Yay! I'm updating a day earlier than I said I would! Thank you empty pagesxo and dreamcloud516 for being the only ones who reviewed my second chapter! Ahh…I hope I get more feedback this time. Please enjoy this chapter, and please review! Thank you!
Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fruits Basket, nor do I have any association with Natsuki Takaya, Hakusensha publishers, Hana to Yume Magazine, or TOKYOPOP (I wish I did!).
Chapter Three: Thinking It Over
For the next few days, nothing new came up in Tohru's mind. She went about her daily routine, and so did Kyo. He, nor Tohru, did not mention anything of Tohru's new discoveries to Yuki and Shigure, for fear of getting the whole family involved. The two hadn't brought up the matter to each other for these passing days, but they still kept it in their heads. Tohru felt little pinches of guilt and shame inside her for keeping a secret from the other members of the house, but to avoid starting commotion, she kept quiet. Kyo didn't seem to mind; it was good to know something that was only between him and Tohru. Once in a while, Tohru would periodically whisper thank you's to Kyo for helping her on the road to remembering her past. Even though she now knew about her father, Tohru felt that there were still so many things that she hadn't uncovered yet. And she was determined to find out.
Sometimes Tohru would think hard. She would look deep inside her mind for anything that could help her recall some of her childhood. She often got nothing, but once in a while she would hear children's voices…Voices that were new to her. Now she was getting somewhere! Maybe she had a lot more friends than she thought when she was younger. Hopefully, she would regain the memory and remember. But the thing that she questioned over and over again was: How? How, all of the sudden, did she begin to remember these sorts of things? Why did they start coming up now, and how come she didn't remember them before? That was yet another thing she wanted, and needed, to find out.
It was now Friday, two more days before Tohru would have a full day to ponder this all. Friday morning flew by without incident, and school was the same as always. Arisa and Saki invited her to go shopping with them once school dismissed, but Tohru politely declined and said she needed to work. Arisa and Saki both understood.
Now Tohru was home, doing her left over work from school. She had no trouble with it tonight, and she finished it right away. Then it was time for cleaning…Cleaning Shigure's room to be exact. Earlier in the morning Shigure had requested for Tohru to clean his bedroom before she did all of the household chores later in the evening.
"Sure I can!" Tohru chimed in response. Yuki and Kyo could only comment by sending Shigure deadly looks of anger. "Who the hell would wanna clean your room?" Kyo said, shoving rice into his mouth. "It's disgusting in there…It makes the city dump look clean." Yuki nodded. "For once, I agree with you, stupid cat." Kyo tightened his grip on the chopsticks he held in his hand. "Don't call me stupid!" Shigure waved his arms and began to cry to Tohru, playfully of course. "Tohru-kun! Don't listen to them! Clean my room! Please!?" Tohru happily nodded and began to clean the table. "She doesn't understand," Yuki muttered to Kyo. "She's just like that…If someone asks her to do something for them, she'll do it without question." Kyo got up and headed out of the kitchen. "You don't need to tell me that," he spat out. "I already know."
Tohru now stood before the door of Shigure's bedroom. She slipped on some yellow rubber gloves, had a trashcan by her side, mop in hand, and was ready to clean. This could be more worse than cleaning the kitchen when I first came here, Tohru thought. But I have to do this for Shigure-san! He has so much to do with writing his novels, and Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun shouldn't be bothered with something that I'm supposed to do anyway! I'll make the best of it and make like I'm just warming up for work! She picked up the trashcan with the mop still in her hand and push opened the door to Shigure's bedroom. Tohru scanned it from wall to wall…It was worse than she thought. Piles and piles of paper balls mounted in the center of the floor, and clothes were everywhere. Kimonos, suits, you name it. Tohru couldn't even find his bed. On his computer desk there were bags of gummies, stains from who knows what, a myriad of pens and pencils, a keyboard, and a monitor whose screen was foggier than a window in an old deserted house. Tohru didn't know how Shigure could sleep in this room, but she was going to make sure he didn't have to anymore. First, she needed to open a window because it was extremely stuffy in there. "Let's see if I can find the window first," she said to herself in a nervous tone. After searching the left wall, Tohru finally found the window behind a pile of kimonos. She decreased the size of the heap by gently taking off each kimono one by one, folding them before she placed them by her side. She could at least organize some of his clothing while trying to open the window, right? Once Tohru had opened the window after a few minutes of budging it, and felt the sweet ecstasy of the early evening breeze cascade her face, she was ready to clean Shigure's room. But the question was: where to start? Tohru decided to let her instinct decide for her.
