AN --I know! I know! I'm a horrible horrible person for making everyone wait for 9 months for an update. Unfortunately, real life got in the way, and then I had a terrible case of writer's block. Actually, I think my muse decided to take a vacation in Bermuda and got lost in the triangle. Well, whatever. It's back now (sort of..) Since I hadn't even looked at this fiction for a good 7 or 8 months, I had to reread the story. I must say that I quite impressed myself, though I of course noticed all my lovely spelling and/or grammatical errors. Oh well. I can't be bothered with going back to fix them now. I would also like to suggest that all of you, who have not looked at this story for as long as I have not written any of it, take the time to go reread everything up to now. I know it's a lot, but hey, it's a great story, and well worth the reread. (Who knows…you may see something you missed the first time.) -A little note about this chapter- It was a little tough to write, particularly since I was picking up in the middle of it after so long. I hope that it doesn't feel too rushed nor has that dragging feeling. (It's not always easy getting back into the mindset of the characters after a long break) Ok…I'm done with coming up with silly excuses. On to what you all have been waiting for!
Chapter XVI
"Sir…" Her face was full of concern. "Is everything ok?"
"I… What just happened?" he asked aloud but mostly for his own benefit. He snapped out his momentary disillusionment. "I'm sorry. Umm… I really don't know what just happened."
"Miss Honda just ran out of the restaurant. Is she ok? Here are your leftovers. If you need to go after her, please do. The bill is already taken care of." The hostess was still looking at him with a great deal of concern as she held out a nice bento style box.
"Umm… Thank you. I should go after her." He took the box and quickly departed the small room that had seemingly turned into Tohru's torture chamber despite what it was meant to be. He nodded to a very worried cook and waitress as he slipped on his shoes at the door before hurriedly walking out to meet the heated night air. Fortunately he remembered the address and could easily give the cab driver directions to the house. He climbed into the first available cab and relayed the address. Yuki was very worried about Tohru, but he hoped she would have gotten in a cab and gone straight home. He would find out when he got there.
The cab pulled into the drive just as another one was pulling away from the address. Yuki sighed a very audible breath of relief knowing that Tohru came straight home. He quickly paid the man what was owed and jumped out of cab, almost forgetting the leftovers. As soon as he was out, the cab pulled away, leaving a still very concerned man standing in the yard looking at the house. The only light he saw on was the living room light.
Yuki hurried up to the front door and found that it hadn't even been closed all the way. He entered the house, and after taking off his shoes, took the leftovers to the kitchen, putting them in the fridge. Slowly he made his way to the living room, hoping Tohru would be there but fairly certain that she wouldn't be. Who he found instead of Tohru was Kyo, who looked like he'd been waiting for him to arrive.
"Let's go outside," was all he said before heading towards the backdoor.
In the face of Kyo, Yuki saw several emotions revealed: the most prominent of which were sadness and anger. Yuki could only guess what was going to happen outside, as he followed the cat.
Yuki shut the back door behind, and as he started to turn to face Kyo, received strong right hook that had him staggering back a feet. He didn't bother to check his lip; he could taste the blood. Instead of fighting back as his instincts told him to do, Yuki sat down on the back porch. He hoped that Kyo had gotten that bit of anger out of his system. He was half correct in his thinking, though Kyo had a lot more self-control than he did when they still lived together in Japan.
Kyo sat down a few feet away from him, and looked up at the stars. He briefly thought that they just didn't look at pretty from down here, though that line of thinking passed quickly. Returning his attention to the backyard, he waited for Yuki to say something… anything to explain why Tohru came back in tears as she did. Kyo had his ideas, but he still wanted an explanation from his life-long enemy.
Time oozed by like molasses, uphill, in winter before Yuki said anything. "Kyo… I know you don't like me, and probably less so since you are obviously aware of the state that Tohru came home tonight."
"Oh, it's that obvious?" Kyo spat. It was more of a comment than a question, but it didn't really matter either way. "What the hell did you do to her Yuki? She hasn't been that upset about anything since she left Japan!"
It was another minute before Yuki said anything. Kyo was about to start beating him senseless when Yuki finally responded. "I asked her to marry me."
Kyo was taken aback momentarily. A growl was issued forth from Kyo, but he said nothing, keeping his thoughts to himself. 'So it wasn't quite what I thought, but now I understand.'
Kyo was deeply saddened by Tohru's new plight. He was also extremely angry with Yuki. 'How was Yuki to know better, but still… He just shouldn't have proposed to her, not now… not ever. Akito would never have let it happen anyway.'
Standing up and turning to go back inside, Kyo stopped at the door, "Yuki… get some sleep. Your flight leaves early in the morning." Shutting the door behind him, Yuki was left to his thoughts and grief, alone.
