Title: Red Ribbons

Summary: 'Japanese legends talk of red ribbons that made a link between future couples that only gods and spirits could see' but one particular god isn't happy about it... M/F, M/M, F/M/M

Rating: PG-13 (I still don't know the names of the new ratings so we'll stick the more common ones! )

Status: 2 chapters written, 2 chapters posted

Review count: 4

PrEtTyStUpIdGiRl - A woman of few words aren't you?

sunshine - Well you didn't have to wait long nei?

Pairings: Hiiro x Kisa

VOTE

Tohru x Yuki: 0
Tohru x Kyo: 0
Tohru x Shigure: 0
Tohru x Momiji: 0
Tohru x Hatsuharu: 0
Tohru x Hatori: 0
Tohru x Ayame: 0
Tohru x Akito: 0

Kyo x Tohru: 0
Kyo x Kagura: 0

Notes: Surprisingly, no A/Ns in this chapter although I do think I fell short in Ayame's personality. Oh well.

"Tohru-chan," the girl looked up in time to be leapt on by an over excited Momiji, a puff of flaxen coloured smoke later and in Tohru's arms was not the half German boy but a golden rabbit with large, inviting brown eyes.

"Momiji-kun," Tohru giggled, "it's nice to see you to."

Momiji's nose twitched in excitement at making Tohru giggle, his sensitive sniffed at her scent. He was pressed up against her neck, his soft warm fur brushing against the sensitive skin of her neck. Momiji felt the shudder that ran through her everytime he moved. And her scent…not the least impure or masked by layers of perfume, just simple peaches and cream, just Tohru…just the way he liked her.

"Will Tohru-chan be working late tonight?" Momiji asked as Tohru began to stand from where she had fallen rather ungracefully to her knees when he had landed on her.

"Iie Momiji-kun," his disappointment was easy to hide since she wasn't actually facing him, to console himself he snuggled further into her warm neck, his nose brushed her ear and a strong shiver ran down her spine. She was sensitive there. "I'm ending early today because Ayame-san insisted that he needed to see me."

It was the same time she had delivered that explanation and with hindsight I can say it would be her last. I say this, not because anything sinister happened to Tohru, although she did get a bit of a shock the next night, but because the next person she would meet besides her colleagues would be Ayame.

"Oh, so is Ayame-san taking Tohru-chan home instead of Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun?" Momiji asked as she put him down long enough for him to transform. She looked away and, as always, had the courtesy to blush.

"Actually Ayame-san was going to take me out to dinner," she didn't see the jealous flash in Momiji's eyes. He'd grown accustomed to having Tohru in close quarters the fact that she would be graduating at the end of next year was bad enough but if anything developed between her and Ayame-san. He lived in a different district and getting to Tohru would involve commuting…well, more commuting than it did to get to Shigure's house anyway.

But then Momiji realised something else, maybe Aya wasn't trying to move in on Tohru but just to talk to her. Momiji new from listening to Hatori's phone calls from the zealous snake of the zodiac that the gap that divided him and Yuki concerned him greatly. Perhaps with Tohru as a catalyst they may be able to bridge that gap.

Momiji brightened at this and decided to fling himself into helping Tohru so she would be ready to leave on time.

"Oh Momiji-kun," she exclaimed when he knelt down beside and began to scrub the floor, "you shouldn't do that, I wouldn't be earning my pay and you'll get your cloths dirty."

Momiji had only laughed at that, "Silly Tohru-chan, I like to help and this is fun anyway. If it makes Tohru-kun fell any better she can go over it after me."

Tohru only blushed, "You're right, I am being silly."

"Tohru-chan," Momiji said suddenly as he saw her mood dampen slightly, "I didn't mean you were silly in a bad way, gomen if it seemed so, I meant Tohru-chan was silly in a funny way, Tohru-chan makes me laugh."

"Oh gomen, it's my fault, I was being presumptuous, gomen Momiji-kun, oh I must look even sillier now, oh," she moaned and hung her head. Good thing to otherwise she might not have missed the quake that passed through Momiji's body when she moaned.

"Tohru-chan is exaggerating, I think Tohru is funny and kind and considerate, she has no reason to doubt herself, nei Tohru-chan?" brown eyes gazed at her fondly as a bright smile lit up her countenance.

From then on all of her chores became a game, they would have races from one end of the hallway to the other, cleaning or sweeping as they went. Or 'who could gather the most cobwebs on their duster' or 'who could wash the most windows and get to the centre first'. Momiji has lots of fun and when it came time for him to go home as per his father's request and for Tohru to meet Ayame he was saddened.