She found herself walking over to the computer to throw out the bag of gummies that now looked stale and hard. She picked up the trash can and dropped each bag of candy in it, then focused her attention on sorting out the writing utensils. She searched the drawers of Shigure's desk and found a little box to put them all in. She then set that to the side and cleared off all the papers. Tohru didn't want to be nosy, nor did she want to throw out anything important, so she kept all of the neat papers and threw out the crumpled and ripped ones. The desk now began to look a little less uncluttered, but Tohru still needed to wipe it down, along with the monitor. Since she was going to save all of the scrubbing for later on, she then began to organize the drawers of the desk. "I hope this isn't invading Shigure-san's privacy," Tohru murmured to herself while throwing out all of the unnecessary things she found. "He did ask me to clean his room, but I still feel like I'm intruding on something." She thought of what Kyo or Yuki would say if she told them that, and Shigure too, so she quietly chuckled and continued what she was doing.
Now that the desk was neat and tidy, Tohru concentrated on clearing the floor and finding Shigure's bed. She brought over her trashcan to the center of the room and began to throw the paper balls in the wastebasket left and right. Several times she had to go out to the kitchen and empty the can because the paper began to overflow. Tohru had met up with Yuki in the kitchen, and he offered to help, but Tohru insisted that this was her job and that he should do his homework and do his own things. She also said that she didn't want to be a bother. Tohru had to empty the trash can in the kitchen a few times before the floor was finally cleared. Finally, she could see Shigure's bed! "Oh, his mattress is all lumpy! Shigure-san can't sleep on this! His back will begin to hurt!" She hurried out to Shigure's office and knocked on the door. "Shigure-san!" Tohru called from outside as she knocked. She heard Shigure get up and walk to the door. He opened it, and beamed when he saw Tohru standing there with yellow rubber gloves on, her head wrapped in a bandana, and a look of worry on her face. "Ah, Tohru-kun! My little housewife! Come in!" He moved to the side so she could walk into the room. She was surprised, and relieved, to see that the office was neat and tidy. Shigure sat down in his black leather chair and smiled sweetly at Tohru. "Having fun cleaning my room?" Tohru giggled and nodded. "Yes, it's very fun! I'm not having any trouble at all! Please don't think I'm being rude though, but I'm concerned about your mattress, Shigure-san. It's all lumpy, and I'm afraid you'll hurt your back on it! Please, I insist, sleep in my bed until you get a new one, and I'll sleep down here on a futon. I don't mind at all!" Shigure chuckled and patted Tohru gently on the head. "Ah, sweet, sweet, Tohru-kun. I'm already jealous of the man you're going to choose as your husband one day! I'm sure you'll treat him just like a king! How lucky Kyo-kun and Yuki-kun are, two of the fortunate candidates that can possibly become Tohru-kun's husband!" Tohru's mouth dropped open and she flailed her hands in front of her face, blushing like mad. "Oh, no! I mean, it's not that…I mean…Eh, Shigure-san…Um…Would you like to sleep in my bed?" Shigure shook his head and got up from his chair, escorting Tohru towards the door. "Don't worry about me. You just be a good girl, like you already are, and finish cleaning my room. I appreciate your offer very much, but I know that Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun will kill me if they find you sleeping down here on a futon!" He opened the door and lead Tohru into the hall. "Now, you just continue what you were doing and run along. I'm looking forward to a wonderful dinner tonight!" Then he shut the door, leaving Tohru out in the corridor. She sighed and walked back to Shigure's room to proceed with her cleaning.
Once she had finished clearing the floor, putting fresh new sheets on the bed, wiping down everything, and organizing all of his things, cleaning Shigure's room was finally complete. Tohru looked around the room and watched the floor sparkle before her, and she immediately felt satisfied and glad with her work. Now, she had to quickly make dinner because she had to leave for work in an hour and a half. She changed out of her cleaning clothes and put on her navy blue long-sleeved dress, which stopped about eight inches past her waistline. Tohru headed downstairs and made dinner for Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure, and they all ate it happily together. Next, Tohru had to leave for work for the rest of the night.
