A/N: Baroness D- Yes sweetie, Kia is jut one of those special few who have an especially strong will to live. Anyway didn't I say that they had to pack her in ice?
Daydreamer- Thanks for pointing that out! I believe I fixed that mistake.
To everyone else thank you for your kind reviews! I hope you all like this next chapter and I would like to apologize profusely for the delay but I just haven't had any time to write. …….So…… sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysoryy!...I hope you all forgive me for the wait……school you know…it just has to come first if I want to graduate…and I've been extremely busy this summer. Two camps. No computer. Not to mention I type really, r-e-a-l-l-y slowly.
Kia squirmed miserably in her bed sheets, they were very constricting…at least to her they were. She hated being forced to stay inside, especially now that it had finally stopped raining; the air was cleaner than it ever would be and she longed to breathe it in. Why did Hatori confine her to bed rest! Whatever, she thought, Hatori can yell at me al he wants, I'm going outside! She threw the covers of her small form and sat up shakily.
As she caught her breath she looked down at the new clothes Tohru had bought her, she was really sweet that Tohru. Kianna was currently wearing navy blue cheer shorts with a skin tight white shirt that came just short of her belly button. She smiled at the too small shirt, the cliché 'It's the thought that counts' flashed through her head.
Truthfully she was a little self conscious about the clothes, she knew she was way too skinny to look good in them, but, like Momiji had said, "You really shouldn't worry about what other people think of you, you look good!" She smiled; Momiji was too sweet for words.
She shook her head as if flicking the thoughts away. She couldn't just sit here all day thinking, there was mud waiting to be walked through!
She took another ragged breath and stood up, clinging onto the bed post for reassurance. Another breath. She let go of the post and took a step finding out immediately what a huge mistake that had been.
Kia fell to the floor in a whirlwind of arms and legs landing painfully on her head. Involuntary tears of pain welled up in her eyes as she clutched the sides of her head. What the heck, she thought, I feel fine! What's going on!
She grabbed onto the bedpost again and hoisted herself up. Taking a deep breath, and using the post for support, she walked the span of her bed to the identical post on the opposite side. She exhaled, her eyes set firmly on her destination, the sliding door- the door to freedom.
Slowly, cautiously, she let go of the post and half ran, half lunged at the door. For a fleeting moment she thought she would make it but that dream was smashed, along with her nose, in to the floor mere feet away from her destination. Tears once again graced her face but this time they were welcome. She was weak, a thing she had once promised herself she would never be.
A voice came from downstairs "Miss Oikawa? Are you alright?" Yuki-another sweet guy.
"Yes, I'm fine, I just…I'm fine".
"If you're sure" He called back in a very unconvincing tone.
She took another deep breath and sat up. Resigning herself to failure she crawled on her hands and knees the rest of the way onto the upstairs balcony and sat down Indian style. She looked out at the sky.
The sun was setting fast casting a brilliant orange glow across the sky. Wispy neon pink clouds blew silently across the vast expanse, giving the scene an unnerving kind of serenity. It seemed as if all Kia's lost energy had poured in to the sky and the thought put a smile on her face. It was one of the most beautiful sunsets she had ever seen…except for that one time…
(Five minutes earlier)
"I think we should have miso soup for dinner or possibly steamed leeks" said Yuki, his face calm and devoid of any confrontation.
"No way, stupid rat, are you tryin' to kill me or somethin'?" Kyo screamed, jumping up from his seat opposite the rat in question, his fist in tightly coiled balls.
"Kyo, why would I kill you with food when I could do it so much easier without?"
"What's that supposed to mean"
"Wow Kyo-Kyo, you really are quite dense aren't you"
"DON'T CALL ME THAT" Kyo screamed, orange cat ears now poking out of his head.
"Try not to break my house this time boys, I can't afford any more frames for the doors" Shigure sipped his tea calmly while behind him the sparks between Kyo and Yuki kept flying.
Tohru walked in, took one look at the two, and frowned bemusedly "Are you two fighting again?" she asked in a worried voice. In the blink of an eye the two boys were sitting down and blushing intensely.
She smiled, her beautiful smile brightening the room, and said "I was thinking we could have curry tonight; I've never made curry before, but I've always wanted to try"
"That sound perfect Miss Honda" said Yuki, smiling. Kyo just snorted in consent. Tohru walked in to the kitchen.
A few seconds later they heard the unmistakable voice of Momiji scream "TOHRU" the voice was promptly followed by a loud poof.
"I guess Momiji decided to join us for dinner tonight" said Shigure. Kyo and Yuki looked at him as if to say, no duh Sherlock.
