Konnichiwa, If you are reading this on December 20th then I got it updated on time. Sorry if I didn't though. Anyway, I am pleased to announce that I am officially 16! Yay me! Anyway, enough about me, on with the fic.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. ENJOY!
Chapter 8
Her Birthday (part 2)
Shigure went next. He had gotten her a medium sized black leather, hard cover notebook. There was something else there too.
"Shigure? What…what is this?" Tohru asked holding up a folded, manila colored sheet of paper.
"Open it up and you'll see." The Sohmas all stared at him, except for Hatori, who was there when he got it approved by Akito.
Tohru's eyes widened in shock and tears came to her eyes as she read the words imbedded on it.
"Shigure, (sniff) ha, has…adopted me. He is now my…legal guardian." Tohru choked out. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. It seemed like only a dream a dream she didn't want to wake up from if it was.
"Are you serious?" Kyo and Yuki asked shooting up from their seats.
"It says it right here. I'm… his daughter. Shigure how did you…"
"When we visited your grandfather, I asked him if he would give legal custody to me, since you are living with us now." Shigure smiled.
"Uo, Hana, can I have a minute with these guys? Please, I just…"
"Yeah sure, Well be in the kitchen getting your cake ready." Uo said happily. She was in shock as well, even she wasn't expecting this. But she couldn't be happier for her friend. She knew that Tohru would never forget her mom no matter where or whom she lived with.
As soon as Uo and Hana were out of the room Tohru couldn't help it anymore. She jumped off of her seat and hugged Shigure so tightly that it seemed she was choking him to death.
"Shigure, I…I don't know what to say." Tohru sobbed. All the Sohmas stared at them. She was hugging a black dog now, but that wasn't what they were shocked about. None of them had expected this.
"Akito actually approved of this? What's he planning? He never lets anyone join the family so easily." Yuki said dangerously, and Kyo nodded.
"I'll tell you boys later." Shigure (the dog) said.
Kyo and Yuki both nodded.
"Come on Shigure, let's get you upstairs before you change and everyone sees you." Hatori said picking up Shigure's kimono. Shigure left Tohru's grip and ran upstairs ahead of Hatori just in time before a purple puff of smoke and Poof.
"Okay, cake is ready!" Uo shouted happily. This was her favorite part. They all sat Tohru down in a chair and pushed the nicely made chocolate cake to her.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOHRU!"
They sang happy birthday and told her to make a wish.
'I wish…their curse could be lifted. I wish they could live a normal life. That's all I want.' Tohru thought with great hope. She blew out her candles and wished as hard as she could. Maybe, if she wished hard enough, it would come true…one day.
That night Tohru sat in bed. This was her new home. She even had a dad now. It was more than she could have ever hoped for and so much more. She didn't want to go to sleep in fear that if she did, she would wake up and find that it was only a dream.
'There is still one present I haven't opened yet.' Tohru thought as she took the white velvet box from the bedside table. She gulped slightly.
As she opened the box she gasped at its contents. It was a pendant necklace. It had an amethyst stone cut into the shape of a heart, surrounded by diamonds. She had told him once, it was her favorite, and it was her mother's birthstone.
Tears welled in her eyes for the second time that day.
"This, must have cost him a fortune. Am I really worth it?" Tohru said, not realizing that she was thinking out loud.
"Every penny." Tohru looked up at Kyo standing in the doorway. Her tears sparkling in the light from her night lamp, falling to her hands.
"Kyo?" Tohru said breathlessly. She could hardly speak. She climbed out of bed and walked up to him.
"I remembered when you told me that you liked that stone, because it was your mother's birthstone. I thought you might want it so I…" Tohru reached up and pulled him into a loving kiss, not letting him finish his sentence.
He wanted so badly to wrap his arms around her and pull her closer towards him. But he couldn't and it was killing him.
"I love you." Tohru said before saying anything else.
"I love you, too. I wanted your birthday to be special." Kyo whispered.