That night at work, Tohru had some assistance from Momiji. He playfully jumped around and helped Tohru mop the floor, clean the windows, and throw things out. The two laughed cheerfully together as they scrubbed the large clear windows that overlooked the bright city of Tokyo. Tohru and Momiji had fun pointing out all of the nicest and most fluorescent lights they could find, Momiji spotting most of them. Whenever Momiji helped Tohru while she worked, the time flew by extremely quickly. Three hours seemed like three minutes, and before she knew it, Tohru was walking home with Yuki, for Momiji had left a half hour earlier. When they got home, Tohru offered to make a cup of tea for Yuki, and he warmly accepted. For the remainder of the hour, Tohru and Yuki sat at the table and talked about miscellaneous topics.
"You know, we can start to pick strawberries for you soon," Yuki said as he sipped his tea. Tohru's face lit up as she clapped her hands together, uttering a small squeal. "Oh, I can't wait! I've been looking forward to that all winter! Yay!" Tohru clapped some more and Yuki smiled sincerely at the sight of her happiness. "I'm glad you are. I know how much you like strawberries, so I've been looking forward to it too." He lightly bowed his head, hiding his slightly pink face. Tohru giggled and smiled. "I can't wait…I would love to have some strawberries just about now!" She licked her top lip and closed her eyes, imagining the taste of strawberries lingering through her mouth at that moment. "Mmm..." She hummed to herself. "They taste so good!" Yuki laughed and brushed back some hair from the front of his face. "So, have you gotten together with Uotani-san and Hanajima-san lately? I know I haven't been around much because of student council meetings, but have they come over recently?" Shaking her head, Tohru took a sip of tea from the cup that was held in her hands. "No…Not lately," she said with a tone of disappointment in her voice. "They have asked me so many times to go shopping, or to go over one of their houses, but I've just been so busy. I feel so bad whenever I have to decline, but they just smile and say that they understand. I feel so awful about it!" As Tohru went on about how she felt bad, a thought popped up in Yuki's mind. He considered it, and knew that Tohru deserved a day to herself. "Honda-san," he said, politely interrupting. "Why don't you get together with Uotani-san and Hanajima-san on Sunday? You deserve a day off…Even more than one. You don't even have to check with Shigure. I'll ask for you." Tohru felt a grin smear across her face, but knew right away that she couldn't possibly abandon Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure on Sunday so she could be out with friends. Maybe they would be able to come there instead?
"Oh, I can't leave you, Kyo-kun, and Shigure-san home by yourselves! What if you need something? It's my duty to make sure we have everything we need! How about they come here instead? That way, if you three need anything, Uo-chan, Hana-chan, and I can go out to the store and buy it!" Yuki chuckling and shook his head, patting Tohru's hand that lay on the table. "Honda-san, we want to see you having a good time. We'll have everything under control. If we need any cooking, Kyo can make food for him and Shigure, and I'll buy take-out. As for the groceries, you can leave that to us." Tohru bit her bottom lip and looked around, as if the words she wanted to say were somewhere on the walls. "A-Are you sure? I don't want you to feel like I'm deserting you all!" Yuki smiled and shook his head slowly. Tohru returned his smile and nodded happily. "Okay then! Since I was going to visit grandpa on Sunday, I might as well have Uo-chan and Hana-chan come! Oh, this'll be fun!" Her head then turned to the clock and she got up and politely bowed to Yuki. "I have to get to bed!" she said. "Good night, Yuki-kun, and thank you so much! I'm looking forward to Sunday! I'll ask them tomorrow at school!" You bade her good night as well and watched her walk upstairs. He sighed and smiled, glad to make her happy.
The next day at school, Tohru invited Arisa and Saki to spend the day with her at her grandfather's. Being that they haven't gotten together in a while, Arisa and Saki accepted the invitation with open arms. They planned to go to Tohru's grandfather for two o'clock in the afternoon, after having lunch made by Tohru at Shigure's house first. Tohru thought that maybe—just maybe—she would tell them about her discussion with Kyo. It didn't involve the Sohma's curse, right? Then she would be free to tell them. But some thing held her back…She had to ask Kyo first.