At that moment Tohru walked in totally soaked on her left side, holding a very familiar yellow rabbit and looking extremely confused. The rabbit hopped out of her arms and said "Hi everyone! Sorry I'm late but no one would let me leave the house without someone to watch me" he flicked his head to Hatori who had walked in undetected and was currently handing Tohru a dish towel to clean herself up with.
"Thank you Hari-san"
"No problem" he said as he turned to sit at the table "What are you making for us tonight Miss Honda?"
"Well, I thought I could try making curr…"Suddenly, a very loud thud echoed through the room. The rabbit's ears stood straight up.
"What was that? Oh my gosh a ghost! Ahh Kyo I'm scared!" The rabbit jumped on to Kyo's head then suddenlyPoOf he was Momiji once again.
"Ah! Get off me little brat" screamed Kyo. Tohru gasped and turned away, a pink tint appearing on her cheeks.
"WAHHH! Kyo's picking on me" Momiji cried as he pulled his clothes on.
When Tohru was sure that everything was safe- in other words when she was sure that Momiji was clothed- she turned around, smiled, and said "I'm going to start dinner now"
"Oooo, I wanna help! Please Tohru, please?"
She smiled warmly "Of course you can Momiji" He grabbed her hand and was about to pull her in to the kitchen when another loud thudding noise resounded through the room. They all looked at each other warily; the only person upstairs was Kia. "Do you think she's okay?" asked Tohru, her face once again full of worry, she knew that Kia was still very weak from her fever and needed rest…what if she was trying to walk or something? She could really hurt herself.
"Miss Oikawa? Are you alright?" Yuki called upstairs.
"Yes I'm fine, I just…I'm fine"
"If you're sure" he called back. He looked around the silent room. "Someone should probably go check on her" he said.
A long silence filled the room
"I'll go" sighed Hatori "I've been meaning to check on her anyway".
"Oh nonononono! Let me go! I'll do it!" Momiji squealed as he jumped up and down his hands waving in the air.
"What happened to you helping Tohru" said Kyo skeptically, but the remark fell on deaf ears as Momiji ran up the stair "Figures" he said, leaning back and crossing his arms grumpily. Tohru just laughed at his childlike behavior
"I'll go start dinner" she said, still smiling. When Tohru and her giggles departed in to the kitchen the room fell in to unsettling silence once again.
Hatori was the one to break it"I spoke with Akito today…about the situation with Kia and he wasn't very happy to say the least" After that the room was silent once again and tension hung thick, you could've cut it with a knife if you had wanted to.
Once again Hatori spoke "He said we should have talked to him before we brought a stranger in the house. He said that he will not tolerate such insolence from us any longer… She can stay one more day then she's gone"
"So he was in one of those moods?" Shigure sighed and placed his fingertips on his temples in annoyance "Is anyone planning to tell Momiji about this?" The group exchanged nervous glances.
Kyo's brow furrowed as a thought crossed through his mind "You're not going to have to…you know"
Hatori shook his head and a sense of relief surged through the room.The last thing they neededwas Momiji crying for weeks because he lost a friend before he even had one.
Momiji knocked feverishly on Kia's door "Hey Kia are you okay!" There was no answer
"Ki-i-i-a!"
"…What?"
"Are you okay" he said again, shouting at the door so Kia would hear him.
"Yeah …I'm fine…Just…Go away Momiji"
He smiled at the shut door "Not a chance!I haven't seen you in forever"
"Momiji, you saw me yesterday"
He paused for a moment, then said "That's still way to long! I'm comin' in Kia so get ready" Momiji threw the door open and was ready to jump on the bed-were he had expected Kia to be- only to find that the bed was empty the covers helter skelter.
"Ummm, Kia? Are you in here?" he said looking around the room.
He heard a sigh as Kia responded "Yes Momiji I'm on the balcony"
"Ohhh" said Momiji excitedly. He walked to the balcony door and leaned against its frame.
Kia was sitting cross-legged near the edge of the balcony, her hands gripping the wooden bars and even in the waning light he could still see every bone in her back.
He wondered for a moment why she had been all alone, half starved by a dumpster, but decided not to ask her…after all it was probably a touchy subject and he didn't know her well enough to ask…But he planned to soon. He smiled as he noticed that, despite her slight figure, her crimson red hair was still shiny and her skin looked so very touchable, but, upon thinking this, a pink blush crept up his cheeks. He was her friend and nothing more.
The blonde sat down next to her and stared at the sky. Since the time he had arrived it had changed from a dull purple to the jet black which signified that the night had finally overtaken the light of day. Swirls of purple and navy blue whipped through the sky making it look almost alive, and then he spotted it.