"Hey Tohru-chan," she turned as she folded up her uniform and packed it away in a locker.

"Hai Momiji-kun? Was there something you wanted?" she asked, her face still radiating a smile of abundant joy from the games they'd played, the light flush still present across her cheeks as though she had caught the sun.

"Yeh, me and Hatsuharu-kun are coming over to Shigure-kun's house tomorrow night and I was wondering if you wanted to watch some DVDs with me?" the blonde asked hurriedly going on to explain, "Of course, Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun and Hatsuharu-kun can watch them with us. They're not anime, they're Disney."

"Disney," Tohru pondered over that name for a moment, "Oh, Waltz Disney, the one that made Bambi, oh I just loved the little usagi in that film, it was so cute, but then all usagi are cute, like Momiji-kun."

Momiji's spirits soared at that and he nodded enthusiastically, "Hai, hai, like that, except we're going to watch one with a mermaid and one with enchanted castle."

Tohru's eyes were filled with stars, "Oh that sounds wonderful, I'd love to watch them with you Momiji-kun."

"Good, then I'll see Tohru-kun tomorrow in school," with that the two bid their farewells.

Tohru walked out of the front of the building, the automatic doors parting, "And low and behold the hime-chan steps from her palace with radiant grace," the unexpected shower of praise left Tohru reeling and red as a tomato. Greeted loudly and boisterously by the excitable Ayame. Her hand was snatched from her side so he could pull her along while talking long and fast hardly pausing for breath as he strode along.

Tohru struggled to keep up with Ayame's strides let alone the words that spilled from his lips like so many courtyard fountains.

"And here we are!" Ayame exclaimed with delight, tugging Tohru gently, but so unexpected was it that she nearly fell over. In public like this and in front of a restaurant full of eyes trained on them it would have been disastrous for Ayame to transform. Instead he grabbed her shoulders, his hand leaving hers so as he could support her and halt her decent towards the ground.

"Oh gomen Ayame-san, I guess I wasn't thinking, arigatou for catching me. Oh but I'm so clumsy nei, you might have transformed and oh that would have been disastrous," she would have continued to babble on had Ayame not put a finger to her lips.

"Ssh, he murmured soothingly, "you can apologise by allowing me to treat you to a fine meal."

Once they were seated Tohru plucked up her courage enough to asked, "So Ayame-san, how's your shop doing?"

"Oh business is blooming hime-chan," Tohru blushed at the nickname, "I've got loads of new customers and now I get female clients to. Mine is enjoying herself immensely, she literally pounces on every cute girl she sees. In fact she's almost insisted that I ask you to drop by again, she's got some new designs picked out and I have to say that they would suit you very well hime-chan."

The waiter came and Ayame ordered for them, Tohru having been too caught up in Ayame's extravagant banter about his shop and Mine and outfits to have even given the menu more than a glance if that. When they were alone except for those occupying the tables around them Ayame's voice dropped to a more serious (and in Tohru's opinion, saddened) tone.

"I've talked to Shigure-kun and he says he's fine but I want to know from you hime-chan…how is Yuki?"

At that moment, Tohru felt nothing but the deepest regret, Ayame seemed to be trying so hard and covering his grief when Yuki ignored him or pushed away with a great blanket of extroversive behaviour that only seemed to push the quieter of the two away. "Um," Tohru bit her lip in thought, "he does seem to be doing well although he seems a little down lately but that might be because the fan club girls are pestering him again. They want him to organise a winter dance seeing as he's student council president."

Ayame heaved a sigh, "I don't suppose he ever mentions me does he?"

Tohru couldn't lie, she knew that, but the sadness and despair in those golden eyes made her wish she could, if only to see them light up one more. "No," she replied, he'd known the answer and she had realised that and by voicing it, it became real.

"Then I shall have to try harder nei Tohru-chan?" startled the by the sudden onslaught of Ayame's normal personality and the use of her given name startled her.

"Yes, maybe Ayame-san would like to come over tomorrow night with Momiji-kun and Hatsuharu-kun and watch DVDs with us and Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun." Tohru put a finger to her lips in thought, "Maybe I should ask Shigure if Kisa-chan and Hiiro-kun could come too?"

"Why that's a splendid idea hime-chan," Ayame was joyous once again and light danced in his eyes at the thought.

Cookies to those who can guess which two movies they're gunna watch! Tell you what, those who get both right can have an extra vote on the pairing of their choice.

PLEASE VOTE!