"I know. This is the nicest gift anyone has ever given me."
"Shigure's was better."
"He gave me a father. There is nothing that can beat that, but…This, is the best thing anyone had ever given me." Tohru giggled.
"Thank you." She whispered and kissed him briefly before saying goodnight.
Kyo walked to his room and shut the door silently. He flopped on to his bed and sighed.
"Did Kyo get a kiss from TorTor?" Momiji asked playfully from his bed. Kyo's eyes widened and he shot straight up.
"How-how do you know these things?" Kyo asked.
"I see everything, I know all that goes on in this house." Momiji said playfully.
"Whatever." He crawled under the covers and fell asleep. Momiji squealed to himself for figuring it out.
FRIDAY!!!
"Come on class, lets see those permission slips." Their teacher said. He walked around picking up every permission slip, signed and accounted for.
"Good, I have taken the liberty of informing your chaperones of the rules. You will be assigned into groups of 7. I will read the groups. Kazami, Yamataki, Kitaru…" Their teacher went on and on, calling out names for each group and their chaperones.
"Group 5, Tohru, Uo, Hana, Yuki, Kyo, Haru, Momiji. Your chaperone will be Shigure Sohma. Okay, now that the groups are out of the way, I will inform you of the rules."
"1. Each group will be assigned two rooms, One for the boys and one for the girls.
2. There is a curfew. All students must be in the building by 9:00. Lights out will be 11.
3. Students are not allowed to bring, any sort of weapon along with them, fake or not.
4. Have fun!"
The people shouted and cheered as their teacher finished.
"Wait! Be here at 5:00 a.m. The bus will pick us up. With your chaperones, please."
School let out and Tohru walked home happily with Kyo and Yuki. She was wearing the necklace Kyo had given her, only taking it off when she took a shower.
"What are we going to do when we get there? A whole 2 weeks in the America's! Uo you must be excited." Tohru said happily.
"Oh, yeah! I can't wait!"
"Great. I would like to see the sites. Do you know which part of America we are going to?" Hana asked.
"I hope its California? Or maybe Hawaii? Or maybe it will be Florida! That would be so much fun. I could finally see a beach! The real ocean! Now that would be something to see." Tohru said excitedly.
"Do you really think we will be going there?" Momiji asked.
"Well, I don't know really, but wherever we go, as long as we're together I will have all the fun in the world." Tohru smiled at him.
Yuki looked down at her.
'She really is happy with us. Shigure asked me not to press the matter of who she likes more on her, and right now, I don't really want to know. I'm happy just being with her.' Yuki smiled and walked on.
'A whole two weeks in the America's with Tohru. This should be interesting.' Kyo thought.
Tohru looked at both of them.
"Um…uh…are you two alright?"
Kyo and Yuki looked at Tohru with confused looks.
"Of course Ms. Honda, why do you ask?" Yuki asked quizzically.
"Well…um…you two haven't been…um…well, I mean, you two…haven't said a word. I'm just a little worried that's all." Tohru said nervously.
"I was just wondering if…it was…something I…did." She continued.
"Oh, of course not Ms. Honda. You did nothing. I was just thinking, that's all." Yuki smiled, happy that she was worried about him. Well, he wasn't happy-happy that she was worried, he was just happy she was paying attention to him again.
"So Ms. Honda, once we get home do you want to plant your seeds?" Yuki asked kindly.
" Are you sure that's alright? I mean it is almost fall."
"Oh, your right. We sure don't want your plants to die so early. Don't worry I'm sure the school will allow us to use the green house. I'll just get permission from the president and then we will plant them in there. Will that be alright with you Ms. Honda?" Yuki asked.
Tohru smiled brightly. "Of course. That would be great. Maybe even the strawberries will be good. I can't wait." She said excitedly. She skipped along side Momiji.
When they got home, Shigure was already there, waiting for them.
"Ah, the flower of our lives return. How was your day?" Shigure asked kissing her on the cheek.
