Chapter 3: Of Life, Love, and Mice
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AN: Thanks to Mrs. VashTheStamped, Grrl N, and DarkMage6 for their support and encouragement. Also a note, I just skimmed through the Furuba Fanfiction and saw there was ANOTHER fic called Reflection. I was rather annoyed, but I'm too lazy to retitle it, so I wont. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Oh, P.S. And for the record, I don't own Yuki, Torhu, or any of the other characters in this story. I wish. Thanks for the support!
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Tohru sighed heavily as she prepared the very large dinner for the Sohma family. After all, Shigure had encouraged them to stay to taste Tohru's 'masterpiece'. Since the incident in her room, she hadn't seen Yuki, who was hiding from his brother behind the locked door in his own room.
Uotani and Hanajima both helped her, almost reminding her of when they would be in home economics together.
Everyone was doing their own thing, now. Kagura was quietly cleaning in another room, Kyo was hiding on the roof, the older Sohma's were speaking quietly, while the youngest ones were outside playing.
"So, Tohru-chan, what happened between you and the prince?" Uotani asked, grinning from ear to ear. "A little snuggling? Kissing? Hm?"
Tohru blushed, looking down. "Iie..." She objected. "It's not like that, Uo-chan!" She said, hiding her flushed face.
"I wonder how this happened..." Hanajima wiped down a counter quietly, her eyes darkening. "I feel some strange vibrations. I wonder if someone didn't attempt to hex you."
She looked at her in surprise. "Hex me?"
"Of course. The entire fanclub saw what has been happening between you and the prince for approaching two years now." She grabbed a vegetable, beginning to cut it easily. "I don't know if any of them are in touch with the occult, but if they are..." She paused, looking at Tohru. "I think you could be in danger."
Tohru sighed. "It doesn't matter, if I can't go to school, there should be no problem, right?"
Uotani looked at her shocked. "Not go to school?"
Tohru hid her sadness behind a bright smile. "Of course, Uo-chan, I can't let their secret be known! Especially if it's my secret as well..." She felt pain grasp her heart and looked down. "It'll be okay. I'm sure Yuki and Kyo will bring my homework to me, so I can still graduate..."
Uotani frowned deeply. "Tohru-chan..." She said softly.
Tohru continued with dinner, keeping that same practiced, vacant smile on her face. She picked up the pots, walking carefully into the main room, setting the soup on the table. She set out place settings for everyone, forgetting no one. Hanajima followed shortly afterwards, then Uotani carried in the last of it.
"Hey, ya'll, dinner's done!" Uotani shouted, summoning everyone into the room.
Everyone sat, and Tohru noticed two settings sat alone. She frowned, tilting her head to the side. She did a quick head count and realized that Yuki and Kyo were missing. She sighed heavily, standing. "I'll go get Kyo-kun and Yuki-kun..." She said softly, beginning to walk towards their rooms.
Kagura jumped to her feet. "I'll get Kyo-kun." She offered.
Tohru smiled. "Hai, arigatou, Kagura-san." She said, then walked up the stairs to Yuki's room. She gently tapped on the door. There was no answer. Slowly, she turned the knob, peering inside. The boy lay facing the door, his eyes closed, his face relaxed in sleep. She walked in, looking at his sleeping face and smiled faintly.
She knelt beside his bed, brushing his hair from his face. He was so cute. His soft grey hair hung in front of his closed eyes, eyes that she knew were an intense shade of purple. She sat there, lightly caressing his cheek. "Yuki-kun..." She said softly. "Yuki-kun, dinner's ready."
He opened his eyes slowly and saw a brilliant blue pair looking at him. "Tohru..." He mumbled sleepily. He reached up, catching her hand as she tried to pull it back. He pulled her closer to the edge of the bed, wishing that he wasn't here, wishing that for a moment he wasn't Sohma Yuki, that she wasn't Honda Tohru, that they were somewhere else, some wonderland that just belonged to them, where he could hold her and be with her without having to worry about the stupid curse that was reflecting upon her.
She blushed slightly, looking down at his beautiful face. She wished she could hug him, but then she would have to explain why she was a mouse once again. Instead, she leaned over, lightly kissing his cheek. She blushed as she did, then sat back on her heels. "Dinner's done." She said softly.
He looked at her, praying his heart wasn't in his eyes. "O-okay..." He sat up, on the edge of the bed. He looked down, seeing Tohru on her knees before him and his face flushed darkly as she leaned forward, resting her cheek against his thighs. "T-Tohru-san..." He blushed, not moving.
She closed her eyes, resting her face there. She didn't say anything, just took the moment's comfort, feeling him slowly relax, his fingers reaching down, lightly touching her hair.
