Broken
Tohru dried the dishes absentmindedly. Her body in remote mode, routine chores had taken a life of their own and she no longer needed to be conscious of what she was doing. She felt really tired. She's been this way since… Tears formed – she furiously wiped her eyes, refusing to let sad thoughts overcome her. She smiled. She looked at her reflection in the window and smiled. She tried a wide smile, and another and another. Then she cried.
Shigure leaned on the wall just outside the kitchen. He listened as Tohru cried to herself.
000---000---000---000
Yuki pottered around his secret base. He cleaned out the mess he created after yelling at Ayame. He had torn out the strawberry runners and leeks in his anger. He had since cleaned out the ruined plants and left the empty spaces - empty, not knowing what should take their place. Just like the empty hole in him, he does not know what he could use to plug it.
He had spent a lot of time here since he found out about Tohru and his brother, either here or the library. He felt that he had nowhere to go. He had been avoiding Tohru, eating his meals after everyone else, often in his room. He left the house at the crack of dawn. Shigure had tried to get him to talk. He felt that there was nothing to talk about. He felt betrayed. He was used to being betrayed by his brother. But Tohru…still a part of him could not fault her - afterall he had never professed his love.
He laid on the ground. His love. Was it so unwanted? He thought his actions were obvious, that Tohru should have realized that he loved her. He closed his eyes and dreamt about their earlier days.
When things were not so complicated and when they were all friends.
000---000---000---000
Ayame stretched his arms. He had been working non-stop since two days ago. With Christmas in 2 weeks, urgent orders were placed. Ayame just took more than he normally would. He was one that placed leisure time more than work. But having extra time these days just got him into dreaming and dreaming got him miserable.
'No!' He heard her whispered. He looked up and saw Tohru at the doorway. When she looked at him and saw his expressionless face, she turned and ran away. He did not follow her. He pushed the girl who was clinging on him away and told her to go home. She stormed out after calling him all kinds of names. He deserved in, after all he had used her, used her to chase away a girl who did not really belong to him.
Ayame picked up the phone and dialed Mine's number.
'Hello?'
'Hello. This is Sohma Ayame. May I speak with Mine?'
'Hai, Aya-kun. How can I help you or are you calling to fire me now that you have the lovely Tohru-kun in your store and arms?' A teasing voice asked.'
Ayame grimaced. 'Mine…' His voice shook. He stopped to composed himself. 'Mine, I am calling because I need your help. I know you are not due back until after the New Year, but I am really swamped here.'
'What about Tohru-kun? Isn't she there?'
'She is not working here anymore.' Ayame said coolly with a hint of steel in his voice.
Mine knew this tone. Ayame seldom used it because he often relied on his power of persuasion. When he used this tone, he meant business. No questions – just do as you are told.
'What kind of help do you need?'
'Mainly sewing. I do the tacking, and you'll need to machine in the seams and hand-sew certain details. I'll call Kimura-san to help too.' Kimura Tokia was a kindly older woman who did work for Ayame when he really needed it. Mine thought, if Ayame needed two persons to help that meant he took in more than he could handle. That was highly unusual, but she knew better than to ask.
'Can I work from home?'
'Of course.'
'Okay, then. I'll come in tomorrow and we'll discussed the details then.'
'Doomo, Mine. You are a lifesaver.'
'And I am also available for you to talk to about anything.'
'I know. But there's nothing to discuss except work. I'll see you tomorrow.' With that Ayame hung up.
Slowly a throbbing ache crept up from his neck to his head. Ayame sat on his couch with a glass of wine. Willing himself to de-stress before he transform. He sipped the wine.
'No!' She whispered. Her eyes wide and tears formed at the rims. That was the last straw. For two weeks, she endured the flirting and teasing that was going on between Ayame and Mia. The girl from Mine's wedding. Tohru remembered her. She was hanging on Ayame throughout the wedding. She wanted to ask Ayame about her. She just appeared in the store one day and started work, if you can call what she does work. She was just hanging on Ayame, as though she was a growth that suddenly sprouted on his side. Tohru did not have a chance at all to talk to Ayame. Then, just as she had about enough about what was go on, she walked into them. Ayame's hands were under Mia's blouse and she had her head thrown back with pleasure.
'No!'
Tohru's voice kept playing in Ayame's mind. He shut his eyes tight to try to drown the voice. Her voice carried so much emotions – hurt, disbelief and more hurt. She sounded as though she was drowning. He opened his eyes and to try to chase the images in his mind away. 'I am driving myself crazy.' He drank the rest of the wine. He laid down on the couch and pulled the sheet to his chin. He smelt Tohru. He pulled the sheet over his head allowing the smell to envelope him and to comfort him to sleep.
000---000---000---000
Yuki stood up and brushed himself, ridding his clothes of soil and dried leaves. It was evening. He must have fallen asleep while thinking. He looked at his garden there was nothing else for him to do. He started towards the house. A place he called home for so long. It was more than just a shelter to him. It was where once he felt comradeship and love. He walked with a heavy heart. He had hardly spoken more than two words to Tohru since the incident. He knew at least that she was coming home earlier, as now there were always home-cooked dinners. He sighed, he should stop running away.
'Tadaima' He called out.
'Okaeri-nasai.' A soft voice greeted from the kitchen. He took a deep breathe and walked into the kitchen. There she was. Yuki frowned. She looked really tired and thin. She seemed to have lost weight. She smiled at him.
'You are home.' She said softly. 'I have missed you in the past two months.'
Yuki stood at the doorway, not knowing what to say. Suddenly, Tohru swayed, she stopped herself from falling but in the process dropped the plate of food she was holding.
'Tohru!' Yuki shouted as he ran towards her. She slipped and almost fell onto the broken pieces of the plate when Yuki caught her. He took a sharp intake of breathe as he realized that the front of her skirt had blood. She was bleeding.
The loud crash and Yuki's shout brought Shigure from his study. He went into the kitchen just as Yuki caught Tohru.
'Ha'ri, call Ha'ri, Shigure. Quick. Something is very wrong. She is bleeding.'
