tohru-kun. Don't want this food to go to waste." Tohru nodded slowly in reply, and started eating.
That night, Shigure went upstairs, checked to make sure Tohru and Yuki were in bed, went into his room, and picked up the phone. He dialed Hatori's number.
After the phone rang for a few seconds, somebody picked up. "Hello, Shigure," Hatori answered.
Shigure was surprised, but he chuckled. "Well, well," he said, "now, just how did you know it was me?"
"You're the only who would be calling me at this time of night," Hatori answered sharply. "And I think I know why you called."
Shigure shook his head, remembering why he did call him in the first place. "Erm, right," he said. He regained his serious mood. "Listen, Hatori, I've been thinking about what you're planning to do, and I just think—"
"You are no longer the caretaker of Honda Tohru," Hatori said simply. "She's no longer your concern. You know that, Shigure."
"Y-yeah, but I think she's suspecting what's going on," Shigure said.
"Well, sure," Hatori replied. "She is, after all, a smart girl. Didn't you say so yourself? Anyways, that doesn't matter now. Has Yuki caught on?"
Shigure rubbed his forehead, and sighed. "No," he said. "He doesn't know a thing."
"Good," Hatori said. "The last thing we need is for him to get involved more than he already is." He then hung up the phone.
Shigure's head dropped in defeat. He turned off the phone, and dropped it on the bed. Walking to the door, he muttered to himself, "How did all of this happen so fast? I don't know how I can protect her anymore."
He put his hand on the doorknob, opened it, and found Tohru standing right outside the doorway, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Shigure-san," she sobbed, "What is going to happen to me?..." She reached her hand out to him, but he backed away from it.
"Go back to bed," he said. "There's nothing more I can do now. I'm sorry." He then shut the door.
Tohru slumped back to her room and laid in bed. She, however, wasn't able to fall asleep, so she stared out of the window until morning came around.