-Snails Pace-

Thus by chance should I stumble upon a way to find you

Chapter Fourteen

Tohru awoke first thing in the morning to a bright and warm sunshine flooding into her room. She could hear the busy traffic of a normal day in Japan taking place just below the window back among civilization. She was forty stories up, in one of the grandest hotels Tokyo had to offer, and when she pulled back the blinds she was greeted with a pale morning sky, dotted with white clouds. In the distance she could see a plane the size of a pin, and she once again smiled at the travels she'd had.

'It's beautiful isn't it, from up here,' Yuki said to her. He was standing at the door, fully dressed, looking in at Tohru kneeled on the bed staring out the window.

"It's very beautiful,' Tohru replied, but she quickly came away from the window when she noticed she had over slept and missed breakfast. 'I'm sorry I over slept.'

'That's all right,' Yuki replied, 'in fact breakfast has only just come up. I came to see if you were awake. Are you going to join me or get dressed first?'

'I think maybe I'll just join you,' Tohru replied, and walked passed Yuki out the door. He blushed as she passed him, having never seen her in silks before.

'Are you cold Miss Honda?'

'Not really.'

'You look cold.'

'You think so?'

'Just a bit…' Yuki refrained from looking at her chest throughout breakfast, and was glad when Tohru asked if they could go for a walk. He needed some fresh air and a chance to cool down. Tohru changed into a sweater and blue skirt, and they took the elevator down to the first floor. It was turning out to be a beautiful day. They crossed the road, and walked hand in hand through the streets. Tohru was amazed and confused by the presence of the Japanese language all around her.

'Miss Honda…' Yuki said softly.

'Yuki?' she replied, 'Are you all right?'

'I just…I'm sorry if I've done anything to offend you over these last couple of days. You see, when I asked Kyou to find you for me I was really only thinking of myself, I didn't think of how it would impact you. I guess I'm just… selfish.'

'Awe, Yuki,' Tohru said in her sweet voice, 'I don't think that at all. I was very happy that you invited me over. I'm still very happy. I enjoy spending time with you. I'm sorry for running away from you.'

'I enjoy spending time with you as well. It's hard to find people that you can talk to easily when you're someone like me; who's always in the spotlight.'

'Yuki…'

'If I kissed you right now, would the time we spend together be affected by that?'

They had stopped walking now and were standing inches apart from each other. Tohru could feel Yuki's chest rise and fall with his steady breathing, and his heart beating fast within. He was looking directly into her eyes, searching them for some answer that she was unable to form with her own tongue. Magnetism drew them closer together, and Tohru was aware that he had put one of his hands on her hip.

'Yuki…I…'

'Look! There they are; it's Yuki Sohma! I bet that's Tohru Honda with him as well. Get your camera out!' Suddenly, out of nowhere, a group of paparazzi came streaking up the pavement towards them and Tohru quickly stepped back from Yuki. His hand dropped to his side. Microphones and camera's were thrust in their faces. Tohru was seeing dots from the amount of times a flash had left her dazed.

'What's going on?' was all she could say. She didn't understand a word of what the reporters were saying; but knew that they were there for Yuki. She could vaguely recognize her own name being pronounced within the jumble of foreign words. She put a hand up to her eyes to shield her face from the flashes.

'I have nothing to say,' Yuki was saying in Japanese, 'I'm just visiting some family here in Tokyo.' He put a hand on Tohru's back and began steering her out of the crowd, which only followed them up the street, drawing attention to them. People were giving them weird glances, and a few girls had run up chanting Yuki's name and throwing ghastly sneer's in Tohru's direction. She'd never felt so claustrophobic before.

Tohru snapped herself out of her daze, grabbed Yuki's hand and tore off up the street, running as fast as Yuki would permit her as he staggered and swayed after her. The reporters in their large group were unable to keep up with them, and eventually got the message that they were not wanted when Tohru and Yuki disappeared around the corner into a small walkway that led into the next street over.

Slipping on his way round the corner, Yuki began falling face first into Tohru. His shouts and cries were not enough, and Tohru couldn't move in time. They both went crashing to the ground with a loud thud, and then a small pink POOF! as Yuki turned into a rat.

'Oh my god! I am so sorry!' Tohru shrieked, staring into the pile of clothes Yuki had left behind. The small face of a rat was glowering up at the sky. 'I just got so flustered back there I didn't realize what I was doing! I feel so stupid, I am so sorry. It would be so bad if those reporters suddenly turned up I have to get you out of here!' Wide eyed and in a frenzy, Tohru gathered up the clothes, the rat, and sprinted all the way back to the hotel.

She brandished the key for the Hotel staff to see, swept through the foyer like fire and burst into their room where she immediately slammed and locked the door behind them. Just at that moment, for the sake of making her day worse, the rat changed back and she was left holding and staggering underneath a very naked Yuki and spluttering on pink smoke. Tohru toppled forward under the sudden weight.

'AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!'

'Guess I'll have to call home about this…' Yuki mused as Tohru flung herself into the kitchen, covering her eyes and shaking from embarrassment.

Maybe it wasn't such a beautiful day.