Later on that night, Tohru got to talk to Kyo alone in the television room while Yuki was doing his homework, and Shigure was in his office.
"Kyo-kun?" she said as she walked into the room, dragging Kyo's attention away from the television. He turned and saw her, grabbed the remote from off the table, and shut it off. "Hey," he said as he folded his arms over his chest. Tohru smiled and sat down beside him. "Hi!" She now felt uncomfortable because she already knew that Kyo wanted to keep this between themselves, but Tohru wanted to see if he would let her tell Arisa and Saki. "Um, about what you told me a few days ago…I know you wanted to keep that just between us, but—"
"If you're thinking about telling that damn rat, you can forget it," Kyo demanded as he faced his back toward her. "He doesn't need to know all of your business." Tohru tucked a lock of brown hair behind one of her ears and twiddled her thumbs…This might be harder than she thought.
"Um, no, I wasn't going to ask if I could tell Yuki-kun," she took a deep breath. "I was wondering if maybe I could tell Uo-chan and Hana-chan. They're coming with me to my grandpa's house tomorrow, and I'm going to ask him more about my dad, so I was just wondering if I could tell them…If you don't want me to, I understand." She closed her eyes tightly and waited for him to yell something at her, but he never did. Instead, she heard him sigh in annoyance, yet also defeat, as he turned around to face her. "Why do you wanna tell them?"
She shrugged. "Oh, well, I don't know. Since they're my best friends, I guess I feel that they should know."
"What are you going to tell them exactly?"
"Well, um, I know Uo-chan would love hearing how my parents met! Hana-chan will probably enjoy it all…I guess I would tell them how my parents met, how they fell in love, what happened when they had me, how my dad passed away, and how Mom went through it all alone…"
"And what if they ask you where you got this all from?"
Tohru looked at him, perplexed. She hadn't thought about that. "I guess…Eh, what do you think I should tell them? I mean, if I do tell them, what should I say if they question it?" Kyo shrugged and drank from the carton of milk that seemed to magically appear in his hand. Tohru took a guess that he had it next to him the whole time and she didn't notice. "Just as long as you don't mention me, you can tell them anything," Kyo told her. "Make something up…Like, say your grandpa told you about it all." Tohru thought the idea was clever, but she didn't want to be dishonest with her friends. "But, my grandpa didn't tell me! What if he says something?"
"Then say it to them when he isn't around."
Tohru bit her lip again and tugged on the hem of her skirt. "I don't know…" Kyo sighed impatiently and got up, picking up the blanket he was sitting on, along with the carton of milk. "Look," he said. "If you want to tell them, okay, it's your business. But could you try not to tell them I told it to you? I don't want them bugging the crap outta me at school, you know?" Tohru laughed, because it was the truth. She knew that if Arisa and Saki were told that Kyo knew Kyoko and that he was friends with Tohru when they were little, he would be questioned left and right. Seeing Tohru giggle made Kyo grin, but only when he had turned and started for the kitchen.
"Kyo-kun!" Tohru called. Kyo turned around, his eyebrow raised. "Yeah?" Tohru stood up and smoothed out her skirt. "So, I can tell them?" She asked while clasping her hands together underneath her chin. For some reason, Kyo's face heated up, and he turned around and stomped into the kitchen. "Yeah, do whatever you want!" He hollered. Tohru barely jumped up and took a deep breath. "Thank you Kyo-kun," she whispered with a serene smile glued to her face. "You've helped me a lot these pass few days." With that, Tohru went up to her room to get ready for the next day, Sunday, which was the day she would be going to her grandfather's with Arisa and Saki.
The next morning, Tohru woke to see that it was raining outside. She got out of bed, dressed herself, and went downstairs to find Kyo groggily standing before the open refrigerator. He was mumbling something to himself, something that Tohru couldn't understand. He then slammed the door shut and shuffled passed Tohru, faltering, "Oy," before he walked out. Tohru wanted to ask him if he was feeling okay, but then remembered that rainy days make him extremely tired. She decided to start breakfast instead of worrying about it.
