The group divided to go to the appropriate stores by gender. They agreed to meet at a coffee shop located roughly in the middle of the distance between the two shops.
Tohru and Kagura chattered about how adorable Kisa looked in the clothes she tried on. Once Kisa decided on an outfit, Kagura and Tohru began looking for theirs. Kagura tried on dozens of dresses. Tohru was more hesitant. After Kagura finally chose one, she and Kisa helped Tohru find a dress. Eventually, Tohru found one she liked, and the three paid together. The three girls exited the store, each carrying a bag with her outfit neatly folded inside.
Walking to the café, they passed a toy store. Kisa stopped to look in the window.
"Do you want to go into the store, Kisa?" Tohru asked. Kisa nodded. "We have, time, don't we?" Tohru then inquired of Kagura.
"Of course!"
They strolled past shelves upon shelves of games, dolls, and other various playthings. Suddenly Kagura released an enthusiastic squeal and grabbed an item from a shelf of stuffed animals. She then held her prize up for Kisa and Tohru to see. In her tight grasp, Kagura held an orange cat. "Doesn't it look just like Kyo?" Kisa nodded and Tohru smiled. Kagura crushed the toy to her chest in an affectionate, if not tender, embrace. "It's so cute! I'm going to buy it!" She declared, then proceeded to the cashier.
Tohru bent down to Kisa's level. "Is there anything you want, Kisa?"
Large, brown eyes scanned the shelves. Then Kisa lifted her finger to point to a high shelf. Looking to where she indicated, Tohru saw that the shelf was certainly too tall for Kisa. Standing on the tips of her toes, Tohru could barely reach the self. Grasping at an action figure, she asked Kisa, "This one?" At Kisa's nod, Tohru brought the toy down from its place and handed it to the little girl.
Kisa's eyes brightened as she gazed at the figure. "This is the character from Hiro's favorite anime." Kisa raised her eyes to look at Tohru and she smiled. "Thanks, Sissy."
Tohru smiled back. "You're welcome, Kisa." Tohru held out her hand. "Come on, let's go pay for it."
Leaving the store, two of the three now carried an additional bag. They continued their walk. Passing by a flower shop, Tohru halted abruptly, and a thoughtful look came across her face.
"Tohru?" Kagura questioned. Kisa's face held an inquiring look as well.
Tohru flashed them a quick smile. "I'll be right back," she assured them. Then she disappeared into the store. Moments later, she returned carrying an additional bag herself.
"What'd you get, Tohru?" Kagura asked excitedly.
"It's a surprise," Tohru said with a secretive smile.
Kagura pouted, but then shrugged and smiled. "Okay. Let's go meet the guys! I want to show Kyo what I bought at the toy store!"
"And you have something for Hiro, don't you, Kisa?" Tohru said.
The older girls smiled at the light blush that colored Kisa's cheeks.
They resumed their route to the designated meeting place. Soon they heard a familiar voice call out their names.
"Tohru, Kisa, Kagura! Over here!" Momiji exclaimed, waving at them from the café across the street. The boys had claimed a table and were seated around it. Kyo was pulling Momiji down from standing in his chair. The others smiled in greeting.
The girls returned Momiji's wave. Kagura and Kisa then began to run towards the others, eager to show off what they had purchased. Tohru followed at a more leisurely pace, smiling as she watched them.
"Kyo, look what I got!" Kagura shouted. Kyo huffed, and, crossing his arms, looked away.
"I bought you something, Hiro," Kisa said shyly. Hiro's cheeks pinked slightly.
Tohru smiled lovingly at them. Movement seen from the corner of her eye made her turn her head to look, and her smile faded from her face. Tohru's world seemed to slow. A car driving recklessly fast was coming down the road. Following its course with her eyes, Tohru's gaze landed on Kisa and Kagura, who were oblivious to the danger.
"Kisa!"
"Kagura!"
The boys had noticed the car, too. They were scrambling to stand from the table and reach the two girls in time.
Kisa and Kagura stopped their sprint across the street. Turning, they saw the threat that was horrifyingly near.
Tohru's fingers released their grip on the handles of her bags. The packages fell, now forgotten, to the ground. Tohru took a few running steps, her arms stretched before her, to place a hand on their backs—one hand on each—and she pushed.
Kagura and Kisa were propelled forward several unbalanced steps before falling hard onto the ground. The space was far enough.
Tohru scarcely had time to turn her head towards the car before…
"Tohru!"
The bag containing the flowers had fallen on its side, spilling various colored flowers around the bag containing the dress.
A cell phone rang in a house surrounded by trees. The doctor with dirty brown hair covering one eye answered it. A voice spoke quickly and loudly from the phone. The one visible eye widened in fear.
Ayame and Shigure quelled their mischievous teasing and apprehensively watched their friend.
"Calm down," Hatori spoke into the receiver. But the two could tell that Hatori was having difficulty maintaining his composure himself. "I'll be there right away." He was standing before he hung up.
Hatori's anxiety infecting them, Shigure and Ayame also stood. To their questioning looks Hatori said, "We have to get to the hospital." He did not look at them. "Tohru was hit by a car."
A/N: I apologize. After the long wait, this chapter is a bit short. However, I was not completely at fault. I had the chapter written, and I was very happy with it, but when I went to save it, Word crashed, and the file disappeared. I am not so much of an idiot that I did not save it beforehand. I did. Nevertheless, the file was nowhere to be found on my computer. I rewrote it as best I could, but I do not think this is as good as the original. Too bad I'll never know. Also, I was not sure how to describe Hatori's hair. Does anyone have a better suggestion? Again, sorry for the delay!
Dark Inu Fan: Yes, he was supposed to Thanks for the review and sorry for the wait!
dreamcaster555: I am glad you like my story. It is not over yet, but the end looms near, I'm afraid. Sorry I took so long to update!
Helbaworshipper: Thank you! I hope you like this chapter, too!
Placid Snowflake: Thanks so much for reviewing! I am sorry you had to wait so long for this chapter.
lhuntathraeil: I hope you had a happy birthday, although almost a month has passed. Sorry about that. And, yes, Ritsu will appear at least once more. Thanks for the review!
Butterfly Girl Sarah: Thanks! I am happy you think so. I hope you continue to enjoy my fiction.
Chaaan: Thank you very much! I try very hard not to change the characters from how they were originally created to be. After all, that is usually why we become fans of the anime or manga, isn't it? Because we like the characters? So, thank you again! I am sorry this chapter took so long!
PD and KGIM: Thanks! I hope the chapter was worth the wait.?yukifan-girl14: Thank you so much for the kind review! I would love to read your stories when I have time, but lately I have been very busy. (Hence the update delay.) I am very happy that you like my fiction. You should keep writing, too. Thanks, again!
SelenityPotter: I hope you have not gone insane from the wait. I am very sorry about that. I hope this chapter was at least somewhat worth it. Thank you for your review!
i love athrun: Thank you. There will not be many more chapters. Thanks for reviewing!