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"Kyo-kun."
"Go away." He grumbled, not looking behind him.
"Please, Kyo-kun, you really should eat..." She said softly.
He didn't look back. He could hear as Kagura slowly approached him, but continued to sulk, rather than turning towards her. "I'm not hungry."
She sat down, looking up at the sky. "You're in love with Tohru-chan aren't you." She said softly, wrapping her arms around her knees.
He froze, glancing towards her. She had a resigned look on her face. "What the heck are you talking about?" He complained, glaring into the dark night. "Don't be rediculous."
She traced a small pattern on the roof. "I can see it, Kyo-kun. I'm not blind. You look at her like she's the only girl in the world to you. I don't mind, you know. You can be honest with me. I understand...Or at least I'll try to."
He snorted. "Give me a break." He stood, preparing to run off.
She looked up at him sadly. "I can be content with you just being happy." She said softly, before standing. "I'm sorry. I wont pursue you anymore..." She turned away from him, then began walking away.
"Baka." He whispered softly. He didn't face her. "Don't be so stupid." He grumbled, walking past her, to the ladder. "I'm not in love with Tohru." He said evenly, mounting the ladder.
"Liar." She said softly. She saw him stop and looked at him, her eyes sad. "Tohru did something for you that I can never do. I know you love her. You love her as much as Yuki does."
"Stop trying to tell me how I feel."
She lowered her eyes as he left the roof, and wrapped her arms around herself. "Baka." She whispered. "I've always been able to see how you felt." She whispered softly.
He paused, barely catching her words. He heard her crying softly and cursed, climbing back onto the roof. "Oi. Come on, let's go eat."
"I've suddenly lost my appetite." She said softly. She saw Kyo with a small smile on his face and blushed, lowering her eyes.
He slowly extended a hand to her, wondering if she would in fact take it. He saw the surprise on her face and felt a twinge. A memory flashed into his mind. A time when both of them were much younger. A time when he had extended his hand out to her in a similar manner. She had taken it, and a short time later, his secret had been exposed to her.
She saw his hand tremble a bit, and she looked at his face, detecting a tiny hint of fear. She took a shaky breath, putting her hand into his.
His eyes widened. She had taken it? He pulled her to her feet, looking at her in confusion. "I'm sorry." He said, not entirely certain why he was apologizing. He saw the tears in her eyes and was shocked when suddenly she threw her arms around him, sobbing softly. "K-Kagura!"
She hugged him tightly. "Kyo-kun!" She whispered. "I missed you!"
He closed his eyes, gently resting one hand on top of her head, and the other on her shoulder. "Come on, let's go get some grub."
She pulled back, blinking a tear away, then she nodded, smiling up at him. A smile that had always been for him, and only him.
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Dinner was a smashing success, and Tohru blushed under all the flattery. Everyone left afterwards, leaving the small family alone once again. Kagura helped Tohru clean the dishes, and then everyone went to bed.
Yet, elsewhere, someone was wearing a dark expression. How was it, no matter what she did, she didn't manage to drive that girl away! She growled, balling her small hands into tight fists. "She has my Yuki-chan!" She snarled, trying to think of something else she could do to drive a wedge between the pair.
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Tohru woke slowly, sitting upright. Something felt strange. The room felt far larger than normal. She looked around, then down, realizing she was in her tiny mouse form. She blinked, jumping up onto her dresser, looking into the small mirror. How had this happened? Yuki was no where nearby, so why was she like this?
The phone beside her bed ran and she frowned deeply. There was no way she could answer it!
But it was going to wake someone up!
She began running back and forth around the phone and heard her door open. "Tohru-san?" She looked up and saw Yuki standing in her doorway.
He looked at the bed and found it empty. The phone stopped ringing and he looked at it. Sitting in front of it was a small, brown mouse. He stared. What had happened? Why was Tohru a mouse again!
She stared up at him through big eyes. "Yuki-kun, what's happening to me!" She cried.
He dropped to his knees, staring at her. "Tohru!" He whispered, picking her up gently. He held her closely to his face, inspecting her. He saw the tears in her tiny mouse eyes and felt his heart ache. "It's okay, Tohru, I'll call Hatori...maybe he'll-"
The phone shrilled again.
He picked it up without thinking. "Hello?"
"Why are you in Tohru's room, Yuki-ouji-sama?" Hanajima asked ominously.
"Ano, I heard her phone ring a few minutes ago, no one answered-"
She heard him stop and frowned. "Is Tohru-chan okay?"
"She's a mouse again! I don't know why!" Yuki was starting to panic. "I don't know what's wrong, I didn't hug her or anything, she shouldn't be a mouse right now!"