At twelve-thirty Arisa and Saki arrived. Shigure invited them in and motioned for them to go in the kitchen, for Tohru was working on preparing lunch for everyone. "Hey Tohru," Arisa said as she walked into the kitchen with Saki behind her. Beaming, Tohru turned around and hurried over to the two girls. "Uo-chan! Hana-chan! I'm so glad you could come! Did you get here okay? Please, make yourselves at home! I'm just about finished with making lunch!" Arisa and Saki smiled and settled themselves at the table while Tohru hurried to conclude making lunch. "Tohru-kun," Saki said. "Would you like some help?" Tohru shook her head and took some vegetables out of the refrigerator. "No, that's okay! I'm almost done anyway." Saki slowly nodded and left Tohru alone to finish. In moments to come, lunch was ready and on the table. Tohru called down Kyo and Yuki from upstairs, and Shigure came from his office. Yuki said hello to Arisa and Saki, but Kyo didn't say hello because he wasn't even aware of their presence at the table. Lunch went by smoothly, with many conversations about everyone's plans for the day, the weather, and about the upcoming new school year. Once lunch was finished, Arisa and Saki helped Tohru clean off the table, and then they headed off my Tohru's grandfather's house at one-thirty.
The walk to the house was cheerful and fun, for the rain had stopped while they were all eating lunch. Arisa cracked a few jokes here and there, Saki scared off some boys that wanted to make trouble with them, and the three girls talked about how nice the newly bloomed flowers looked. The walk took about twenty minutes, so they got there just in time. Tohru's aunt answered the door, and let Tohru, Arisa, and Saki inside, grimacing after Saki gave her a strange look. "The waves in this house don't seem very pleasant," she muttered to no one in particular. Tohru's aunt nervously walked them to the sitting room and invited them to sit down. "Eh, grandpa will be here in a minute," she told them. "I have to find him…" She exited the room and left Tohru, Arisa, and Saki alone to talk. Should I tell them now? Tohru asked herself, regarding telling her friends about her parents. Just as she opened her mouth, Tohru's grandfather shuffled into the room. Tohru jumped up. "Grandpa!" She ran over to him and gave him a warm, gentle hug. "I haven't seen you in a while! How are you doing?" Tohru's grandfather smiled, patting her on the back. "It's nice to see you too, Kyoko-san."
"I'm Tohru, grandpa."
"Right, Kyoko-san. Now you sit down with your friends and introduce me to them. "
Arisa laughed as Tohru sat down between her and Saki. "This is Arisa Uotani," Tohru said as her turned her head to Arisa. Arisa waved, and then Tohru turned her head to Saki. "And this is Saki Hanajima!" Saki quietly said, "Hello," before Tohru chimed, "They're my best friends!" Her grandfather smiled. "It's nice to meet you two." Arisa tilted up her chin quickly. "You too. Tohru's told us a lot about you." Saki nodded in agreement. "I'm sure I have heard a lot of you two also," Tohru's grandfather said in response. He got up and began to exit the room. "Eh, excuse me, grandpa?" Tohru asked as she got up and followed him to the doorway. "Um, where are you going?" He started down the hallway and turned around. "I'm going to look for Tohru-san, she should be making me lunch by now…" Then he turned around and walked away. Tohru stood there in confusion. "But…Aren't I Tohru…?" Arisa laughed again and patted the space next to her on the couch. "Come on Tohru," she said. "Us three haven't talked together in a while. Let's catch up." Saki stared into space and slowly nodded. "Yes, let's…" Tohru smiled nervously as she made her way to the couch. This is my chance…
"Uo-chan, Hana-chan, are you two interested in hearing about my parents? I…Grandpa told me about them once…But, um, I don't think he remembers telling me…"
"Kyoko-san and your…father? You actually found out something about him?" Arisa questioned, her eyes wide. "Well, come on! I'd like to hear about this man that Kyoko-san married! From what she used to tell us, it sounded as if he was the greatest man in the world!" Saki seemed concerned too, for she had turned her head towards Tohru and tuned out of her 'trance.'
"Well, I only know a little bit," Tohru began. "Just how they met, what they did when they had me, how my dad died…" Arisa shrugged. "Good enough for me!" Saki smiled. "Please, Tohru-kun, tell us. I would like to hear about Kyoko-san too." So Tohru told them. She told them how her father was a teacher, and Kyoko being one of his students. Arisa thought it was one of the most romantic things she had ever heard, a teacher and a student falling in love with each other. Tohru told them about Kyoko being beat up by her gang, Katsuya taking her out of the hospital, and them getting married. Arisa and Saki seemed to like that part. Then there was how Tohru was born, and then how Katsuya passed away. Once she was finished, the three were silent for a few minutes. A silent that wasn't comforting, yet wasn't aggravating.