Once the door was closed, Kyo leaned back and sighed. 'Tohru had come home in tears, and there was nothing he could do for her. Yuki had broken her heart without even realizing it. She was in love with Yuki, but that would have passed with time. But he just had to go and propose to her. All I can do is be there for her. Hopefully that will be enough. What the hell was he thinking?'
With a low growl, Kyo went upstairs. He stopped at Tohru's door. He wanted nothing more than to console her right now, but knew better. She needed time to work some of this out on her own. Walking down the length of the hallway, he went to his room and quietly shut the door behind him. After lying down, sleep was long in overtaking him, and he was left to ponder what he would do to help Tohru. He knew it his consolations would have to wait till he returned from the dropping that damned rat off at the airport.
Yuki, left alone outside, was still very confused. Kyo had provided no illumination on the subject of where he had gone wrong. If it had been that she didn't feel the same for him as he felt for her, surely she would have just declined his offer. No, it wasn't something so simple as that. He only hoped that he would be able to discover what had upset Tohru before he left in the morning.
Slowly, he pulled himself up and went inside. It was late already, and, as much as Yuki hated to admit it, Kyo was right. His flight did leave relatively early in the morning, and it wouldn't do to miss his flight. Getting another flight to Japan wasn't so easy as waiting a few hours for the next flight out.
Before entering the room that had been his for the past two weeks, he stopped in front of Tohru's door. His shoulders slumped, and he looked wholly defeated when he heard the faint sounds of sniffling coming from her room. He wanted nothing more than to hold her tight and tell her that everything was going to be okay, that everything was going to work out; he couldn't though. There was nothing he could do for her. It would have been obvious to a fly that he'd been the source of her unhappiness this evening, and he was helpless.
Climbing into the futon for the last night of his little vacation, he lay there remembering all the fun times they'd had over the course of his stay. The university that Tohru was attending was rather large, but it was a beautiful campus. She'd shown him the coffee shop she stopped by on occasion, and they'd shared an iced mocha latte. The fourth of July was a joy, holding Tohru's hand on the way back home that night, exciting. Her sweet scent was all over this house; it reminded him of days long gone back in Japan.
Before long, Yuki noticed his pillow was damp, and then felt the tears that had been falling down his face. He continued to shed tears as he picture days with Tohru that would never come. He'd been utterly rejected by his one true love, and he had no clue what to do with himself. He didn't want it to be over just like that. He thought she felt the same; she'd responded to him positively. This was all wrong. Suddenly a smirking Akito flashed before his eyes, and Yuki's stomach lurched. 'He didn't even know I was coming. He couldn't have anything to do with this… But I'm naïve to think that there's no possible way Akito could have something to do with this. He must have found out… but how? Who?'
Yuki's eyes narrowed at the thought. 'If Akito did have something to do with her refusal, I will surely found out soon enough. He thrives on our discomfort and will surely throw this in my face some how.'
Yuki decided then, that he would make a little visit to his revered family head a few days after his return. As much as he hated the idea and went to the main house as little as possible, it was his most obvious course of action. Turning his thoughts away from his future plans, Yuki closed his eyes and sleep slowly drifted over him.
After paying the cab driver, Tohru ran inside the house. She hadn't even bothered to say hello to Kyo as she ran past the living room and upstairs to her room. She'd even only vaguely recalled hearing her name; she was too busy still crying, the thoughts of this evening still fresh in her mind.
Once the door of her room was shut, she leaned against the wall and slowly slid down until she was crouched to the floor. With her face in hands, pressed to her knees, Tohru stayed like that till she felt like she couldn't cry another tear. After a few moments, she took a deep breath, then got up to change into her nightclothes.
Tohru's mind as she crawled into bed, pulling the covers up over her head. 'Why? Why did he have to ask me to marry him? Why now?' The questions started spinning through her mind and the tears started flowing again. 'I love him so much, but my hands are tied. I've already made a promise to Akito that I cannot break. It would be wrong of me to do so. If I were to go back on my word with Akito now, I would lose everything I've worked so hard for. Akito has been more than generous, and I owe him more than I could ever possibly hope to repay. Why Yuki? Why?' The last few words of Tohru's thoughts came through as barely audible murmurs along with intermittent sniffles, all the while, tears slid down her cheeks.
After some time, she'd cried herself to sleep, but her dreams were restless ones filled with the sorrowful face of her true love, Yuki. She relived the events of the evening, over and over, in some nightmarish cycle that she couldn't seem to escape. Finally, she opened the door to the chamber of her torture and awoke with a jolt.
-AN2- To all of you who have left me the wonderful reviews from this year and last, it's greatly appreciated. It's nice to know that I have a few faithful readers. I did a little research and found that my story was on many of you all's favorite story and/or authors' lists. I'm glad that many of you will get the email saying that there has been a chapter update. I AM going to finish this story come hell or high water!