"It was great. We got the details to the trip and found out that we can go wherever we want as long as we're back by 9. I think this is going to be the best rip ever. I get to go with my family!" Tohru said excitedly jumping up and down, Momiji next to her.
" I'm glad you are excited about this trip. But, the only problem is, Akito doesn't know about the trip yet." Shigure said in an almost depressed way.
"Even I need to get permission to go." Shigure said.
"You too Shigure? Hmm… Then I will go with you to get permission." Tohru said happily. All the boys looked at her with demanding eyes.
"No, you are not flower. You are not going anywhere near that tainted house unless you have too."
" Oh, but I do. I'm a part of this family now. So doesn't that mean I have to get permission too?" Tohru asked with a smile. Shigure stared sternly down at her loving face and his expression softened.
" Tohru, I don't want you to get hurt. That is why I want you to stay here where it's safe."
"Oh, please Shigure. I wanted to visit Akito anyway. He never gets any visitors, so I thought I'd pay him a visit." Tohru said thoughtfully.
He stared at her for a moment and then looked around to Kyo. He was glaring at him, but was not exactly looking at him. Shigure sighed heavily in defeat and nodded.
"Alright, but you are to stay with at least one of us the entire time. Promise?" Shigure said cupping her chin in his hand.
Tohru smiled with joy. "I promise!"
"Good. We will go tomorrow night then." Shigure said sitting back down, defeated. The rest of the Sohmas went up to their bedrooms, all except for Kyo.
" Think I will start dinner now. What should we have today. Oh! This would be a perfect time to invite Hatori over for dinner. I think I'll go call him!" Tohru bounded off towards the phone to call the estate. It was a good thing that the phone was in the living room.
Kyo turned to Shigure.
"What were you thinking?!" He asked rather calmly. He sounded like Hatori almost.
"Its very hard to say no to her, as you very well know." Shigure teased.
"This is different! This is Akito we're talking about! You know what he's capable of. If she strays away from us for just a minute he could…"
"Don't you think I know that! I wouldn't just let her go if I wasn't so sure that you would be by her side at all times, if not you than Yuki." Kyo glared at him. A few seconds later Tohru came frolicking in, as happy as could be.
"Hatori said he'd be here in a few minutes. It took a while but I finally got him to say yes. He's bringing Kisa and Haru as well. Kyo…what's wrong?" Tohru asked as soon as she realized that he was glaring at Shigure.
His expression softened in an instant and he looked down at her.
"Nothing, I'm fine. I just don't want you to get hurt that's all." Kyo smiled and then turned to leave the room.
Shigure shook his head. Tohru was grabbing the cookbook that Hatori had given her off the shelf.
'He really has changed.' Shigure thought happily as he watched Tohru flip through the cookbook.
"How does…pork steak sound? Covered in barbecue sauce, with Mexican style corn and baked potatoes?" Tohru asked thoughtfully. Shigure's mouth was watering.
"Oh, that sounds so good. Is it new?"
"It's American. By the picture it looks really good. I just have to run to the store really quick and get some BBQ sauce. Would you like to come?"
"I'm sorry flower but I must stay and greet our oncoming guests. But I'm sure one of the boys would love to go with you." Shigure said.
"Oh, okay." Tohru said happily as she pranced out of the kitchen and up the stairs to Kyo's room. She knocked three times.
"Kyo, I'm going to the store to get some ingredients for tonight's dinner, do you want to come?" She asked cheerfully. But there was no answer.
"Kyo, is every thing alright?" She still got no answer. She creaked the door open and peered inside.
"Kyo?" She walked inside to find no one was there.
She looked around the room for any clues as to where he had gone. Then she heard just the slightest creak coming from the roof. She sighed and walked out of the room.
"Ms. Honda, I will go with you if you like." Yuki offered.
"Okay. Let me get my jacket." Tohru ran into her room and grabbed a light jacket and followed after Yuki.
"Shigure, I'm going to the store. I'll be back in a few minutes." Tohru called from the door waving.
"Have fun."