"So…Your dad just went? Like that?" Arisa asked. She sounded annoyed. Tohru slowly nodded and Saki shook her head. "Poor Kyoko-san…Being left like that to raise a small little child, and with no experience." She looked up at Tohru and smiled. "But she did a very good job." Tohru mirrored her smile, and was glad that everything turned out well. She had been nervous about accidentally slipping out the truth that Kyo had told her all this, and not her grandfather. Arisa sighed and rested her elbow on the back of the couch, leaning her head in the palm of her hand. "How did Kyoko-san take it? I mean, it must've been pretty rough, right? She seemed so in love with your dad…It was probably devastating to lose someone that she loved so much…" Then she looked at Tohru and patted her on the shoulder. "But then again, why am I asking? You already know, unfortunately…" Tohru grinned and sighed. "I don't know. I don't think grandpa told me how she took it."
"She was pretty upset about it for a while, but then she figured that she had to get herself together and take care of you."
"Oh, wait, that's right," Tohru told herself. "I just, um, remembered! Grandpa said that Mom was upset about it for a while. Then she told herself that she had a little girl to take care of, so she stayed strong for me…And…She grew me up…With a smile on her face…Everyday…" Tohru felt her smile turning into a soft frown. How could she have not noticed her mother's pain when she was younger? How could she have not seen it? Tears began to leak from her eyes and she quickly covered her face with her hands, sobbing quietly. "Tohru?!" Arisa shouted. "What's the matter?" Saki put her hand on Tohru's back, patting it softly. "Tohru-kun, calm down…Your waves are shaky. I sense your pain…Please, tell us…" Tohru brought her hands down and looked at each girl. She covered her face again and shook her head. "Oh, Uo-chan, Hana-chan…I feel so awful!" Arisa straightened her shoulders, holding back her own tears from seeing Tohru cry. "But why? You don't like talking about it, do you? Oh gosh, Hanajima, what did we do?"
"No! It's not that! It's just that…I didn't even notice how hard it was for Mom. She was always happy, and I didn't even know what happened to my dad. I feel so bad!" Saki quietly hushed her, draping her long black braid over her shoulder. "Tohru-kun," she said gently. "Do you think Kyoko-san would be happy right now if she saw you crying like this? I think it was very responsible of her not to drown her own daughter with her troubles. She didn't act emotional about your father around you because she didn't want you to see her in distress. You were supposed to look up to her, and she wanted you to be happy…Not worrying about her dilemmas. And you were happy. There's nothing to cry about." Tohru looked up at Saki, and then at Arisa. Right then and there, she couldn't have asked for two better friends. She took their hands in hers and squeezed them. "I love you both so much," she said with a sniff. Arisa sniffed as well, and pressed herself against the back of the couch. "We love you too, Tohru. You know we'll always be here for you." Saki nodded. "Yes, don't worry…We'll be here for you, just like you've been for us."
The rest of their visit with Tohru's grandfather was fun for the girls. They went to the grocery store for Tohru's aunt, and helped out her grandfather around the house. Tohru felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She felt so relived that she told Arisa and Saki about her parents…They had helped her a great deal. But Tohru couldn't help but wonder how hard it really was for Kyoko. Would she cry in her bedroom at night after Tohru went to sleep? How had she felt when they went to visit his grave at the temple every Sunday? Tohru wish she knew. She wished her mother shared her problems with her, just as Kyo and Yuki do now with her. Mom is very strong, she thought to herself. And I want to be just like her.
Did you like it? I thought this was an interesting chapter. I like what Saki said about how it was responsible of Kyoko not to share her troubles with Tohru. I thought she would say something like that! This chapter was more like one of those kinds of chapters that are just thrown there for fun and seem like they have no meaning, but it isn't! I also had to give Tohru a little break from remembering everything. Next time, there will be more realizations! Thank you once again for reading this time, and I'll have the next chapter up next week!
-September Whisper