Hanajima sighed on the other end. "Yuki-ouji-sama, please put Tohru-chan on the phone."
He held the phone up to her tiny mouse ear.
"Tohru-chan, this is Hana-chan." She said calmly. "Are you okay?"
"Uhuh...but I think Yuki-kun is having a heart attack."
"You're a mouse right now?"
"Uhuh."
"I'm on my way over."
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Everyone in the house was awake when Hanajima arrived. She had a small black bag with her. She picked up Tohru, who was still a mouse, and carried her into the girls room, leaving the others to pace in the living room nervously.
Tohru sat on the bed, looking up at Hanajima, who pulled out a small deck of cards.
"I'm going to lay out five, I want you to pick one." She watched as Tohru nodded, and laid out the cards.
Tohru jumped on one, then looked up at her as Hanajima flipped it over. It was a Queen of Swords. She watched as Hanajima frowned. "There is a woman causing this. She's older, not a child anymore, but barely an adult...she seems to resent you. I wonder why..." She looked at Tohru. "Five more, then."
Tohru watched as she laid out five more cards, and put her paw on her next choice.
"Hm...Two of cups." She turned over the one on it's right side of that card and her frown deepened a bit. One card was the lovers card and she looked at Tohru meaningfully. It was upside down. "You have recently joined in a relationship with someone, but this card..." She pointed at the reversed lovers card. "Suggests maybe the person who is represented by the queen of hearts believes she is in a relationship with the same person."
Tohru blushed, looking at the blanket on her bed. "Yuki-kun and I are just friends..." She said softly, wishing he was there with her.
"Five more, then..." Hanajima pulled five more cards. "Pick two."
Tohru picked the two on opposing ends.
"Hmmm...how odd." She peered at the cards. One was the eight of swords, the other, was the fool. "Somehow, your innocence has led to the entrapment in this body. This is a very delicate time for you..." She sighed, shaking her head. "Tohru-chan..."
Tohru looked down. "Five more, then?" She asked.
She nodded. "Five more, then, and pick one." She laid out the cards, and flipped the card that Tohru had chosen. The Ace of Swords. "And one for clarity..." She pulled a card and set it down. "The Death Card!" She stared at it. She frowned a bit. "You are in for a great challenge, and a great change. Something will happen that will put your relationship to the test. I know not what, but you must believe in yourself, you must believe in your family." She lifted her eyes. "Tohru-"
She lowered her head. "Such a dark reading, Hana-chan..." She said softly.
Hanajima reached into her cloak, pulling out a small vial. "This is blessed water..." She reached around her neck. "And this is an amulet. It will hopefully prevent any more evil from befalling you. Annoint it every day with the water..." She stood.
Tohru nodded, smiling sadly. "Hai, Hana-chan."
She picked up her friend, kissing both of her cheeks. "Tohru, you must keep the necklace on you every day, or something bad will happen."
She nodded. "I will, I promise."
She picked up the necklace, putting the slender silver chain around her neck. "Just a drop of the water will do, and don't worry, everything will work out." Moments later, Tohru was Tohru again, and Hanajima wrapped her robe around her. "I will let everyone else know that you are okay..."
She nodded, pulling on her pajama's.
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Yuki looked up, seeing Hanajima coming down the stairs. "Is Tohru-san alright!" He asked, jumping to his feet.
Hanajima looked at him, wearing a strange expression. "She is fine, for now."
Tohru came down a short time later, wearing the amulet, and saw relieved expressions on everyone's faces. She gave them all sweet smiles and bowed. "I'm sorry if I worried everyone." She saw Yuki's expression was relieved and blushed, looking at the ground.
Hanajima took her hands. "Remember what I told you, Tohru-chan." She said softly. She looked at her urgently. "Every day, and never take it off."
She nodded, smiling. "I'll remember, Hana-chan." She promised.
The girl nodded, walking towards the front door.
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Hanajima frowned deeply. There was nothing else she could do. Her magic was only a temporary fix. Soon, it would all be on her. She closed her eyes, uttering a silent prayer for her friend.
Soon, her faithfullness to the Sohma family would be tested, and the woman who had cast the spell would cast a far stronger spell. One of words, rather than magic. A threat that would undoubtedly break everyone's heart.
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AN: Another chapter gone. More notes too. Hanajima senses vibes, and I think she might be a little psychic. The cards and meanings of them might be a little bit off, It's been awhile since I studied my own cards, but cards are also open to interpretation. The amulet and the blessed water are things that I took a leap of faith on. Well, anyways, Like it, Love it, Hate it, but please review it! Otherwise I might not put up the next chapter! Jk, I'll put it up, it just might take awhile.