"Look Kia! It's the first star of the night! We've got to make a wish" he closed his eyes and repeated the juvenile saying. Even though he was 17 he still kept the child like hope that wishes really did come true. "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may. I wish I might, please have the wish I wish tonight" he went silent for a moment and in his mind he made a wish, though he could never tell anyone what it was, if he did it would never come true
He opened his eyes and smiled cheerily at Kia but his face, once again, fell. Something wasn't right, even though it was a moonless night he could tell that something was wrong. Suddenly he knew.
Tears were streaming down her face.
His eyes filled with concern as he spoke "Oh, come on Kia…You promised me last night that you wouldn't cry anymore".
Kia smiled at him half heartedly, sniffled, and said "I know but I'm just…Well I'm just really happy." She wiped her tears away, the false smile still plastered on her face.
Momiji squinted his eyes for a moment then closed them knowingly and shook his head "Mm mm mm, something's wrong…We're friends, and friends can always tell" There was silence for a moment but a small sob broke it as Kia's eyes became blurred once again.
"I'm not fine…I haven't…no…not in a long time" she buried her face in her hands and cried helplessly. Momiji wanted desperately to hug her, but he knew if he did he probably wouldn't get to see her ever again, so he settled for rubbing her back lightly.
Kia sniffled again and lifted her head up just enough to reveal her green eyes, sparkling with fresh tears. God is she beautiful…oh crap, don't think that, he silently scolded himself.
She turned those shining, emerald eyes on him and he found it almost impossible to keep eye contact with her and not blush. "Thanks for coming up here to check on me Momiji. It was really sweet of you to listen to me complain"
He grinned giddily "You're welcome! But it was actually pretty easy, you didn't complain at all! Actually you didn't even talk that much, and besides, it's what any good friend would do"
"I guess you're right"
Momiji paused for an intense moment of staring "Do you mind telling me why you were crying? I don't care if you complain, I guess everyone has to once and a while" he smiled again.
He sat there patiently, for once in his life, as he waited for Kia's reply. She entwined her fingers and placed them delicately under her chin. "I just feel so weak here Momiji. I don't feel sick but I can't do even the simplest thing. I'm not even allowed to go outside! I can't stand that! I love being outside Momiji, there's nothing out here to constrict you. You're free to run with the wind and sit in the grass and fall asleep in a field…but I can't do any of that Momiji, at least not while I'm stuck in here."
Momiji listened closely thinking about how he would feel if he could never leave the main house. He decided that insane was the best word to describe it.
"I know how you feel", he said, voicing his conclusion, "If I couldn't leave my house I would probably go crazy. It's so dark and creepy there, not to mention some people who live there can be really mean some times"
"Not in my house", said Kia, grinning broadly, "It was, I mean it is really nice. My mom cooks the best food, and my dad…well, they're just about the best parents ever"
She smiled and Momiji looked at her, his face full of mock shock "So why are you crying? In a week you'll get to see them again"
They sat in silence for a while, enjoying each others company and admiring the beauty of the stars together, for now the night was fully upon them.
Suddenly, out of the blue, Kia said "Don't you just love the stars"
"Yeah…they're beautiful"
Kia smiled "I've always thought they were perfect. You see they shine brightly and can guide you when you're lost, but they don't light your path so you make your own mistakes on the way." She paused for a moment, staring at the sky, then she smiled.
"Every time I tell someone that they say that if something was perfect it would light not only your destination but also your path...I think they're wrong because when you have to find your own way you get your own mistakes. Consequently you become stronger in your walk and will so that when you finally get to your destination, you're truly strong enough to stay there".
Momiji puzzled over that for a moment. This girl always seemed to make him think. Would he rather have someone else guide him through life, as was always the case with him, or would he rather make his own errors, maybe get hurt badly, but be better off for it.
In the end he said "I agree with you. You're life should be your own and no one else's"
At that moment Tohru's sweet voice floated up the stairs "Momiji dinner's ready…I'll bring yours up to you in a minute Kia"
Momiji jumped got in to a squatting position and said " Kia you are the strangest person I've ever met, but I find myself liking you more and more every day" with that proclamation he jumped up and ran out the door.
Kia quickly crawled back to her bed and pulled herself up. Her smiling face melted in to a frown, she didn't like lying, especially not to someone she hardly knew. She had learned from her parents that lying will never lead to good things. All it would do was bring on an early demise.
A/N: Ooo. A mini-cliff! Fun fun fun. I have to admit I'm stuck on the third chapter. That's another reason why this one came so late; I didn't want to put up a new chapter until I was pretty much done with the next one…sighs…My beta should be coming over soon though and hopefully she'll help me figure it out. Once again, I hope you all can forgive me! I feel as though I must relay this quote to all of you, so here it goes:
"No drowning man can know which drop
of water his last breath did stop"
Pretty sweet, ne?
Huggles&Kisses
Black Daisys