Tohru walked outside next to Yuki and turned to the roof. Just barely visible was an orange haired Kyo sitting on the roof staring up at the sky. Tohru persisted to tell Kyo where she was going but Yuki stopped her.
"You wouldn't want to be late when Hatori gets here. We better hurry." Yuki said before Tohru opened her mouth to yell to him.
"Oh, your right! We must hurry!" She started to run towards the store, Yuki behind her.
It was just about 6 when they got back from the store.
"Sorry we're so late. The lines were so long that it took forever to get out of there." Yuki called in the house. Tohru took her jacket off and walked into the kitchen to find Hatori, Kisa, Haru and Kyo sitting at the table with Shigure.
"Oh, Hatori-san! Kisa, Haru, it's so great to see you all again. I hope you haven't been waiting too long." Tohru bowed apologetically.
"No, no, we actually just got here." Hatori said.
"Hey sissy!" Kisa ran up to Tohru and hugged her middle tightly.
"Hello Kisa. How was school?" Tohru asked setting down the bag of ingredients.
"It was great, we drew pictures and we read a book. I got a hundred on my reading test too!" Kisa said excitedly.
"That's wonderful, what did you draw?"
"I drew a picture of a tiger!" Kisa said excitedly.
"Really, did your teacher like it?"
"Yes, very much. He was very pleased to see my drawing." Kisa smiled.
Tohru patted her on the head.
"I'm very happy that all of you are here." Tohru said happily.
"So what is this big surprise dinner you are cooking up?" Haru asked.
"Well, it's still a secret. I don't want to tell you yet. Just know that it involves pork."
Tohru shooed them out of the kitchen and into the living room. Kisa wanted to stay and learn how to cook from Tohru. So only she got to stay. Kyo went back up onto the roof, Shigure and Hatori engaged in conversation, and Yuki and Haru started to watch TV.
Kyo sat near the kitchen, whatever she was cooking, it smelled great and it definitely did not have any onions in it, or leeks.
Tohru was humming again and it sounded happier than ever. He closed his eyes and let the soothing melody sink in. Oddly sleep started to overcome him and he nearly fell asleep if it were not for Tohru stopping. He looked around for any sign that would make her stop.
"Kyo, could you come down and help me?!" Tohru called from the ladder. He got up and looked down at her. He blushed and started to climb down.
Tohru smiled at him and walked back into the kitchen. Kisa was at the stove, standing on a chair stirring a think reddish sauce.
"Sissy, is it ready yet?"
"I don't know, we have our second opinion though." Tohru smiled happily. Kyo looked down at her in utter confusion and shock.
She grabbed a small spoon and took a little of the sauce and blew on it.
"I was hoping to get your opinion on how this tastes. Please try it. I think it's good, but I don't know. So, please…would you?" Tohru asked blushing.
"Uh…sure." Kyo blushed as he opened his mouth to taste it. He swallowed it and immediately finished the rest.
"So…what do you think?" Tohru asked anxiously, awaiting his reaction.
" I think it's great. What is it?"
"It's some of that BBQ sauce and a few of my own little spices. It's going on the meat." Tohru said.
"Well…uh…could I maybe…I'm mean could you maybe…teach me how to cook…like this?" Kyo asked awkwardly. Tohru looked at him for a moment and then was overcome with joy and happiness.
"Of course I'll teach you. Kisa is getting the hang of it so well. Here, if you want you can help me get the corn and potatoes ready." Tohru went over to the fridge and pulled out one red and one green bell pepper.
"If you would like, you can cut these into small pieces so I can mix it in with the corn. But only cut maybe a 4th of each because we want some of the natural flavoring of the corn." Tohru started to cut the corn off of the cob and put it into a bowl, adding sugar and pinches of salt every few stirs. Kyo started to cut them into small cubes.
"Sissy, I think it's done. The sauce is starting to boil."
"Oh, good, now we can put it on the pork steaks." Tohru ran over to Kisa and, with a hot pad, picked it off of the stove and grabbed a glazing brush.
"Here Kisa, be very careful, dip this into the sauce and just start painting it on. Make sure that it is covered in it. Good job." Tohru said happily as Kisa started to glob it on the steaks. Kyo smiled at the scene before his eyes. Kisa had just gotten some on her nose and on Tohru's nose as well. He started to snicker and they heard.
"Sissy, I think that Kyo needs some on his nose too. So he can be just like us!" Kisa said happily taking a bit on her finger and running over to Kyo. She climbed up onto the counter and dabbed the little bit of Barbecue sauce that was on her finger onto his nose.
"Ha ha ha ha , now you are like sissy and me!" Kisa squealed. She ran back over to Tohru and laughed.
Tohru giggled as Kyo started to wipe off his nose with a wet paper towel.
Tohru did the same and then wiped off Kisa's.
" There, now we all are the same again." She smiled happily.
Kyo grinned and went back to cutting the cubes.
"Tohru, I'm done." Kyo finally said.
She walked over to him and smiled.
"That's really good. Now just scrape them off into there and stir it around." Tohru said as she walked over to the potatoes and started to poke holes into them. Kyo started to stir them around and soon the smell of cooked food entered his nose.
Tohru instructed him to put the bowl in the microwave after putting butter on it and set it for three minutes.
"The pork steaks should be done by then." Just then Shigure walked in following his nose.
"Aw, why do they get to be in here?" He whined playfully.
"Because they asked me to teach them how to cook. Maybe tomorrow I will teach you how to cook if you want." Tohru said happily.
Shigure smiled and kissed her forehead gently.
"It smells absolutely wonderful flower. All three of you did a wonderful job."
Tohru smiled happily and turned back to cooking the pork.
"Well, you may tell everyone that in 5…4…3…2…1…(ding) that dinner is ready." Tohru said as the timer went off letting them know that everything was done.
Shigure smiled and took a deep breath.
"DINNER!!!!!!!!!!!!" Shigure shouted through the house.
All the Sohmas came rushing down the stairs but stopped suddenly when they saw Kyo standing there with the food.
"Ms. Honda, did Kyo make this?"
"Why yes. And he did an excellent job too. I've tried it and it was really good." Tohru said happily setting down the Pork steaks on the table.
Sorry Ms. Honda, but I don't think I'm very hungry." Yuki said turning away from the table. Tohru looked sadly at Yuki and then to Kyo.
"Yuki, why don't you want it? Just because Kyo made it?"
"Yeah, you shouldn't not eat something good because someone else made it!" Kisa said angrily.
Kyo clenched and unclenched his fist. Tohru grabbed a hold of it squeezed it gently. Kyo looked down at his hand in hers and then at her. She smiled warmly at him and almost saying it's alright, calm down.
He nodded and relaxed his hand.
"Yuki-kun, The food is good enough to eat, and you should try it before you snuff it because Kyo made it. Frankly I don't like it when someone treats another like they are disease ridden." Tohru said as she started serving the rest of the Sohmas their dinner.
She cut up Kisa and Momiji's steak and feed them their first bit.
"So…what do you think?" Momiji moaned and held his cheeks.
"Oh, this is sooooooo good TorTor!" Momiji said taking another bite.
"What do you think Kisa?"
"What he said." Kisa said in a dreamy sort of way.
"Kyo, what do you think?" She asked sweetly.
"It's almost better than Codfish." He said, he was really happy but he couldn't show it in front of the rest of them. But Tohru knew he was happy.
"What do the rest of you think?"
"GREAT!" They all dug in and Yuki finally joined in the meal, and Tohru smiled.
Konnichiwa, I hope you all like this chapter. Oh, and to answer one of my reviewer's questions, I think she will definitely choose Kyo at the end. But Takaya might have other plans but I hope she will. But anyway, I thought this was cute. I got the idea of Shigure adopting her from another fic, by one of my friends. But anyway, I have to go now. Until next time.
